On Being Accident Prone There are various species of church splits. Some churches are simply accident prone. There is a long history of bitterness, division, mistrust and antagonism. Pastors come and go often leaving under a cloud. In some cases this unholy record can be traced back to the very early days of the church.
Cyclical trauma becomes the hallmark for decades on end.
Usually long on doctrine but short on relationships, it is no wonder that such churches live most of their lives on the plateau. The sad fact is that these bad advertisements for the Kingdom rarely seem to be able to break out into renewal and revival. There is an underlying illness which seems to be so entrenched, a darkness strangely inconsistent with the light of Christ. The long termers bemoan the unnamed millstone which seems to dog the congregation at every turn. The unravelling of this living tragedy seems to be beyond the reach of prayer, conflict resolution strategies, even grace itself.