{"id":48528,"date":"2021-09-07T00:39:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-07T04:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=48528"},"modified":"2026-01-22T22:33:21","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T02:33:21","slug":"reconciliation-in-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>How can you heal broken fellowship? What is the biblical model for reconciliation in the church?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you&#8217;re probably well aware, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/christian-fellowship\/\">Christian fellowship<\/a> is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Fortunately, the Bible provides direction for reconciliation in the church, calling on you to be a peacemaker. This doesn&#8217;t mean sweeping problems under the rug. True peacemaking faces conflict head-on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read more to learn biblical methods for reconciliation in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-5-steps-to-reconciliation-in-the-church\">The 5 Steps to Reconciliation in the Church<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Occasionally, you may find yourself at odds with someone in your group, or with a serious rift in your relationship. Instead of making the easy and selfish choice to walk away from an imperfect relationship, God wants you to do the hard work of repairing your relationships with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-truth-about-love\/\">unselfish love<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In any fractured relationship, strive to be a <em>peacemaker<\/em>.<strong> <\/strong>Peacemaking is an essential skill to loving unselfishly\u2014in focusing on finding paths toward peace, you naturally start to better understand others and discover different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/5-ways-to-love\/\">ways to love<\/a> them. Some people think that peacemaking means <em>avoiding <\/em>conflict or people-pleasing, but it\u2019s actually the opposite. <strong>As a peacemaker, your duty is to <em>face <\/em>conflict with the goal of resolving it and to do what\u2019s right instead of what\u2019s popular. <\/strong>The Bible outlines five steps to guide you through the work of reconciliation in the church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-1-ask-god-for-advice\">Step 1: Ask God for Advice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Reconciliation in the church begins with God. It\u2019s tempting to gossip about relationship issues with friends, but your best bet is to talk to God about it first\u2014either he\u2019ll intervene to change the other person\u2019s view of the issue, or he will give <em>you<\/em> a necessary change of heart.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/why-is-it-important-to-be-honest\/\">important to be honest<\/a> with God during these talks, so he understands exactly how you\u2019re feeling and how you view the issue. Don\u2019t hold back\u2014nothing you can say to God, no matter how angry or mean, can surprise him.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This conversation can also help you understand the core of the issue. Often, relationships are damaged when you\u2019re expecting someone to give you something only God can give you, such as happiness, fulfillment, or perfect understanding. By looking for these things in the wrong places, you only set yourself up to be disappointed by the other person, through no fault of their own. <strong>When talking to God, discuss your <\/strong><strong><em>expectations<\/em><\/strong><strong> of the other person and honestly assess whether you\u2019re asking too much of them.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, \u201cI thought Kate would understand my child\u2019s issues because of her family\u2019s experience, but she seemed to think it\u2019s all <em>my <\/em>fault. It was unfair to expect her to understand every nuance of the issue, which only God can do.\u201d\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-2-take-initiative-nbsp\">Step 2: Take Initiative&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t wait for the other person to approach you. God expects you to make the first move in working through and resolving a conflict, as soon as you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This is so important<em> <\/em>that Jesus said that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/nvc-conflict-resolution\/\">conflict resolution<\/a> should take priority over group worship if need be. If you need to skip church one Sunday to make amends with a friend, don\u2019t hesitate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Confronting the issue as soon as possible is essential to reconciliation in the church, because any time spent delaying is time for hurt and anger to stew and worsen. <strong>However, be careful not to push a confrontation if it\u2019s <em>not the right time<\/em>. <\/strong>If either of you is feeling rushed, tired, or extra stressed, a conflict resolution won\u2019t go smoothly. Hold off your confrontation until the first available moment when both of you are feeling physically and emotionally capable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-3-listen-to-their-feelings\">Step 3: Listen to Their Feelings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Reconciliation in the church requires listening. You can\u2019t resolve a problem until you understand how the other person feels about it. Before launching into ideas for resolution, begin by letting the other person talk about their feelings\u2014don\u2019t interject with ideas or defenses. <em>Just listen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>This is crucial\u2014hearing and understanding their perspective gives you a more complete view of the issue, extends your patience, and guides you toward the resolution that will work for <\/strong><strong><em>everyone<\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong>This step may require you to listen without judgment while someone criticizes you or expresses anger toward you\u2014this becomes especially difficult when you believe that their criticism and anger are unfounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find strength in these moments by reflecting on how much of <em>your<\/em> unfounded criticism and anger God has listened to. Focus on how much patience and unselfish love he shows you despite that, and commit to acting the same way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-4-focus-on-your-mistakes-not-blame-nbsp\">Step 4: Focus on Your Mistakes, Not Blame&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a human, you\u2019re not perfect. <strong>It\u2019s likely that even if you <\/strong><strong><em>think<\/em><\/strong><strong> you\u2019re not at fault, you made a mistake in some way.<\/strong> If you\u2019re having trouble seeing your faults, you should ask a neutral third party for their input\u2014they\u2019ll have a clearer view of the situation than you will.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, if a group member feels upset about a correction you made during Bible study, you may think, \u201cMy correction was right. She\u2019s overreacting because she\u2019s jealous.\u201d However, upon deeper reflection, you find that the way you corrected her came across as overly harsh, and it embarrassed her in front of the group.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Believing that you\u2019re fault-free can\u2019t lead to resolution because the way you discuss the issue will pin blame on the other person, naturally making them feel defensive. There are two ways you can avoid the trap of blame:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1) Make sure you\u2019re discussing the <\/strong><strong><em>problem<\/em><\/strong><strong>, not the <\/strong><strong><em>person.<\/em><\/strong><strong> <\/strong>Before you speak, make sure what you\u2019re about to say isn\u2019t \u201cweaponized\u201d with accusations, criticism, belittling, and so on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For example, in saying, \u201cI\u2019m upset because you went and blabbed to everyone at choir practice about a marriage issue I told our fellowship group in confidence,\u201d you accuse and pin blame on them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>On the other hand, in saying, \u201cI\u2019m upset because something I spoke about in confidence was shared with many people with whom I did not want to share that information,\u201d you avoid blame and stay focused on the issue.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2) Be the first to admit your own mistakes. <\/strong>Demonstrating humility in this way naturally <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/relationships\/personal\/how-to-de-escalate\/\">de-escalates<\/a> the issue, as many people come into confrontations expecting to defend themselves. Instead, your humility makes the other person feel secure in admitting their own faults in the conflict.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These two steps fast-track reconciliation in the church\u2014and conflict resolution in general. Instead of arguing about <em>who did what<\/em>, you move right into discussing how to repair what\u2019s been done and how to prevent it moving forward.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-step-5-look-for-resolutions-or-reconciliations-nbsp\">Step 5: Look for Resolutions or Reconciliations&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Conflict resolution doesn\u2019t mean that one person \u201cwins\u201d and one person \u201closes.\u201d It means that both parties come to a compromise together. When searching for a resolution, demonstrate your willingness to adjust your position in a way that meets <em>their<\/em> needs instead of your own.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ideally, they\u2019ll reciprocate the courtesy, resulting in a fairly equal resolution of the issue. However, sometimes they won\u2019t budge on their position\u2014God created every member of his family to be different, so it\u2019s natural that you won\u2019t be able to align on some points. In these situations, it\u2019s necessary to look for <em>reconciliation <\/em>rather than <em>resolution<\/em>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In resolution, you <em>come to an agreement<\/em> about your differences or problems. In reconciliation, you <em>put them aside<\/em> for the sake of your relationship.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Both resolution and reconciliation are good outcomes of conflict, as they both achieve your ultimate goal\u2014maintaining unity with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/spiritual-family\/\">spiritual family<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-turn-to-the-bible-for-conflict-resolution\">Turn to the Bible for Conflict Resolution<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re unsure of the best method for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-confront-someone\/\">confronting someone<\/a>, turn to the advice Jesus gives in the Bible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Try a private conversation, where you both speak about your feelings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. If they refuse to listen to you or resolve the problem, involve one or two people who witnessed the point of conflict. They can give you a neutral confirmation of what the issue is and help you think of ways to reconcile.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. If they <em>still<\/em> refuse to listen or reconcile, go to see your pastor together and ask him to mediate the discussion and reconciliation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019ve taken the issue all the way to your pastor and the other person still won\u2019t work with you to repair your relationship, Jesus says you may think of them as an unbeliever. You\u2019re still expected to love them, but you aren\u2019t obligated to show them the mutuality, service, or trust you\u2019d show the members of your spiritual family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reconciliation in the church is hard work, but restored relationships are worth the effort. The good news is that the Bible provides a clear path to restoration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How can you heal broken fellowship? What is the biblical model for reconciliation in the church? As you&#8217;re probably well aware, Christian fellowship is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Fortunately, the Bible provides direction for reconciliation in the church, calling on you to be a peacemaker. This doesn&#8217;t mean sweeping problems under the rug. True peacemaking faces conflict head-on. Read more to learn biblical methods for reconciliation in the church.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":48535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,43,6],"tags":[488],"class_list":["post-48528","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","category-self-improvement","category-spiritual","tag-the-purpose-driven-life","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"373\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\"},\"wordCount\":1493,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Purpose Driven Life\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Relationships\",\"Self-Improvement\",\"Spiritual\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\",\"name\":\"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg\",\"width\":750,\"height\":373},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds - Shortform Books","description":"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds","og_description":"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":750,"height":373,"url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds","datePublished":"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/"},"wordCount":1493,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","keywords":["The Purpose Driven Life"],"articleSection":["Relationships","Self-Improvement","Spiritual"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/","name":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","datePublished":"2021-09-07T04:39:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T02:33:21+00:00","description":"The church is not exempt from conflict, hurt feelings, and broken relationships. Learn five biblical steps to reconciliation in the church.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","width":750,"height":373},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/reconciliation-in-the-church\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Reconciliation in the Church: 5 Steps to Heal Wounds"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World&#039;s Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/reconciliation-in-the-church.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48528"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48528\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":147948,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48528\/revisions\/147948"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}