Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (SRSC 12)

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Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman

Woolman writes of his visitation ministry to slave owners, “I often saw the necessity of keeping down to that root from where our

concern* proceeded, and have cause in reverent thankfulness humbly to bow down before the Lord, who was near to me, and preserved my mind in calmness under some sharp conflicts, and begat a spirit of sympathy and tenderness in me toward some who were grievously entangled by the spirit of this world.” How have you experienced the Lord’s calming work in the midst of sharp conflicts? When have you seen the Spirit of Christ instill sympathy and tenderness toward people entangled in the world? How does it feel to “keep to the root” of your concern* in the midst of difficult conversations with others? What do you learn about the heart of ministry in the midst of difficulties from Woolman’s Journal ?

How we handle our conflicts with individuals is one of the central issues of Christian mission and ministry. Some of us avoid conflict altogether.

Others wait until it gets serious and then we explode. Still others try to blend confrontation and compassion—not easy! There are books out these days like The Peacemaker , Crucial Conversations , Roadmap to Reconciliation, and the like. 3 Reflecting on Woolman’s Journal and other sources, what do think are some good strategies for moving toward peaceful confrontation in the midst of conflict?

3 Ken Sande, The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict , 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2004); Kerry Patterson, et al., Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High , 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011); Brenda Salter McNeil, Roadmap to Reconciliation: Moving Communities into Unity, Wholeness and Justice (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2015).