THE HIGH COST OF CONFLICT
AMONG CHRISTIANS
by Ken Sande, President of Peacemaker Ministries

You may know from first-hand experience that conflict among Christians is costly. But just how costly is it? I admit that it is difficult to quantify the spiritual cost of conflict-how do you measure the pain, suffering, and diminished witness caused by Christians who fight one another? Yet as I've looked at several studies in the United States, I think that it is possible (and reasonable) to estimate the more tangible costs of conflict. I believe you will find it both eye-opening and sobering.

Summary

• Born again Christians in the U.S. file 4 to 8 million lawsuits every year, often against other Christians, costing 20 to 40 billion dollars.
• There are approximately 19,000 major, scarring church conflicts in the U.S. each year (an average of 50 per day).
  " 32% of born again Christians who have been married have gone through a divorce, virtually the same percentage as our general population.
• 1,500 pastors leave their assignments every month in the U.S. because of conflict, burnout, or moral failure, costing the church at least $684 million each year.

Lawsuits Among Christians

• 20 million civil lawsuits are filed in state courts each year.
• No attorney I have talked to thought that Christians were noticeably less likely to file a lawsuit than a non-Christian.
• 41% of American adults are "born again" (have made a personal commitment to Jesus and believe they will get into heaven because they trust in him).
• Estimated number of civil lawsuits filed by "born again" Christians: 4-8 million 20 million x .41 = 8 million (even if Christians sue at only half the rate of non-Christians, the number of suits would be 4 million)
• Lawsuits typically cost $50,000 or more for each party to litigate. Using just 1/10 of this amount ($5,000), the estimated cost of lawsuits involving Christians would be $20 billion to $40 billion. (The figures would be even higher if you assumed that many of these cases involved believers on both sides).

Church Conflicts

• 25 percent of the churches in one survey reported conflict in the previous five years that was serious enough to have a lasting impact on congregational life.
• There are approximately 386,000 churches in America.
• There are approximately 19,000 major, scarring church conflicts in the U.S. each year (386,000 x 1/4 x 1/5).