Congregational Conflict & Crisis Team
The Congregational Conflict and Crisis Team serves as pastor and counselor to all Pastors and Commissioned Ruling Elders serving our congregations, facilitates relationships between congregations and Pastors/Commissioned Ruling Elders, counsels with sessions as invited concerning reported or observed difficulties within a congregation, including: (1) advising the session as to appropriate actions to be taken to resolve the reported difficulties, (2) offering to help as a mediator, and (3) acting to correct the difficulties if requested to do so by the session or if the session is unable or unwilling to do so, following the procedural safeguards of the Church Discipline section of the Book of Order.
This Team may recommend to the Presbytery the appointment of administrative commissions to assume original jurisdiction in those highly conflicted situations in which it determines that a session is not properly exercising its authority.
Members of the Congregational Conflict and Crisis Team will be equipped in family systems theory, conflict identification/management strategies, and other relevant practices.
Members of this Team will be appointed by the Coordinating Council to one-, two-, or three-year terms of service.
Team Members
Moderator
Teaching Elder David Oliver-Holder
First Presbyterian Church of Urbana
david@firstpresurbana.org
Teaching Elder Laurie Fields
First Presbyterian Church of Harrisburg
pastor@harrisburgpresbyterian.org
Commissioned Ruling Elder Lynn Neal
Ruling Elder of First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Vernon
Serving the First Presbyterian Church of Carmi
brilyn55.ln@gmail.com
Ruling Elder DeAna Manns
First United Presbyterian Church of Centralia
deanaamanns@gmail.com
Ex Officio
Ruling Elder Dr. Rebecca Blair
Lead Presbyter for Transformation and Stated Clerk
statedclerk@gmail.com
