What the Early Church Teaches Us About Healthy Conflict Resolution
Have you ever noticed how quickly people assume something must be wrong when a church talks about problems? I remember preaching through Acts years ago and coming to this same passage about the early church’s first internal conflict. Afterward, multiple people pulled me aside, lowered their voices, and asked, “So what’s really going on?”
Nothing was going on. We were just preaching through the book of Acts.
But that reaction reveals something important about how we think about church health. We’ve somehow convinced ourselves that a healthy church is one without problems. The reality? Church health isn’t measured by the absence of problems—it’s measured by how faithfully we handle problems when they arise.
And they will arise.
The Problem Nobody Saw Coming
Acts 6 opens with a jarring phrase: “Now at this time, while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose.” Notice the timing. This wasn’t happening during a low point. The church was thriving. People were being added daily. The Word was spreading. The apostles had just been flogged for preaching Jesus and had rejoiced in their suffering.
Everything was going remarkably well.
And then came the complaint.
The Hellenistic Jews—those who had adopted more Greek culture and customs—accused the church of neglecting their widows in the daily food distribution. Meanwhile, the native Hebrew widows were being cared for. This wasn’t a minor logistical hiccup. The word Luke uses for “complaint” is the same word the Septuagint uses to describe the Israelites murmuring against Moses in the wilderness. This was serious grumbling that threatened to fracture the unity of the early church.
Here’s what makes this so significant: this division existed before the church even began. The cultural divide between Hellenistic and Hebrew Jews was real and deep. When these groups came to faith in Christ, there was beautiful unity. But growth, logistical challenges, and limited resources began to expose fault lines that were always there.
The tension was real. The complaint was legitimate. And if left unaddressed, vulnerable widows would suffer.
The Response That Changed Everything
What the apostles did next is stunning. They called the entire congregation together—no closed-door meetings, no damage control—and said something that might sound shocking at first: “It is not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God in order to serve tables.”
Wait, what? Were they too prideful to help? Too busy with “important” ministry?
Not at all.
Howell Bible Church 