Should We Use Matthew 18 for Workplace Conflicts?
“I work in a Christian ministry where the supervisor frequently appeals to Matthew 18 and encourages subordinates to come to his office to discuss concerns. Rarely does anyone take him up on his offer…How does Matthew 18 apply where there’s a power differential between parties?” - TGC
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Generally speaking, corporate conflict resolution skips the one-on-one step and encourages associates to elevate to the next level or speak directly with HR.
Where I work, if someone from a different team has an issue with one of my direct reports, they are encouraged to speak with me about the issue and not to speak directly with the individual. If one of my direct reports has an issue with me, they are encouraged to speak with my VP or HR directly instead of speaking to me about their concerns.
This can be frustrating to the individual because sometimes they don’t even know / understand that someone has an issue with them until they are called into their manager’s office or HR. However, this does allow people the ability to speak about their issues / concerns who may not like direct confrontation or where there is a power differential between parties.
This is why we need to interpret Scripture in its context. Matthew 18 is addressing sin between brothers in the local church, not workplace conflicts. While the principles here may be helpful in writing a policy about conflict resolution, it would be incorrect to say that employees must follow Matthew 18. This reflects, in my mind, the ongoing erosion of meaningful church membership that is endemic in modern evangelicalism.
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