William Ury may be one of the most important persons I’d never heard of. When in his 20s his approach to negotiation was instrumental in bringing about the 1978 Camp David Peace Accords, which have led to peace between Israel and Egypt for over 40 years–after 30 years of war. Ury was also key in de-escalating the threat of nuclear conflict between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un (after soliciting insights from Dennis Rodman!). It’s no surprise Ury is co-founder of the Harvard Program on Negotiation.
One of William Ury’s key moves in negotiation is to focus on interests rather than positions. He focuses on the why, on the reasons behind the positions as the place to find common ground. Ery’s approach echoes God’s call to look not only to our own interests but also to the interests of the others, and to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (Philippians 2.4; James 1.19). Let’s pray that our denomination’s synod operates by such practices, and with God’s help let’s make sure that we do.
–Pastor Brent
FYI: One of our deacons, Les Hayden, is a delegate to Synod from our classis (regional group of churches), Classis Lake Erie.