Purpose and Practice
Place Agree upon an area in which daily conferences may be held without interruption. Choose a table, preferably one that is not used frequently for other purposes. Hold all conferences there. If problems arise elsewhere, when possible, wait until you reach home to discuss them – at the conference table, of course. The first week read Ephesians 4:17-32 each night before meeting. Place ___________________________________________________ Time ___________________________________________________ Purpose The conference table is a place to confer, not to argue. Begin by talking about yourself – your sins and failures – and settle all such matters first by asking forgiveness. Ask also for help (cf. Matthew 7:4-5). Speak all the truth in love.
Do not allow any concern to be carried over into the next day. Not all problems can be solved at one sitting. You may find it necessary to make up an agenda and schedule out the work over a period of time according to priorities. Direct all your energies toward defeating the problem, not toward the other person. Your goal is to reach biblical solutions to the problems presented, so always have Bibles on the table and use them. It helps to record the results of your work on paper. Open and close all conferences with prayer. When you need help, reread Ephesians 4:25-32. Procedures If either party argues, “ clams up” or does anything other than confer at the table, the others must rise and stand quietly.
This prearranged signal means, “ In my opinion we’ ve stopped conferring.” Whether he was right or wrong in this judgment does not matter and ought not to be discussed at the moment. The person seated should then indicate this willingness to confer, and invite others to be seated again.