Conflict happens. It is a part of all human relationships. Thriving marriages, booming businesses, and close friendships all experience conflict. Churches aren’t any different.

In Acts 6:1–7, we see the first recorded church conflict. And no—it wasn’t about the color of the carpet or whether deviled eggs are appropriate for a church fellowship meal.

So what happened?

The church had been generously giving to meet needs, including providing food for widows. But a problem arose: the Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food, while the Aramaic-speaking widows were receiving their food. What seems like a simple oversight that could easily be remedied began to grow into a much larger issue.

How did the early church respond? And what can we learn from their example about handling conflict within the body of Christ?