I have had a policy that, if a meeting is facing a particularly difficult, even explosive issue, then defer it. For example, I sensed that we were facing a powder-keg issue over Church discipline -- which looking back was no contest, because the person who necessitated the discussion went to jail. But we didn't know that then. I surveyed the subject, and said that we needed to take account of Biblical commandment, Biblical example, and Church tradition and precedent. We shouldn’t try to re-invent the wheel. There was partial consensus, but I could see we weren’t going to reach decisions easily. Deferment saved the day -- in fact “released” people in the meeting, and set it on a good track. OBSERVATION: I prefer to defer anything where there is not “generous consensus” -- that is, where the urgency is not such that a decision must be made.
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