How Should a Pastor Handle Criticism?

[JOwen]

I wish I could say that I handle it well. Criticism is hard to take and Pastor’s are especially susceptible to turning it into a game of pulpit & pew dodge-ball. Currently I’m reading a book called Why Johnny Can’t Preach by T. David, Gordon. Believe me when I say it is a difficult read, and a pastor should not pick this book up unless he is ready and willing to be brought very low. The book is brutally honest about the ministers task, and does not fall short of levelling the proud heart. Believe it or not, I am very appreciative of Gordon for his honest appraisal of the current condition of the pulpit. I have much to work on as a preacher, and see afresh, my great need to be a better ambassador of Christ behind the Sacred Desk.

In Gordon’s book he states that in his latest charge, in exchange for a reduced salary, he asked the elders for 2 things: first, more time off to study, and second, be given an objective preaching review once per year. Gordon believes that the best way to improve as a preacher, is to have a review of his main duty. Other professionals are subject to review, so why should this be any different for ministers? (Note: a minister is not a professional. Gordon recognizes this, but believes the principle still applies.) This is the point in the book where most preachers will begin to feel a bit uneasy and perhaps look for a more encouraging read. Thoughts run through one’s mind like, “What would my elders say?”, and “Would I be able to handle it?” The question came loud and clear to my own heart, “How would I handle such criticism”? Scary stuff. This presumes of course, that the eldership knows something about the art and science of what they have governance over. The elder should make a complete study of the “art of prophesying”, and know from whence he speaks. This goes without saying.

Read more...

 

[greenbaggins]

Criticism is a difficult topic for pastors, especially as they tend to get much more criticism than many other types of positions. I remember one pastor in my Presbytery, who started on expository preaching from the get-go. A woman came to him about a year into his ministry, and told him that he needed to change his preaching to match Preacher X (she gave him several tapes of well-known evangelical preachers). My friend smiled and said, "Thank you for your thoughts," and went and changed precisely nothing. Eight years later, this very same woman came up to him and said to him that she thought he was a really good preacher. The moral of the story is that expository preaching is an acquired taste. Some will not like it initially. It depends on long-term ministry to be effective. This was one of the most encouraging stories about the ministry I ever heard.

There are obviously many areas of any pastor's ministry that are open to critique, and areas where he needs to improve. The pastor should therefore be teachable enough to recognize the wisdom of the Proverb which says "Rebuke a wise man, and he will love you for it," surely one of the most difficult Proverbs to put into practice of which I know. Nevertheless, there are legitimate and illegitimate critiques. The pastor needs to treat criticism like he would any human book: chew the meat and spit out the bones. Of course, the latter action must be undertaken with gentleness and respect.

Probably the most difficult line to draw here is where a congregational member is being disrespectful of the pastor in his/her critique. Pastors can often be over-sensitive and thus draw the line too strictly, hardly allowing any criticism. Or, pastors can sometimes not recognize that there is a line which people can sometimes cross. Where that line is might shift from person to person a bit.

 

[JOwen]

I find it interesting that the best preacher was always the one just before you, even though when he was in the pulpit, he also received his fair share of criticism. We tend to romanticize the past don't you think? Your words regarding acquiring a taste for expository preaching can be applied to new preaching in general as well. I was told by one person when I first began here in Lacombe, "Your sermons are hard to follow." Now that I am about to leave they say, "Over the past several years your sermons have become easier to follow." I have not consciously changed anything in that respect, to be honest. I think this person has simply become adept at my thought process, phraseology, temperament, and even my heart. It is amazing to me how the reception of one's preaching can change as they get to know you. The dynamic of pulpit and pew communication (and it goes both ways) is a fascinating study.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

Context, source, perspective, and trust are all important.

Years ago my elders, in my first congregation, basically said to me "grow up." What I heard them say was, "get a personality transplant." That didn't seem likely. In the providence of God things worked out and I thought, at the time, that I was trying to listen to their criticism honestly but there was a lot of history and it was difficult to trust that they were really trying to help. I should have trusted them more than I did. I should have listened. I should have asked more questions to try to understand them. My first reaction was to defend and explain myself.

The truth is that I did need to grow up. Were they entirely fair and right? Maybe not but they were close enough. Enthusiasm and hard work weren't enough. I needed grace and to be more gracious -- it's still true! I still have a sharp tongue and am still too quick to respond. "But they just don't understand." They may not, but is that the most important thing?

True self-knowledge is difficult to gain and probably comes only over time but pray for grace, humility, and honesty.

Are the elders faithful? Have they demonstrated wisdom and insight? Do they manage their own families well? If so, I need to listen.

It's a form of mortification.

 

[JOwen]

Context, source, perspective, and trust are all important.

Are the elders faithful? Have they demonstrated wisdom and insight? Do they manage their own families well? If so, I need to listen.

It's a form of mortification.

True. I have also found that when an elder does his job effectively, you are not aware until much later that he was giving you a mild critique! It's on your way home, as you review the conversations of the day that you say, "Wait a min. Br. Elder was pointing out something that was missing in the sermon this morning." The point is, he did it in such a way that it was almost subliminal. I have met a few old elders skilled in this art. Very effective.

 

[Herald]

Pastors have been criticized for their preaching since forever. The criticism that is more injurious to a pastor or elder is the one that attacks his motives, actions, and character. I've seen this type of criticism not only drive effective men from ministry but also wreck havoc in their personal lives. I know a pastor of a large congregation whose children were ostracized and ridiculed because of a right (but unpopular) action take by the pastor. His wife shared with me how this was weighing on his heart and robbing him of his joy. Later he said that criticism of his preaching seemed like a compliment compared to what he had endured. Elders should play a prominent role in dealing with personal criticism since it often is nothing more than gossip, slander, and back biting;
in other words, sin.

 

[FenderPriest]

This is a really helpful resource on receiving criticism: The Cross and Criticism by Alfred J. Poirier.

 

[LawrenceU]

Handling criticism of any type is tough. I have worked all sorts of jobs and criticism is a part of life. However, handing criticism of 'ministry' is especially difficult. Whether it is preaching, teaching, counseling, or the myriad other tasks that make up the work of a pastor, they almost all require a large dose of self sacrifice, effort, and personal investment. A pastor puts a tremendous amount of effort into the preparation and delivery of a sermon or teaching. Much more than even some elders know. When one has that much invested it makes it a very personal issue. Perhaps in the best of worlds that would not be the case, but in the real world it is.

Personally, I have a much easier time hearing the truth in criticism when it comes from a fellow pastor or matured elder. Often when criticism comes from other quarters it carries with it an agenda that is either unbiblical, immature, rooted in ignorance, or is a combination of the above. A wise response to this type of criticism can lead to furthering the maturity of the critic in some cases. In other cases there is no remedy. Even when such criticism should be ignored on an internal level how it is handled externally can either make or break a man's ministry in a congregation. It is a tough job to which we are called.

 

[fredtgreco]

I have been on both sides of this, as an RE and now a TE.

There is nothing more helpful than proper, helpful criticism. There is nothing more dangerous and harmful than petty, personalized criticism.

 

[Mushroom]

I've been guilty in the past of engaging in that nefarious game called Pick-Apart-the-Preacher. It's a wicked pastime, doing great harm to men and their families. I've had to repent. Now my policy is to always give my shepherds the benefit of the doubt when questions arise in my mind. I find myself to be in error far more often and to a greater extent than those men the Lord has set over me. The scriptures tell us to afford them double honor for a reason.

 

[DTK]

Maybe "Johnny" needs to consider whether "Johnny" is called to preach if "Johnny" can't preach.

 

[Reepicheep]

People criticize pastors? Holy cow.....

 

[Notthemama1984]

I heard someone say today, "Measure critics by weight, not numbers."

 

[KMK]

I have received much more criticism in my vocation as a public school teacher than I have as Pastor. (And that is not because I am a better Pastor than I am a Teacher.) We have 2 or 3 official evaluations every year plus many unofficial 'walk throughs'. Some teachers take criticism very hard, some don't. I think it all comes down to whether you view your office from the perspective of an artist. Those who pour their hearts and souls into their jobs (like most Pastors) are going to have a hard time handling criticism. But ultimately, just like an artist, if you truly do care about your craft, you know deep down that you need the criticism.

I think the criticism is harder for the Pastor's wife than for the Pastor himself. She hears the stuff that people wouldn't dare say to the Pastor's face.

 

[Curt]

Maybe "Johnny" needs to consider whether "Johnny" is called to preach if "Johnny" can't preach.

It's true that the time for mentors and professors to let students and candidates know that it does not appear that they are called - or they can't preach their way out of a wet paper bag - is BEFORE they get into a pastorate. This is the kindest thing that can be done for those students.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

It's funny how some thread comes up about the time I've been musing about something.

I was listening to a lecture about Augustine and how he was initially attracted to listen to Ambrose because he was such a gifted orator. The same was true for Spurgeon and actors used to come to hear him preach in order to improve their craft. A famous actor at the time of Whitefield remarked that he would give all his money just so he could say the word "Mesopotamia" in the manner that the great Evangelist did.

This is not to detract from the ministry of any of these men but personal charisma affects men much more than they are willing to admit. Even in Whitefield's day there was the problem that preachers just couldn't measure up to the magnetism of that great speaker.

The question becomes, then, that if only those that can preach like Whitefield are fit for the pulpit then how many men would find themselves so gifted?

Look, I've been around leaders for years and the number of men that have natural charisma is relatively small. I also have followed the train of how people tend to criticize preachers and people tend to align to preference and the fact that men are not like a popular preacher they like to listen to. Even Paul had to remind the Corinthians that it wasn't his smooth speech that attracted men to the Gospel and that he didn't intend to compete with the Sophists of the day.

Inevitably somebody is going to pick apart what I'm writing here and read it simply as excuse-making for people that are boring to listen to or have zero-giftedness to deliver a message. That's not my intent at all. If anything, I get a lot of praise for my exhortation and teaching. I am moved powerfully when I teach and I recognize my own influence on my hearers. I'm not trying to make up for a lack of ability to speak before a crowd because I know how to motivate.

What I continue to reflect upon is what the preaching office is about. I'd personally love to see a situation where the Elders in a Church are those that hear all the criticism from the people. There's something that's always been distasteful to me about going up to a preacher after a sermon and telling him how he could have done better. Never done it and, even with my training, it's just bad news to approach worship in the Word with an aim to seeing how you can improve upon the message being given.

The Lord promises that, through the foolishness of preaching, He brings conviction of sin and regenerated hearts. It wasn't the elocution of Ezekiel that brought dead bones to life in the desert but the Word preached. I think that we often betray our lack of confidence in the Preached Word when we start to take notes about how poor the delivery or arrangement is. That's not to say I disagree with the idea that a Preacher needs to seek self-improvement and I think a wise group of Elders is the best to work with him on it. I'd personally love to see it explained to congregants, however, that their duty is to come to the Word hungry and expectantly and stop looking for things that feed the flesh. I think we're all much more carnal about worship than we're willing to admit.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

The best thing a pastor can do is find another man to confide in face to face outside of his own church. This man can be an older pastor, elder, or whatever. But let it be someone that is not afraid to call a spade a spade in conversation. Having such a man at the ready to meet with me over coffee was an immense help to me.

AMR

 

[Caroline]

Some ideas:

--sometimes parishioners aren't so much criticizing as asking questions. I have discovered that pastors often confuse those things. I ask, they respond, I say, "But what about this verse?" and they think I am criticizing. Whereas I really just wanted to hear how they figured that verse into things. So don't assume that everything is personal.

--parishioners often find small faults endearing. If you find everybody giggling about how you pronounce 'Deuteronomy', it may mean that they are fond of you. In fact, I have discovered that the more people like a pastor, the more they do impressions of how he talks. Don't take it too seriously.

--don't expend too much energy trying to explain yourself to people who just want the last pastor back. If criticism is totally out of left field, then just deflect it as best you can. You can't make some people happy. One fantastic way that I have seen some pastors deflect is to say, "Well, there are many things to consider and much wisdom is needed every day. Please pray for me." This doesn't admit fault, but still the person usually leaves happy and with something positive to do (pray).

--have people around that really would tell you if you are being stupid. But preferably people that you know love you. People who love you generally agonize about making you feel bad, and so you know if they mention that, seriously, you have thoroughly covered Jude in the five years you have been preaching on it, and it's time to move on, then it really probably is time to move on.

I really think the best defense is a good sense of humor. I get criticized a lot in my line of work too, and the best thing is to be able to laugh at yourself and at the weirdness of all humanity. And then go back to work.