Volume 14 Issue 2
How do I handle it when people criticized my ministry? When I am criticized by saints or fellow ministers, it really unnerves me.
When you touch on criticism, you are dealing with one aspect of ministry and leadership that is very difficult for some people to handle.
First of all, it is true that much criticism in unjustified and undeserved. In the ministry, as in any leadership position, you will be unduly criticized. Try to keep it in perspective and remember that criticism goes with the job. As someone once observed, the tallest trees will catch the most wind.
There are a lot of things I could say on this subject, and indeed many books have been written about it. But I’d like to suggest one point as being perhaps the best, and that is to deal with criticism from your own personal perspectives.
Think of criticism as positive feedback. Think of it as an opportunity to discover something about yourself that you might not have otherwise known and a chance to deal with something at an early stage before it becomes major. Criticism will provide an opportunity for you to focus your efforts and to deal with things in a positive manner before they become worse.
Your attitude is obviously the key. Take criticism in stride. Never retaliate. Always evaluate. Use criticism as an opportunity to focus more clearly on any problem that you might have. Don’t over react. Don’t quit. Be careful not to take yourself or the criticism too seriously.
In looking back over my own life, I’ve often discovered that criticism, when taken in the proper attitude and perspective, was actually a blessing and made me a better person in the long run.
