(wow) Words Of Wonders Level 1689 Answers – Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Dealing with Criticism in Ministry (P&R, 2020) by Joel R. Beeke and Nick Thompson.
It can be written as an axiom: Anyone who spends more than a week as a clergyman in a church faces criticism.
(wow) Words Of Wonders Level 1689 Answers
Some do not like to preach; they'll say it's as dry as Ezekiel's bones and boring as a chemistry lecture, or it doesn't have enough home stories, or it has too many home stories, it doesn't include enough theology, or it's too theological. You are in too deep. You are too superficial.
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Some people complain that your sermons are too long. Although it seems to be as rare as a frigid July day in Miami, some may even be sick to their stomachs that they are too short.
Some people complain about your leadership – you don't lead from scratch or say you would be a capable dictator of a small country. Others wonder why your car isn't parked in front of the church at 5:00 p.m. every day or why your wife doesn't play the piano.
In almost twelve years in pastoral ministry, I have heard this (mostly through the church grapevine) and much more.
I had been the senior pastor for a few weeks when one of the older women in our church showed up in my office on a Monday morning – not a time when a pastor is usually at the height of emotion or level.
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After I reminded her that she had been a member of this church since Eisenhower was in office, she told me that of all the pastors who had graced the pulpit there, I had given the longest sermons. She didn't come to give me an achievement medal. Because I asked him to preach for 45-55 minutes, she only gave me 30 minutes each Sunday—the usual length of a real “Baptist sermon,” she said.
Every Sunday for the next three years, she squirmed in her seat about 10 minutes into the sermon, 20 minutes later she started fumbling for her car keys and “flashing her rather large purse, then — promptly at 11:50. Medium – Gathers his things, gets up and heads for the side door like a fleeing bank robber. She sent me privately to her church friends (they told her) because I “didn't get the message”. I got the message – loud and clear.
Joel Beeke's recent book by Nick Thompson is not only the best work I have ever read on pastors and the criticism they receive, it is one of the best books on pastors I have read in several years. If you are a pastor, please read this book as soon as possible. If you have a pastor, buy him this book—and even consider reading it yourself. Beeke knows what he's talking about, having served for several years as pastor of Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is president of the Rev. Theological Seminary.
This little book is unique among books in the pastoral support genre – it not only provides practical tips for the pastor on how to handle criticism and real stories like the one I wrote about, but builds a solid biblical and theological foundation for how to do business. . a godly way with criticism – first study the Old Testament and then go to the foundations of Christianity in the New Testament, how to deal with criticism.
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Part 2 is the heart of the book, and Beeke/Thompson provide some of the best and most insightful advice I've read on how to tackle this most difficult part of pastoral ministry, moving along the way through four practical principles. And the principles are built on this incomprehensible truth: criticism is a gracious gift for servants from God. Why? Beeke writes, “Few things reveal our hearts like criticism. When our character, our reputation, our abilities, or our work is questioned or undervalued, the condition of our heart is immediately revealed. . . . It shows how segregated we really are.” Wow. Hard to hear, but absolutely true.
The authors urge ministers to put aside the twin dangers of idealism and pessimism and instead embrace criticism in reality, which means learning to see ourselves and the ministry as they really are, not as the best. Pastors are sinners dealing with sinners, so criticism is inevitable when ministering in a fallen world.
It is an unrealistic view to look at a minister as ministers and a ministry. Furthermore, criticism—justified or unjustified—is a method God uses to sanctify his lesser shepherds. The authors also encourage pastors to consider the source of criticism. Is the critic a mature, God-fearing Christian who has your best interests at heart? Or is he a cold person who professes Christ but criticizes you as a way of deliberately undermining your ministry? And what are the reasons for the criticism? Good questions, everyone.
“What three graces does a minister need most?” Augustine asked. “Humility, humility, humility.” The problem with humility is the difficulty of achieving it. Jonathan Edwards once compared pride—the enemy of humility—to an onion: You peel back one layer and there's always another underneath. Pride, a general epidemic, makes criticism hard to swallow.
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And the authors point out that the only way we can be willing to accept criticism is to drill an ever-growing well of humility through the power of the cross of Christ. As shepherds, we must humble ourselves before and listen to our critics, search our hearts for evidence of pride, and seek counsel from others we trust. Maybe I should read this chapter every day.
The advice here is as easy to remember as it is profound with the three P's: Be prayerful, patient, pay attention, answer your critics carefully. The authors wisely recommend “The 24-hour rule: delay responding to serious criticism for at least 24 hours. I used this rule throughout my service. I actually did this last week. The investigator sent me less than two hours after my Sunday sermon. I didn't hear back until Monday.
And sometimes, advises Beeke, “The best response to criticism is silence. Our lack of words can speak volumes, often more than our words. Silence is not an inability to respond, but a specific way of dealing with criticism. In some situations, it's the most appropriate way to respond.” I've used this technique to great effect as well.
This chapter focuses on the importance of a servant under grace maintaining a clean conscience. Then comes the hardest part to swallow: “If we live under God's smile, we learn to see criticism as grace from the hand of the father.” Verbal rebuke is a tool God uses to transform His children into the image of His Son. “
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How to enroll in the gracious school of God's criticism so that we are sanctified and not overwhelmed by it? The authors suggest that we approach our critics with these assumptions: I think too highly of myself; I worry too much about myself; I am a junior shepherd, not a chief shepherd, and I am in desperate need of the Lord. We must learn to accept our critics with grace.
Part 3 of the book turns the conversation to criticizing others and fostering a church culture where constructive criticism is welcomed and even invited—a fact that requires great grace for the sons and daughters of Adam. These two topics are covered in separate chapters and are very useful.
Part 4, which is the final chapter, offers a theological perspective on dealing with criticism. We should cultivate a God-centered attitude for a lifetime that we live knowing full well that one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore, living daily in the fear of God puts us, our critics, and God in their rightful place in all our interactions. Iain Murray wrote of the God-fearing soul as one in which “God is ever the center of our thought and recognition, and life is marked by that all-embracing consciousness of being dependent on and dependent on him.”
In 2012. This is helpful because as a pastor I am often criticized and I have come to understand that this is just part of the calling.
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But no matter how much criticism I receive, it is never easy or pleasant to hear – especially since I am proud and sinfully fond of human praise. This is informative because Beeke and Thompson apply Scripture and theology to receiving (and giving) criticism in a way that helps the pastor be faithful to the Lord and encourages growth through grace, few tend to see it that way.
The authors have done some serious biblical thinking and serious construction here. This, along with Joel Beeke's many years of experience as a pastor (and many years of criticism) make this a book every pastor should read.
The audience for this book is pastors, but all Christians will benefit from reading it. Every Christian receives – and gives – criticism in some area of life. This book will help them a lot
