A few weeks ago, I recieved an email from an attender at CVC that was challenging our approach to scripture during our series on claiming the promises of God. The criticism was nicely-stated for the most part. The bottom line was that we need to encourage CVCers to approach scripture in a more scholarly, more bibically-accurate way. At the end of the email, the writer implied that I lack the kind of courage needed to lead our people at CVC to grow deeper.
So, how should a leader respond to this kind of criticism?
1) Take it to the Lord in prayer. Don't totally ignore the criticism. God is sovereign over all that comes our way. There are things to learn from any criticism that comes our way.
2) Address the crticism when you are led to do so. Sometimes, we will be led to ignore criticism. Proverbs 26:4 says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly lest you be like him yourself." Other times, we address the issues raised. Proverbs 26:5 says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." There are times we can explain ourselves without being defensive.
3) Maintain a positive perspective. Don't give more weight to the criticism than it deserves. We don't want it to immobilize us.
4) Be a pastor. Don't abdicate the pastoral role that you can have toward the critic. It's not only a teaching opportunity for those of us being criticised, but for the critic as well.
For better or worse, below is part of how I responded.
***
I always take very seriously the criticism of others. It causes humility and dependency in my life. I take it to the Lord and ask Him what parts of the criticism I am to receive and what parts I am to reject. Please know that I am doing the same with your letter.
Regarding your concerns about turning promises into "talisman-like objects" and claiming promises from God's Word that do not apply to individuals in the church age, I appreciate your cautions.
I do also believe that it is appropriate for us to claim the promises of God as long as we are wise, cautious, and non-demanding. During the messages, both Chad and I tried to emphasize the fact that these promises were made to the specific individuals at specific times for specific purposes. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to "hold God hostage" to precisely keep those promises for us today.
When we go to God, we are wise to claim the promises this way, "Lord God, I know You gave this promise to Israel. But I also know that this promise tells me something about how You relate to Your people. It shows Your character and nature. Therefore, I am asking you to fulfill for me and for my family what You promised to Israel. So, right now I am claiming this promise. It's up to You when and how You will fulfill this promise. I am asking and I am trusting."
Today's scripture reading for CVC was in Genesis 12. Verse two is a promise to Abram. It says that he will be blessed in order that he may be a blessing. It's a specific promise to a specific person at a specific time. However, it also teaches us something about the nature and the character of God. He blesses His people in order that they might be a blessing. Therefore, I think it is appropriate for any believer to say, "O God, would you bless me, too, like You blessed Abram so that I might be a blessing?" Then we must trust God to plan our blessings, to provide our blessings. We don't demand. We just trust Him. He knows best plan how and why to apply the promises to our lives. He is sovereign over every experience and every blessing that He gives.
For a reformed perspective on the promises of God, please check out Joel Beeke's book, "Living by God's Promises."
You asked, "Could it be that you are actually afraid to send your flock to a commentary or scholarly source?" I am not afraid to share scholarly sources. But a sermon that is filled with references to sources is more of a lecture, than a message. So, you may not like this explanation, but I have chosen over the years to do my academic homework before preaching, but to limit the references I make to sources. If God is calling you to pastor and preach, then you might choose to handle that differently in your church. My way of encouraging our people to grow deeper in theological understanding is to point people to sources like the ESV Study Bible, John Piper's writings, and other solid books through some sermon references, one-on-one communications, recommended reading, blog writing, Facebook, twitter, and newsletters. The cumulative effect of this has deepened the lives of many over the years.)
In your letter, you challenged me to "lead the flock through the text." I think you may be seeking to encourage us to do more verse-by-verse exposition. Admittedly, the teachings during the "promises" series were topical in nature. But many times our teaching is verse-by-verse exposition. For example, we taught verse-by-verse through Ezekiel 37, Joel, and Luke 10 this past year. And we are planning a series through Philippians this year. (We will be encouraging our people to purchase a commentary on Philippians to supplement their understanding during that series.)
Please pray for me that I will fulfill God's calling on my life to be a man who has God's good hand on my life as I study the law of the Lord, practice it and teach His statutes and commands to His people (Ezra 7:9-10).
Regarding the close to your letter that challenged me to "grow a pair," I have just a few comments. One, as a former professional baseball player who has been many times challenged in less than edifying ways, I am not personally offended. Two, I agree that there is room in my life to grow in the area of courage and strength. I also think that is true for all of us. Three, your use of those coarse words was unbecoming, unworthy of the walk we have been called to, and unbiblical. (See Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:8, and Matthew 12:34-37 for the Lord's commands that our language be edifying.) Four, the dignified and well-phrased points that made up the majority our your letter were tainted and diminished by the crudeness of your comment at the end. Ecclesiastes 10:4 says, "Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." Proverbs 16:21 says, "The wise of the heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." I encourage you to use words that are gracious, winsome, and edifying and you will find that your influence for Christ will grow.
***
Well, that's a part of my response. Do you have any advice for me? How would you have handled this critic?
So, how should a leader respond to this kind of criticism?
1) Take it to the Lord in prayer. Don't totally ignore the criticism. God is sovereign over all that comes our way. There are things to learn from any criticism that comes our way.
2) Address the crticism when you are led to do so. Sometimes, we will be led to ignore criticism. Proverbs 26:4 says, "Answer not a fool according to his folly lest you be like him yourself." Other times, we address the issues raised. Proverbs 26:5 says, "Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes." There are times we can explain ourselves without being defensive.
3) Maintain a positive perspective. Don't give more weight to the criticism than it deserves. We don't want it to immobilize us.
4) Be a pastor. Don't abdicate the pastoral role that you can have toward the critic. It's not only a teaching opportunity for those of us being criticised, but for the critic as well.
For better or worse, below is part of how I responded.
***
I always take very seriously the criticism of others. It causes humility and dependency in my life. I take it to the Lord and ask Him what parts of the criticism I am to receive and what parts I am to reject. Please know that I am doing the same with your letter.
Regarding your concerns about turning promises into "talisman-like objects" and claiming promises from God's Word that do not apply to individuals in the church age, I appreciate your cautions.
I do also believe that it is appropriate for us to claim the promises of God as long as we are wise, cautious, and non-demanding. During the messages, both Chad and I tried to emphasize the fact that these promises were made to the specific individuals at specific times for specific purposes. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for us to "hold God hostage" to precisely keep those promises for us today.
When we go to God, we are wise to claim the promises this way, "Lord God, I know You gave this promise to Israel. But I also know that this promise tells me something about how You relate to Your people. It shows Your character and nature. Therefore, I am asking you to fulfill for me and for my family what You promised to Israel. So, right now I am claiming this promise. It's up to You when and how You will fulfill this promise. I am asking and I am trusting."
Today's scripture reading for CVC was in Genesis 12. Verse two is a promise to Abram. It says that he will be blessed in order that he may be a blessing. It's a specific promise to a specific person at a specific time. However, it also teaches us something about the nature and the character of God. He blesses His people in order that they might be a blessing. Therefore, I think it is appropriate for any believer to say, "O God, would you bless me, too, like You blessed Abram so that I might be a blessing?" Then we must trust God to plan our blessings, to provide our blessings. We don't demand. We just trust Him. He knows best plan how and why to apply the promises to our lives. He is sovereign over every experience and every blessing that He gives.
For a reformed perspective on the promises of God, please check out Joel Beeke's book, "Living by God's Promises."
You asked, "Could it be that you are actually afraid to send your flock to a commentary or scholarly source?" I am not afraid to share scholarly sources. But a sermon that is filled with references to sources is more of a lecture, than a message. So, you may not like this explanation, but I have chosen over the years to do my academic homework before preaching, but to limit the references I make to sources. If God is calling you to pastor and preach, then you might choose to handle that differently in your church. My way of encouraging our people to grow deeper in theological understanding is to point people to sources like the ESV Study Bible, John Piper's writings, and other solid books through some sermon references, one-on-one communications, recommended reading, blog writing, Facebook, twitter, and newsletters. The cumulative effect of this has deepened the lives of many over the years.)
In your letter, you challenged me to "lead the flock through the text." I think you may be seeking to encourage us to do more verse-by-verse exposition. Admittedly, the teachings during the "promises" series were topical in nature. But many times our teaching is verse-by-verse exposition. For example, we taught verse-by-verse through Ezekiel 37, Joel, and Luke 10 this past year. And we are planning a series through Philippians this year. (We will be encouraging our people to purchase a commentary on Philippians to supplement their understanding during that series.)
Please pray for me that I will fulfill God's calling on my life to be a man who has God's good hand on my life as I study the law of the Lord, practice it and teach His statutes and commands to His people (Ezra 7:9-10).
Regarding the close to your letter that challenged me to "grow a pair," I have just a few comments. One, as a former professional baseball player who has been many times challenged in less than edifying ways, I am not personally offended. Two, I agree that there is room in my life to grow in the area of courage and strength. I also think that is true for all of us. Three, your use of those coarse words was unbecoming, unworthy of the walk we have been called to, and unbiblical. (See Ephesians 4:29, Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:8, and Matthew 12:34-37 for the Lord's commands that our language be edifying.) Four, the dignified and well-phrased points that made up the majority our your letter were tainted and diminished by the crudeness of your comment at the end. Ecclesiastes 10:4 says, "Dead flies make the perfumer's ointment give off a stench; so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor." Proverbs 16:21 says, "The wise of the heart is called discerning, and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." I encourage you to use words that are gracious, winsome, and edifying and you will find that your influence for Christ will grow.
***
Well, that's a part of my response. Do you have any advice for me? How would you have handled this critic?
4 comments:
Your response was well reasoned and, more importantly, loving even when reproving the coarse language. Well done, sir.
Ever since I read your blog back in Dec. regarding the 10 "secret" struggles of a pastor, I began praying for you. To be honest, it never occurred to me the demands put on a pastor. I was guilty of assuming the pastor must have all the answers and struggled little due to his strong and perfect faith. That blog weighed heavily on my heart, and I realized pastors needed prayer just like the rest of us. After this blog, I saw a glimpse of some of the negativity you must face. I think you handled it well. As a matter of fact, I am sure much better than most would. I admire the choice to pray before responding. So many respond first, and then must pray for forgiveness of their own actions after. Thank you for sharing this with us. Hopefully it will be a reminder to us all that even in adversity, we need to focus on God's Word.
Thanks Ron and Jennifer. Your prayers and support mean so much. Blessings to you in this new year!!!
This just makes me sad to my core. I find both yours and Chad's messages challenging, revealing, insightful, and extremely bibically based as they should be. I am appreciative of your transparencies and honesty. You have tackled some tough subjects and tackled them well. I truly hope and pray that you get three times as many letters from your congregation uplifiting you, being prayerful for you, and appreciating you as letters like these. We are so grateful for CVC, it's leaders, elders, staff, and all who attend and play a part in making our lives richer in Christ. God bless you always, Pastor.
PS...I probably would have just cried.;-)
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