If you are in pastoral ministry, criticism is inevitable. As an old Dutch saying goes, “He who stands in the front will soon be kicked in the rear.” But being kicked in the rear one-too-many times can result in exasperation, insomnia, cynicism, burnout, and even despair. It is imperative for pastors to be equipped to handle verbal critique when it comes. Whether the criticism is constructive or destructive, receiving and responding to it well is largely a matter of perspective. Where ought we to turn our eyes when criticism comes? Here are four suggestions.

1.         THE GARDEN OF EDEN. It was here that the first criticism was uttered. By his words, the serpent placed a major question mark over the goodness of God, slandering Him as a restrictive, envious, unloving liar (see Gen. 3:1–5). When we suffer from the false accusations and character-disfiguring words of others, our minds should be quick to return to this grim garden conspiracy. It is one thing for creatures like us to be criticized by fellow creatures, but it is the atrocity of atrocities for the Creator of all things to be verbally assassinated by a mere creature.

2.         THE CROSS OF CHRIST. Nothing will keep us humble and enable us to receive criticism like the cross. To behold Christ’s suffering upon the accursed tree is to be critiqued in the most comprehensive way imaginable. The cross reminds us that we are always worse than our worst human critic makes us out to be. But as we behold the cross, we also catch a glimpse of the unfathomable love of God for sinners. The cross humbles us lower than the most scathing human criticism, but it simultaneously opens to us God’s heart so that the negative appraisal of our fellow man no longer devastates us.

3.         THE JUDGMENT DAY. The apostle writes, “But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court” (1 Cor. 4:3). How many of us could say that? To be judged, misunderstood, slandered, or condemned by others is anything but “a very small thing.” We are easily consumed by the verdict of a human court. But Paul is not. He is almost entirely indifferent to the matter. What is the verdict that matters ultimately? It is God’s: “It is the Lord who judges me” (v. 4). Such an eschatological perspective frees us from being consumed with the human courtroom we often find ourselves in. What is the judgment of man in light of the judgment of God?

4.         THE NEW HEAVENS AND EARTH. Those who are in Christ are journeying toward what Jonathan Edwards called “a world of love.” The cosmos ushered in at the consummation will be entirely free of criticism. In our glorified humanity, there will be nothing in us worthy of criticism, nor will there be anyone who possesses the ability to criticize us unjustly. All criticism will be forever silenced. Fixing our eyes on this glorious future loosens our grip on our reputation, our comfort, and our very life, enabling us to bear up under the critical words of others as we walk this earthly pilgrimage.

Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry

This week’s author interview is with Joel Beeke. He is the co-author of multiple P&R titles including Pastors and Their Critics: A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry, which releases next week.

When did you first want to write a book? After the Lord brought me to liberty in Christ in my mid-teens.

Which writers inspire you? I am particularly inspired by the Puritans, such as Thomas Goodwin, Thomas Watson, John Bunyan. 

Have you always enjoyed writing? Yes, I have felt called by God to write for His glory, the maturation of saints, and the salvation of the lost since I was a teenager. I feel closest to God when I write for the welfare of His bride. Consequently, I have spent the last forty years writing, and have authored, coauthored, and edited more than 200 books and more than 2,000 articles for periodicals, encyclopedias, and books.  

What inspired you to write this book, about this topic? Being a seminary president and a pastor who has spoken to thousands of pastors in my worldwide travels doing conferences and teaching at seminaries, I am convinced that the most challenging part of ministry for most church leaders is the whole area of how to cope with criticism. I know of no subject that can help pastors today more than the subject of this book co-authored with Nick Thompson on coping with criticism in the ministry. 

Do you have a specific spot where you enjoy writing most? In my study in the seminary.

What book are you reading now? Anthony Burgess’s 145 sermons on John 17

Other than the Bible, do you have a favorite book? John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress

Do you have a favorite book that you have written? Reformed Preaching: Proclaiming God’s Word from the Heart of the Preacher to the Heart of His People (Crossway)

At what time of day do you write most? In the evening—usually until midnight.

How do you deal with writer’s block? I just start writing, knowing that I can go back and revise what I have written.

If you have a favorite book of the Bible, what is it and why? The Psalms, because, as Calvin said, “It is an anatomy of all parts of the soul,” and always drives me to Christ.

Tea or coffee? Tea

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

• Website: www.joelbeeke.org
• Twitter: @JoelBeeke
• Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/joelbeeke

PRE-ORDER Pastors and Their Critics

Reformation Heritage Books: $10.00

CVBBS: $11.19

Wtsbooks.com: $12.21

PCA Bookstore: $12.47

Christianbook: $13.49

Amazon: $15.99

Christian people pray. Prayer is central to our Christian lives and a vital dimension of our relationship with God. Without prayer, our lives would wither. We would lose our lifeline to the source of our faith: God’s love for us, salvation in Jesus Christ, and the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in us every day.

Protestant Reformers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had much to say about prayer, and they said it very robustly. Their discussions of prayer are a rich resource for us. They show us aspects of prayer that can shape and energize our prayer lives every day.

1. Know that God wants us to pray. We pray because God commands it and because God invites us to pray. Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 so that we can address God in a most personal way and sense the depth of God’s loving care for us. Prayer is a most blessed gift. God bids us, “Call upon me” (Ps. 50:15).

2. Pray with a focus. The Reformers saw our prayers as having two major dimensions: thanks and petition. We thank God—with all that is within us—for who God is and what God has done. We petition God, making requests for what is important to us and what we believe aligns with God’s will. The heartbeat of prayer is our gratitude and our requests: thanks and petition.

3. Be honest with God. There is no use trying to fool God or to be less than candid. God knows us. In prayer, we can be completely and radically honest with God, open our hearts, and cry from our hearts to the Lord. God hears and cares. As Luther said, “Regardless of what it is, just throw it in a pile before him, as you open your heart completely to a good friend.” Tell God all. Call out to God in your grief. Identify the cry of your heart. Stop holding back the tears. Spend time on your knees. Listen to music that helps you know what you feel. Write out the words you have been holding back. Rely on the Holy Spirit who intercedes for you when you don’t know how to pray. 

4. Trust God’s will and answers. When we pray, we pray in faith, believing God will answer our prayers according to God’s will and purposes. This is our great comfort and confidence as we face life. God knows what is best for us, and by praying we open ourselves—in faith—to receiving God’s answers. We leave all things to God. We believe God’s will can be trusted!

5. Watch for God’s answers. God hears and answers our prayers. We need to be open and to watch for the ways God’s answers come. God uses various means through which our prayers can be answered. If we think God should only answer in one way (our way), we may miss what God is doing and how God is working to answer us—in totally unexpected ways!

6. Persevere and be patient. It is so hard for us is to be patient. We want everything now! But John Hooper urged two things: perseverance in prayer and patient expectation that God will act. We pray . . . and keep on praying! As we do, we wait patiently for the Lord to hear us (see Ps. 40:1). God promises to answer our prayers, however long it takes. Persevere and be patient!

7. Pray for others. It is easy for our prayer lives to become very self-focused. We are to present our needs and desires to God. But we are also to love others by presenting their needs to God as well. Our prayers can touch others, can bless others. We tell God the needs of others and our loving hopes that they will be blessed. Our love for others means we pray for others.

All our prayers are for God’s glory. Our prayer lives can be energized when we realize, as the martyr Hugh Latimer said, “the greatest comfort in the world to talk with God, and to call upon him.” Let us pray . . . !