Craig Groeschel wrote a nice series of articles on the LifeChurch.tv Swerve blog talking about dealing with criticism. As a church communicator you are no doubt an easy target for critics. It makes sense in some ways. The stuff you do is very visible to people. In other ways, it doesn’t make sense. A Director of Communications is often not openly welcomed by staff in the beginning because it’s a sign of change. So when the criticism comes, Groeschel gives these tips for handling it.
- Learn what you can from criticism.
"In the early years, I reacted negatively to all criticism. I spent my energy defending rather than learning. Over time, rather than dismissing all critics, I opened my heart to learn from them."
- Don’t fight back.
"Some criticism of our ministries will be valid. Others will come from partially informed people who will not likely ever understand or like our philosophy of ministry...If you’re confident in what God has called you to do, you won’t need to spend more time defending it rather than just doing it."
- Keep things in perspective.
"The best way to avoid criticism is to not do anything significant. That’s one reason I don’t worry a lot when we receive occasional criticism. I worry more when we don’t."
These really are some good tips from Pastor Craig. What are your tips for dealing with criticism?
