If you have been in ministry longer than, say a week, then you have received some form of criticism. It simply is the nature of the beast when working with people that we will, at times, be criticized in some way. The reality, however, is that without it we can’t develop as leaders. We need people to tell us the hard truth. 


There really is a skill to both receiving it and delivering it. Consider the times you received criticism and it actually drove you to improve in some fashion. What was it about the delivery that made it stick? Believe it or not, there are some ways we can improve the likelihood our criticism is effective. Ron Edmondson offers 7 Ways to Deliver Constructive Criticism on ChurchLeaders.com. Here is just one of them:

Recognize and compliment the good

My mother used to say, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Make sure you take a bigger picture approach when offering criticism. Most likely you are criticizing something small in the overall scheme of the organization, so think of the good things that are happening or have happened in the organization. Think of the good qualities of the leader. Start there. Compliment first. Some even recommend the “sandwich approach.” You start with praise and end with praise with a little criticism in the middle.

Check out the other six HERE.