PASTORING THE PIRANHA
Martin Thielen
April 1, 1989
"Pastor, I need to talk to you. Can we get together for a visit?" It was one of our members.
"Sure," I replied. "Why don't you come by this afternoon."
Upon arriving, first, he closed my office door. Second, he took a list out of his shirt pocket. Third, he began his assault. For the next thirty minutes, he criticized and critiqued my nine months as pastor of the church.
"You've spent far too much money," he said, "and you've started too many new programs. We weren't ready for all these changes."
He continued down his list: "You're not visiting enough. You're neglecting the senior adults, and we don't like the changes you've made in the order of worship."
Then he questioned my integrity. "You've made major decisions without church approval. You've taken off more time than the church authorized, and I've noticed strange discrepancies in the financial statements."
The list went on. His criticism was relentless. When he left, I thought I'd been shot by a machine gun. I had been through a war, and I had lost.
Although the above story is an extreme example, it's certainly not an isolated experience. John Killinger once described pastoral ministry as "life in the piranha bowl." That's an apt description. Through such unpleasant experiences, I've learned some things about coping with criticism. Here are my suggestions for surviving life in the piranha bowl.
Expect criticism
A sense of excitement filled our seminary classroom. A pastor from one of the largest churches in our denomination was the guest lecturer. He had agreed to visit our class: "Life and Work of the Pastor."
I'll never forget my surprise when he said: "Be prepared for constant criticism. Expect at least 10 percent of the people to criticize everything you do." As a student, ...
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