Maybe Billy Graham had a good idea about how to deal with criticism …

Whatever work you do in life, there will be someone there to criticize it. But it seems serving in vocational or bi-vocational ministry attracts more than its fair share of critics.

How do you deal with criticism of your ministry?

Perhaps an example set by evangelist Billy Graham is helpful. With his passing this past weekend, a myriad of stories about his life and ministry have flooded all forms of media, including the telling of his answer when asked how he dealt with criticism. You might think with the outpouring of love shown for the man these past few days, that everyone was great fans of his ministry, but that isn’t the case. Over the decades of service, Billy faced aggressive and loud criticism about what he did and how he did it.

How did he respond?

He said he mostly ignored it.

It wasn’t that he didn’t listen to it, he did, and was introspective about comments made, and he attempted to learn and grow from them … when possible. But much of the criticism wasn’t offered for a constructive purpose or in a positive (or polite) manner. When criticism was just “stone throwing” by people who were more agitators than anything else, he simply ignored what they said.

Maria Dyer did the same thing, as Marshall Broomhall recounts in “The Jubilee Story of the China Inland Mission”:

Maria Dyer was born in 1837 on the mission field in China where her parents were pioneer missionaries. Both her parents died when Maria was a little girl, and she was sent back to England to be raised by an uncle. The loss of her parents, however, did not deter her young heart from the importance of sharing the gospel. At age sixteen she, along with her sister, returned to China to work in a girl’s school as a missionary herself. Five years later, she married Hudson Taylor, a man well-known today for his life of ministry, faith, and sacrifice.

Hudson and Maria’s work was often criticized — even by other Christians. At one point Maria wrote, “As to the harsh judgings of the world, or the more painful misunderstandings of Christian brethren, I generally feel that the best plan is to go on with our work and leave God to vindicate our cause.” Of their nine children, only four survived to adulthood. Maria herself died of cholera when she was just forty-three. But she believed the cause was worthy of the sacrifice. On her grave marker these words were inscribed: “For her to live was Christ, and to die was gain.”

Sometimes, like with Billy or Maria and Hudson Taylor, the best thing to do when faced with unconstructive, unloving criticism is to go on with your work and leave God to vindicate your cause.

A maturing Christian can appreciate constructive criticism offered in love — in a person’s best interest. We can appreciate the proverb that says, “Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy” (Proverbs 27:6). But criticism rendered simply to be critical is something scripture speaks against …

“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another,” Galatians 5:13-15.

“Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?” James 4:11-12.

How do you handle unconstructive criticism of your ministry? Are the comments you make about others offered constructively and in love?

Scotty