Responding to Criticism

Looking at the words of King Solomon in Proverbs 15, let's uncover a four-step process for responding to critical feedback.

Discussion Guide:

Icebreaker: Introduce yourself and share one thing that stood out to you from today's message.

Q1: What are some of the most common reasons pastors and leaders receive criticism?

Q2: Has there ever been a time that you were criticized| Tell us about it. What did it feel like?

Q3: How can we learn to discern between "constructive criticism" and "destructive criticism"?

Q4: We discussed the ABCs of Criticism. They are: Accept the criticism. Be teachable. Connect with conversation. Don't defend before having a discussion. Which of these is the hardest for you? Which of these comes the most naturally for you?

Application: Print out the "ABCs of Criticism" and put it somewhere on your desk. Try to memorize it if you're up to it. Next time you get seemingly critical feedback, intentionally walk through these steps and see what kind of difference it makes.