How to Preach a Sermon That Destroys Your Critics

Unfair criticism. All pastors get it.

It doesn’t matter who you are or what size your church is. Criticism is coming your way.

So what should you do when you get that email or comment card (because the biggest critics rarely have the courage to speak to you face-to-face) and your blood begins to boil?

Here is a foolproof, four-step process to unleash that fury to obliterate your worst critics once and for all.

Step 1: Document Everything They Said

Disect their email line by line. Compile every comment card they have written. Transcribe that voicemail.

Write it all down and build your collection of evidence against them.

Note all of their hypocrisy and worldly thinking, and highlight their grammatical mistakes.

Oh, you’ve got them now!

Step 2: Build Your Case

Build an airtight argument that will reduce them to a sniveling puddle of tears and expose them for the wolves in sheep’s clothing that they are.

The more dates, facts, and statistics you can unleash against them, the better.

Find Bible verses to counter every false idea they have. Then document evidence for how your church, in fact, has never made a single mistake.

Quote Jesus as much as possible, and throw in a good quote or two from C.S. Lewis, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, or John Calvin for good measure.

Yeah, and maybe even something witty from Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill.

Step 3: Destroy This Document

I hope you’ve noticed that step one and two were meant to be sarcastic—although it is what we are tempted to do when we are angry.

It may be therapeutic, but don’t ever let something like that see the light of day!

The stage is not a place to attack your critics. You will only fuel their resentment and gain more criticism.

Jesus teaches how we ought to respond to other Christians who sin against us in Matthew 18:15-20.

Go talk to them. Try to reconcile the situation face-to-face (NOT EMAIL). Sometimes your biggest critic can become your biggest supporter if you simply listen and respond.

But, if you cannot achieve reconciliation, bring one or two others with you. Finally, if the situation still cannot be reconciled, bring it before the elders to remove the person from fellowship at your church (church discipline).

Treat them like an unbeliever. They are no longer a member of your church, but they are still a person who needs the love and forgiveness of Jesus. Pray for them.

Handle church disputes among the people involved in the dispute. There’s no benefit to anyone to bring criticism public.

By the way, involving others in the process may help you see if the criticism has truth in it. Include mature believers who you can trust to call you out if you are blind. We all have blind spots. Believe it or not, there could be some truth in the critique.

If so, humbly repent and move forward. Harness the truth in the criticism to help you grow.

Step 4: Preach a Real Sermon

Open the Bible. Get a word from God’s Word. Then preach a Bible-centered, Christ-honoring, God-glorifying sermon.

Silence your critics with the faithful kind of preaching that brings all glory and honor to God.

Preach the gospel until even the critics repent. You will be held accountable for how you pastor your church.

Your sermon is not a weapon against your church members. Preaching should not become your personal therapy session where you justify yourself and demonize your enemies.

Rise above the critics. Address them biblically. Don’t abuse the pulpit.

Let your character and devotion to the Lord speak for itself.