⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 2 min read
On today’s Equipping You in Grace show, Dave and Dr. Joel Beeke discuss some of the best ways to respond to and deal with criticism in ministry, the role friends play in helping ministry leaders process criticism in ministry, using the Pauline sandwich model when giving criticism, along with his book, Pastors and Their Critics A Guide to Coping with Criticism in the Ministry (P&R, 2020)
What you’ll hear in this episode
- Taking criticism personally and to the Lord.
- Learning to deal with discouraging thoughts in the ministry.
- Learning to take our thoughts captive.
- Learning to use the Pauline sandwich model when giving criticism.
- The importance of being humble, not defensive, and look to Jesus in the midst of criticism.
- Some of the best ways to respond to criticism as a ministry leader.
- How ministry leaders can learn not to take criticism to heart but take it to the Lord.
- The role good friends play in helping ministry leaders process criticism in ministry.
- Advice to seminary students as they prepare for a life of ministry to prepare for criticism.
- How pastors and elders can create a safe place for criticism to be heard and taken seriously in the local church.
About the Guest
Joel R. Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is president of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, where he also serves as professor of systematic theology and homiletics. He is a pastor of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregations in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the author of several books, including Truth That Frees, The Quest for Full Assurance, and A Reader’s Guide to Reformed Literature.
Nick Thompson is a graduate of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary and is pursuing ordination in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
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Thanks for listening to this episode of Equipping You in Grace!
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah, and lives in beautiful Southern Oregon. He is a writer, editor, and speaker who loves Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology.
Dave serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries and the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine. He is the Host and Producer of the Equipping You in Grace Podcast and a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word.
He is the author of The War of Worldviews: Truth, Lies, and the Battle for the Christian Mind (Theology for Life, 2026), Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021).
You can connect with Dave on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, or subscribe to his newsletter.
When he is not engaged in ministry work, Dave enjoys spending time with his wife, going to movies, sharing a meal at a favorite restaurant, or playing a round of golf with friends. He is also a voracious reader, particularly of Reformed theology and the Puritans, and is often found working through a stack of new books from a wide range of Christian publishers.
Dave earned his M.A.R. and M.Div. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
