Accepting Critique

Q: How can a communicator get good and useful feedback?

A: When I started at Southeast Christian, I was just thrilled to be on the team and excited to be working with Bob Russell. On Saturday night we would talk after the service, and he'd say, "What did you think? What would you change?"

I'd say, "Great sermon. Awesome. You're the man. Don't change anything."

After about three weeks of that, he said, "This isn't helping me a lot."

So the next week when he asked, "What do you think?" I responded, "What are you doing in the ministry?!"

Now we have struck a happy medium. After Saturday night worship, we critique each other by voicemail. Then together with five others, we critique whoever preached.

Can you get good critique before you've preached the message?

Really the critiquing takes place throughout the entire process. On Monday, whoever is preaching talks about the outline. We share thoughts. On Thursday we actually preach it for one another. We sit in a room with four or five of us, and it's incredibly awkward. We make changes to the manuscript again on Friday and pass it around by e-mail.

Then when I preach the message in front of a congregation, there are things that come out differently than you thought they would. We'll think something's going to be funny and it's not, but you don't know that until you get in front of an audience. And of course, every service has a different personality.

That's a great gift you have—a staff that can help one another. What if you're a solo pastor, the only staffer at your church?

Good critique doesn't require a multiple staff. This can work in a smaller church. Every congregation has some folks who know good presentations. It might be a young lady who is a sales person. It might be a schoolteacher. Perhaps a retired minister. Ask, "Would you mind if I e-mailed you my manuscript on Friday or Saturday?" Have them take a look and respond.

Part of refining your style is acknowledging where you are weak. Shore up your weaknesses by allowing others you respect to critique you.

Dave Stone, preaching associate at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, is author of Refining Your Style (Group, 2004).