Jump directly to the Content

Grinnin’ Down Bears

According to legend, Davy Crockett, without a weapon, subdued a bear. Asked how he did it, he replied that he just "grinned the bear down."

Ask ministers what their biggest dilemma is, and they'll likely say it's problem people in the church, our equivalent of hungry bears. I've made two big mistakes with the bears in my ministry.

My first inclination has been to fight it out with my critics. I've stood foursquare for truth, defended my ground, proved my case-and lost the fight. I won the war of words, but with things never again the same in the relationship, it wasn't much of a victory.

I've also tried a second tactic: apologizing when I didn't think I was wrong. That made for peace, but I felt ravaged inside afterward. I wanted to fight and felt like a wimp for giving in.

Fortunately, my years in the ministry have helped me discover a more satisfying third option. In this approach I neither fight aggressively nor passively submit to a clawing; instead, I grin the bear down.

From Issue:Winter 1989: Crisis
March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
One Church for All?
One Church for All?
From the Magazine
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
I Hated ‘Church People.’ But I Knew I Needed Them.
As I attended my second funeral in three weeks, two Christians showed me a kindness I couldn’t explain.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close