Facing Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell has embodied a new level of critic for the world.  While much of his advice is based in reality, you also get the feeling that he enjoys making people cry.

If you've preached more than a few times, you've likely encountered Simon Cowell's of your preaching style or theology.  Critics like Cowell are everywhere, finding their way into every job field, preachers and evangelists not excluded.

It's amazing, I did an incredible series of meetings last year and got a polarized response.  Many people came to me throughout the week and shared how impressed they were with my preaching.  One gentleman even stated that he felt I was a better communicator than Reggie Dabbs (something I know is not even close to the truth - Reggie Dabbs is one of the greatest communicators in the history of the world.  An absolutely hilarious, powerful, anointed preacher and school assembly speaker).  I politely thanked him for his encouragement, and dismissed the idea completely.  Later that week I recieved a response about the meetings from a pastor and close friend who shared with me that several of his key members felt I did terrible and essentially failed as a communicator.  It was painful to hear, and stuck with me as a perpetual discouragment for months.  Still is kinda a sore subject. 

The bottom line is that we will always have critics, no matter what's written on our job title.  And the chances of having critics increases dramatically at every level of leadership we step up to (ie - the President of the United States - talk about being under a spotlight - still not sure what drives people to want that kind of microscope on their lives?).  Being a preacher, speaking to audiences week after week, puts us in the hot seat for critics of all kinds.  It comes with the territory, and as evangelists we must accept it as a fact of life.  It is part of the "cross" we are called by Christ to bear for him.

Even the best preachers I have every heard face continual criticism.  The executive pastor at our home church in Minneapolis is just one example.  He is possibly the greatest communicator I've ever heard (and I've heard a lot of great preachers) - engaging, anointed, hilarious and always moves people to action.  Recently an older saint came to him after the service and said, "Usually I can't hear you because you talk so fast.  Today you talked slow enough for me to understand and now that I heard you, you did terrible!"  I'd pretty much guarantee that the most popular, well known preachers in the world today face more criticism on a more frequent basis than any of us would ever expect.

Preaching criticism is not a new problem for evangelists.  (And no, it did not mysteriously rise with the eve of Simon Cowell and American Idol).  Legendary missionary Huldah Buntain writes about facing criticism in her book on her and her late husband Mark's several year season of traveling as evangelists in Canada.  Even though Mark's father was the Assemblies of God national Superintendant in Canada at the time, she still said "evangelistic work was like enduring a job performance review every week" (Treasures in Heaven, 70), as Pastors regularly critiqued their sermons and ministry.  Hundreds of years earlier, John Wesley writes frequently in his journal of criticism so strong that he was regularly getting kicked out of churches to the tune of being told he would never be invited back.  Over a thousand and a half years earlier, the Apostle Paul shares in Scripture that even those he led to the Lord strongly criticized his preaching: For some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing" (2 Cor. 10:10, NIV).  And "I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way" (2 Cor. 11:6).

Knowing this (that critics like Cowell are inevitable in life), here are some thoughts on our heart response when we face our own personal Simon Cowells.

1. We can't please everybody

Evangelists speak to various crowds of people from a number of backgrounds making it more probable that they will not posess the exact speaking style the crowd is used to every time.  It would be impossible not to have critics when you traverse the globe.

And as I mentioned in the story above, it is common to have opposite responses in the same service.  My father in law says, "we can't always hit the ball out of the park."  And I will add, many times when we hit the ball out of the park for one guy, the guy on the other side of the stadium thought it was a foul ball from where he was standing.

2. We shouldn't try to please everybody

According to God's Word we will face critics if we're living a godly life in Christ Jesus.  At times it will be possible to turn our critics into friends through authenticity and some prayer, but we will not always be able to convert our critics. 

Ultimately what matters is doing the will of God and pleasing him.  What is he saying to you?  How can you best get that message across to your current audience?  And lots of prayer?  The results are up to God.

3. We must learn to live and deal with criticism in a healthy way

Criticism can be a great thing in that it draws us to God and makes us lowly and dependent on him.  

Criticism draws us to repentance for where we may have judged others.  

Now that we've established the fact that criticism is inevitable, our part should be to respond to it in a healthy, godly way.  John Maxwell shares an incredible outline for a healthy response to criticism in his recent book Put Your Dreams to the Test:

"So when should you listen and when should you ignore what others have to say?  Which critics count and which don't?  Here is my advice.  Heed the advice of a critic when ...

You are unconditionally loved by the one who criticizes you.

The criticism is not tainted by his or her personal agenda.

The person is not naturally critical of everything.

The person will continue giving support after giving advice.

He or she has knowledge in the area of the criticism" (p. 149).