Over the years my church has received various kinds of criticism from various quarters. Most of the time these criticisms are brought to the members of my church and not directly to the leadership. So and so from such and such church met with a lady from our church at the park and she had “concerns” about our church. Here are some of the ways I have encouraged my flock to respond to that type of criticism. This is for the average member in the pew, not the leadership. I left our church’s name, Christ Church of Morgantown, in the post.
1. Always be gracious. Treat the person with kindness and charity, assuming they have good motives. Throughout conversations, try to find things you agree on and emphasize those. Often those who criticize us are Christians who love Christ. Treat them with kindness.
2. Do not apologize for believing what the Bible teaches. Many of us tend to shrink back when confronted. This is a product of our modern relativistic age where everyone’s opinion is supposed to be equal. Satan wants us to walk around doubting everything we believe. Do not back down from what you believe. Do not be mean, but be firm.
3. As you talk to people make them deal with the Bible. Often people have not actually looked at what the Bible says on an issue. Go to Scripture and discuss it with them. This means you need to know what the Bible teaches. If you have questions about the Biblical basis for what we do or believe then set up a meeting with an elder and he can explain it to you.
4. Tell critics about the work Jesus is doing at Christ Church. Christ is clear that men shall know us by our fruit. (Luke 6:43-45) All of you spend hours each week with people from Christ Church. You see Christ being formed in your brothers and sisters around you. You see Christ presented every week in songs, prayers, confession of sin, preaching, at the Lord’s Table, and as you are sent out. We are not a perfect church, but the fruit is there and growing. Bring these things up, not in a proud way, but simply to show that God is working. Of course, fruit is but one part, but it is a real part. Paul often noted the fruit of his labors as a sign of God’s work.
5. Do not accept vague accusations from people about what they think we teach. Get specifics. Ask questions like, “So exactly what is it that you think we believe about…?” This is a fundamental requirement of Biblical justice. If someone is going to accuse an elder or a church of false teaching, it must be proven. Proving does not mean reading something somewhere about what someone thinks we teach. It means communicating with the specific men accused and getting the facts.
6. If someone brings up specific concerns about Christ Church, ask them if they have attended our worship service, communicated with the leaders, or listened to sermons which are available on our website. If they say, “No,” then encourage them to do those things, especially the last two. If someone is not interested in doing some or all of the things mentioned above, then they are not really interested in finding the truth. Too often critics have received second hand information that is faulty. Make them go the the primary sources.
There are many critics that are not worth your time. They rant and rave with little concern for truth and error. But some really do want to know if you teach baptismal regeneration or why you believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church with the emphasis on “catholic” or why you sprinkle instead of immerse or kneel for confession of sin or teach that men are heads of their households or have the Lord’s Supper every week. Answer those critics with grace and kindness standing firm in what the Scriptures teach and avoiding foolish arguments.
