Sometimes the words we use can make a big difference. Call a man stocky, and he’s okay with it. Label him fat, and he’s insulted.

Tell your preacher he/she makes you work to stay up with him/her, and you’ll remain friends. Say he/she tends to put you to sleep, and the friendship could be up for grabs.

I have yet to hear a preacher who couldn’t improve in one way or another. While most of them are open to coaching, few like the word criticism. Even “constructive criticism” gets a bad reaction.

I believe it would help pastors if they would train themselves to automatically think “coaching” every time they received criticism of one kind or another regarding their preaching. What this mental “word-change” does is put you in a frame of mind that’s more open to what’s being said.

More specifically (now that the baseball season has begun), picture yourself as a .285 hitter that a helpful tweak or two could lift another 15 points and put you at the coveted .300 mark. So what if the hitting coach has a terrible approach, or a wretched teaching-style, or is always negative, or even has bad breath! … If he can help add 15 points to your average, so be it.

Sometimes what critics—oops, coaches—have to say is the very thing you need to hear. It’s just that their approach is not all that great.

Let’s face it. Your response to this ministry would be different if it was called Sermon-Critic instead of Sermon-Coach.

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You can learn how to develop highly relevant Sunday sermons that grab the attention of your congregation and help your listeners respond effectively to the deep truths of God’s Word. David Mains and Mainstay Ministries have a whole range of helpful solutions. Do you need to prepare a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon? You can find help on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons. Just click here to visit David Mains’ website.

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Would you like to have Simon Cowell in your congregation? He’s the outspoken judge on American Idol.

Most pastors would probably say “no” to such an inquiry. But the truth is, over the long haul, Cowell would probably prove to be a great help.

If criticism was always constructive, it still on occasion might be hard to take. And the truth is, more often than not, criticism of your preaching won’t be of the constructive type.

This doesn’t mean, however, that criticism can’t prove valuable. The key is learning to handle it with prayer.

When I was on radio, I had one listener who wrote frequently about mistakes of grammar I was making. After a while his letters started to annoy me. It was only as I prayed about the matter that I realized this person was doing me a big favor. Eventually I made him my grammar mentor, and over the years he taught me a great deal.

Here’s a short prayer that can prove valuable if you’re willing to pray it:

“Lord, does this person have something to say that You want me to hear?”

Sometimes the answer will be “no.” But I discovered there were also times when the answer seemed to be “yes.”

I know it helped me to sense that a given criticism was coming from the Lord rather than from an individual. You may find this to be true also.

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Pastor, when “sermon prep day” rolls around each week, do you face the task of preparing another sermon with a frown on your face? If so, you’re not alone. Many pastors literally dread preparing their Sunday sermon. There just doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. The good news: David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help, whether you need to create a Topical Sermon, an Advent Sermon, a Christmas Sermon, an Easter Sermon, a Sermon Series, or any other Sunday Sermon. For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

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