A godly response to receiving feedback

One lesson I admit I haven't fully learned is how to truly enjoy receiving feedback… I doubt I'm alone in this?!

Even after many years of pastoral ministry, encouragement still feels far more appealing than critique!

While I'd love to believe I always embrace feedback with perfect grace and gratitude, in reality my initial reaction is still too often defensive or discouraged.

Why?

Ministry feels so personal: preaching and teaching and leadership decisions and running meetings and giving pastoral care aren't simply tasks to complete—in some senses, very easily, they become extensions of who we are. When criticism comes, it can feel like a judgement not just on a task we’ve performed, but on our very selves. It’s all too simple to tie our self-worth to our performance: when things go well, we feel secure and everything is right with the world—we walk with a spring in our step; when they don’t, we feel low and begin to question if we’re in the right job!

The gospel

Yet the gospel gives us something better to stand on.

A healthy approach to receiving feedback must be rooted in a simple confidence in our foundational identity in Christ.

Christian leaders do not need to be devastated by criticism or overly buoyed by praise since our true worth is fixed elsewhere.

We are not defined by the quality of our preaching, church growth, leadership skills, or what others think of us. Our core identity is found in our union with Christ: we are adopted children of God, justified by grace, and loved eternally.

This confidence leads not to a strutting pride, but rather to quiet humility. Because our relationship with God doesn’t depend on flawless performance, we can be honest about our shortcomings before others. We can admit mistakes, recognise weaknesses, own up to blind spots, and acknowledge that we still have much to learn. Since our value isn't threatened by imperfection, we're free to grow.

In fact, God's process of shaping us often includes learning through (at times, imperfect) feedback from others.

The apostle Paul’s words are instructive: "It is the Lord who judges me," (1 Corinthians 4v4). Paul wasn’t indifferent to others’ opinions, but he wasn’t ruled by them either. He understood that his ultimate assessment came from Christ, which allowed him to stay teachable without becoming fragile.

Receiving feedback is rarely natural or comfortable; most of us will still feel a sting when criticised. But as the gospel takes deeper root within us, we can start to welcome input as a gift rather than a threat. Secure in Christ and humble before God, we can mature and grow as Christ-like leaders who are both teachable and steadfast and so see churches that continue to flourish and grow in that Christ-like image.