10 Ways to Deal with Chronic Complainers In the Church

In a big church, chronic complainers get lost in the crowd. The pastor may only be aware of them by email (but so many emails!). In a small church their voice and impact are large. Small church pastors must resist the temptation to be drawn into a battle with them. That makes complainers dig in harder – and start recruiting. Here are 10 principles that have helped me reduce the impact of chronic complainers. And sometimes turn their negatives into positives.

December 9, 2015

by Karl Vaters

In a big church, chronic complainers get lost in the crowd.

In a small church their voice and impact are large. Small church pastors must resist the temptation to be drawn into a battle with them. That makes complainers dig in harder – and start recruiting.

Here are 10 principles that have helped me reduce the impact of chronic complainers. And sometimes turn their negatives into positives.

Author

Karl Vaters

Karl produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast,The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context.
Karl has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience. He and his wife, Shelley have three children and two grandkids.

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