We all love preaching the Good News. But sometimes our job requires us to give bad news. It can be hard to do, and many times that bad news is devastating. It’s natural to want to avoid delivering bad news, but influential leaders never shy away from a difficult challenge.

It’s tough to know what to say when you give bad news. Whether it’s the death of someone in your congregation, the failure of a minister or the end of a ministry or even a church, so often the right words escape us. Let me give you some things to consider when you’re faced with communicating bad news:

Be Open and Honest
Honesty is the best policy, even when it hurts. It works in your favor to tell the truth — the whole truth — and leave nothing hidden. Your audience will appreciate your approach and respect you more. Also, being open and direct about bad news helps those who are affected move on more quickly and more easily.

You may think you’re avoiding pain by not being honest up front. But later when the full news comes out, your initial reluctance could cause even more damage. Make it a leadership goal to be open and honest the first time when it comes to bad news.

Frame it the Right Way
When delivering bad news, how you deliver it is as important as the news itself. News about someone’s passing should be given the proper mourning it deserves. Dire financial information should be handled with the utmost confidence and skill. News that may paint someone else in a poor light should be delivered with subtlety and tact. 

Don’t make bad news just one of several announcements. When possible, weave it into that morning’s message. Imbedding the bad news in a sermon not only frames it within the context of your church’s mission but also allows the Holy Spirit to move in the hearts of your hearers.

When delivering bad news, how you deliver it is as important as the news itself.

Give the Details
Give as many details as you can without invading people’s privacy or harming anyone. Don’t allow your audience to fill in the blanks themselves. You don’t have to give all the information, but give enough to answer the obvious questions. 

Always communicate the why behind the what. As you prepare to deliver the bad news, try to think of all the questions that people may have. Then attempt to answer them as best you can. You’ll avoid a long line of curious people and endless emails later.

Many times, you can’t give all the details. There may be some information that should remain private. But make sure you give enough details so your audience understands the basis for your response.

Years ago, a pastor on staff at our church was let go for a moral failure. That Sunday was a very difficult one for all us, and especially the senior pastor. As he laid out the sins that were uncovered and the steps of resignation and reconciliation, he was careful to leave out private and salacious details. This went a long way in minimizing the fallout for the families involved. 

Tell Them What’s Next
Always communicate bad news with a plan. Let your audience know what’s next and how they can be part of it. This allows people the opportunity to see the silver lining of the obvious gray clouds.

A friend of mine planted a church and worked hard at it for several years. However, as the church failed to meet the needed metrics to support the demands of ministry, and as his own personal finances, health and stress level suffered, he knew it was time to move on. He met with the leadership team and they decided to transition the lead role to another staff member. When the difficult announcement was made to the whole church, it included a clear plan of succession that met the approval of the entire board. That made the bad news much more acceptable.

One last thing: Sometimes bad news is really just news. What we think is earthshattering may only be slightly inconveniencing to others. Perhaps we should simply think of bad news as surprising news. It may catch your audience off guard, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t handle it. With that in mind, how would you respond if you were hearing this news for the very first time? Asking yourself that question will go a long way in communicating bad news in the best possible way.