If you have experienced a dynamic coaching relationship, you can point to the impact it has had on your life. Coaches come alongside others to help them create clear pathways toward their goals. Cultivating a coaching culture within your ministry is an effective pathway to transformation and growth.
This series of blog entries covers the ten essential dynamics that allow a church to grow in ways that are healthy, effective, and multiplying. Last week, I talked about mobilizing people according to their spiritual gifts. This week, I am looking at dynamic #7 for healthy church growth—Empowering people through coaching.
Empowering People Through Coaching
Empowering people through coaching: Coming alongside individuals and groups to discern where they are and what’s the next faithful step toward what God wants them to do
Coaching isn’t just for leaders
It’s not only your leaders who need a coach; everyone needs a coach. Everyone needs someone to come alongside them to help them listen to the Holy Spirit discern what God may have for them next. We need ushers coaching other ushers, we need intercessors coaching other intercessors, we need parents coaching other parents.
A Coaching Culture
Rather than just creating a coaching structure for leaders, try creating an entire culture of coaching. Imagine a place where everyone has a coach and everyone is serving as a coach. That would be a place where people ask each other questions and then really listen to the answers. Where people help each other brainstorm options and think through possible courses of action. A place where people pray together and listen for the voice and direction of God together. Where people follow up with each other and ask how their endeavors went and what additional support they might need.
We all need someone to come alongside us to help us determine the next faithful step we can take toward our goals in life and ministry. That’s what it means to equip one another for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:12).
6 Things You Can Do to Create a Coaching Culture within Your Ministry
- Cast a vision for church-wide coaching
- Sharpen and model your own coaching skills
- Establish structures to facilitate the expansion of coaching relationships within the church
- Focus your staffs’ and leaders’ attention on equipping others for the work of the ministry
- Invest an intentional portion of your ministry time in delegating to and equipping others
- Provide church-wide training in coaching skills
Listen to the Holy Spirit and take some time to assess how your church is currently doing in this area. Then identify some customized action steps you could take to strengthen this dynamic.
Resources
Becoming Barnabas- How can you disciple, develop, and support those around you? How can that relational investment lead to a powerful impact on the church and on the surrounding community? This book focuses on practical “how” questions like these. If you want to see ministry coaches activated in your community, Becoming Barnabas is the place to start. Available in paperback and Kindle and in English and Spanish.
Barnabas Ministry Training– Barnabas Ministry Training is a turnkey kit for developing quality ministry coaches. Imagine a team of people whose purpose is to help others find their passion and take the best next step to live into it. Modeled after Barnabas and his biblical example of the power of encouragement, coaching is an invaluable tool to help your people and ministries flourish in their unique callings and functions within the church and the community.
Photo by Caleb Fisher on Unsplash