Note: This blog entry is part of a series on church planting. If you would like to see all entries that have been posted so far in this series, you can bring them up by doing a search for “church planting series” on this blog. You can also purchase the full 27 page Church Planter Coaching Guide, with multiple coaching questions for each subpoint, in the Logan Leadership store.
- How can you empower leaders and ministries to grow?
- What are your goals for coaching leaders?
- Describe your system for raising up leaders.
Create a coaching culture
A coaching culture is what empowers your leaders and ministries, and sets your church up for multiplication. No matter what your church or organization’s philosophy is, leaders need to be resourced. The best way to do that is through personalized coaching, ensuring that all leaders are coaching and are being coached. Raise up apprentice coaches, and you’ll start a multiplying movement of coaches within your body.
Evaluate for continual improvement
Evaluate and track progress so you can adjust your leadership style as you grow. If you shift gears as your church grows, you can avoid stalling out. The leadership style that works during one phase of your church’s development will not be as effective during the next stage of growth. For example, at first you might lead missional communities, then as you raise up leaders your role needs to transition to be a coach of those who are leading communities. Then you become a coach of coaches. Create and use a system on a regular basis to help you evaluate and improve.
Live and communicate the vision
Even leaders can lose vision in less than 30 days. We all need to be continually reminded of where we’re going and what’s really important. Continually evaluate the ways that you’re staying on track with pursuing the vision, and continue to communicate it to others through how you spend your time and how you’re pursuing the vision.
Translate vision into action plans
All leaders have vision to varying degrees. The thing that’s lacking is seeing the steps that can take you forward. In every ministry you need to ask yourself, “Where does God want us to go? What are the steps we can take to start moving in that direction?” This is what distinguishes visionaries who merely dream from visionaries who see their dreams become a reality. Determine a set of milestones that enable you to reach your vision. Milestones are the important objectives to achieve along the way toward fulfilling the vision. Then create a series of actions steps to help you meet those milestones. Chart these steps out over a period of at least 2-3 years.
Ensure multiplication at every level
Multiplication is better than addition. Start with the end in mind, and then reproduce leaders at the lowest levels. Equip them, coach them, mentor them and send them. If multiplication is in your genetic code, the natural result will be the multiplication of leaders.