I’ve been working with a few groups on ways to revamp their credentialing or ordination process– essentially, how to prepare ministers for ministry. This week on my blog I’m reflecting on some of my general thoughts in this topic. Some form of coaching or...
I’ve loved being a coach for the 20+ years I’ve been doing it, but lately I really love being a coach. It means having a front row seat to seeing some amazing breakthroughs with the people I’m working with. Because I honor confidentiality I can’t share specifics, but...
I was recently asked this question in an email: “Bob – are you familiar enough with spiritual direction to be able to articulate the general differences between that and coaching?” As it happens, my wife Janet is a spiritual director, so I am familiar with the...
This blog entry is part of a series of three that focuses on the three environments for making disciples: peer-to-peer discipleship, guided discipleship, and focused discipleship. Each of these represents a relational, intentional way to make disciples within our...
In what ways does scripture inform the way we think about coaching? 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 sheds light on how coaching is done: The Apostle Paul paints a picture of how we are to develop others in their faith—as a father dealing with his children. The functions a...
Ephesians 4:11-12 sheds light on why coaching is done: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in...
Note: See yesterday’s blog entry for the first five. Coaching moves people toward maturity rather than dependence. Instead of simply telling people what to do, coaching helps people mature in making their own godly decisions. In this way, they grow in responsibility...
Coaching assumes that each believer has the capacity to hear from the Holy Spirit for themselves. The Apostle Paul modeled that listening and discernment process for us: “I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit”...
The Bible never commands us to coach. In fact, the word coach is never used. So why coach? Should we even coach? Is coaching biblical? The Bible does command us to do certain things: to make disciples, to encourage one another, to listen to the Holy Spirit, to follow...
