Coach or cash?
A man I work with in the transitional living center recently wrote a letter to me and Janet asking for $100. Our policy in environments where we volunteer is that is that we don’t give money directly to individuals, but we do give time and training to them. That’s the...The problem of community
We as the church of Jesus are supposed to “do life” together in the context of community. But how can we really do that, especially in the western context most of us find ourselves in? I believe our ministry does need to be very countercultural, since our context is...Developing people to their fullest potential
If you give people the answers, you truncate their growth. That’s why I prefer asking them questions. If you want to develop people to their fullest potential, ask them questions that they have to wrestle with, think about, and answer. If you take the time to dialogue...
Catch the seashore vision
As a young church planter, knocking on doors in the 70s and struggling to get a new church up and running, I had a vision that has since directed the rest of my life. In my vision I was standing at the seashore in southern California. I was joined by other church...
If it were easy, they wouldn’t need you
Sometimes when I’m coaching people who are running up against very challenging circumstances or wrestling with very difficult problems, I need to remind myself of this: If it were easy, they wouldn’t need you. When people need coaching is when they’re struggling with...
How do you get from coaching to a missional movement?
Like peanut butter and chocolate, some things are just better together. Coaching and missional movements are like that. You understand the value of coaching. You want to cultivate a missional movement. But what happens when you put those two things together? That’s...
Credentials for ministry leaders: make it coached
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...