Sometimes when you’re coaching someone and seeking to develop them in their leadership, they run up against some kind of blockage. If you probe a little further into their background, you might find the roots of the blockage. What have they experienced in ministry? Who trained and equipped them? What role models have they had? What approaches have they been exposed to?
As I worked with one young church planter, when we looked into his experience base, I realized that neither he nor his wife had any experience whatsoever of a missional orientation. They had never seen missional ministry in action. It’s very difficult to practice something that you’ve never seen. Sometimes exposure is the first necessary step.
Pay attention to where people have come from and what they’ve experienced. Knowing where the voids are will help you know how best to help them.