Coaching for Discipleship

As we consider the work of professional coaches during International Coaching Week, we have the opportunity to consider how coaching principles can also be applied by non-professionals in the life of the church.

Reggie McNeal has pointed out in Missional Renaissance that “Genuine spirituality lives and flourishes only in cultures and relationships of accountability.” Most faith communities, however, do not provide these accountability structures. Perhaps we fear someone dictating behavior and standards that may be uncomfortable to us, but when we find ourselves in times of stress, the church is often the first place we go for help. We need to provide accountability structures for individuals that will help them prepare for and overcome the stresses of life as well as opportunities for spiritual development and service.

One way that a church can do this is by training their members in Disciple Development Coaching©. Developed by Pinnacle Leadership Associates, this process develops lay coaches who can encourage each other and help build disciples in the church. DDC helps church leaders learn how to use the “coach approach” for individual spiritual growth, leadership development, new member assimilation, and group dynamics.

Another way that some denominations are encouraging the effectiveness of pastors and other clergy is by training clergy to be coaches. This provides opportunities for peers to hold each other accountable and for clergy trained in coaching principles to work with other church leaders as they address their own development as well as congregational health concerns. Pinnacle has been working with the United Church of Christ in Wisconsin to train clergy leaders who will be able to coach their peers on a regular basis.

Coaching is becoming a desired skill for many clergy leaders. For the past several years, I have had the opportunity to introduce students in both the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry programs at CentralBaptist Theological Seminary to ways to use coaching in their varied ministries. More seminaries are become aware of this important leadership skill.

Although life coaches provide essential services to their clients, coaching principles can become a part of the tool box of every clergy and lay leader in the congregation.

To learn more about this, contact Mark Tidsworth or IrcelHarrison for more information.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

Search This Blog