Barnabas File

A t some point, I discovered that you learn more by teaching than by being a student in a course.  For four years, colleague Beth Kennett and I have taught an Introduction to Coaching class as part of Summit Coach Training from Pinnacle.  In teaching, I have rediscovered at least ten concepts that I think every coach should remember.  1.   1.   The client is central.     Coaching is really all about the client. The client sets the agenda, and the coach provides the process.     If you have any concerns about what to ask or how to proceed, ask yourself, “Does this serve the client?” 2.       Coaching is really a partnership.     It is a collaborative activity.     Bob Dale spoke about coach and client as “thought partners.”     It is a partnership that fosters creativity on the part of client and learning on the part of the coach. 3.       You are not a “...

At some point, I discovered that you learn more by teaching than by being a student in a course. For four years, colleague Beth Kennett and I have taught an Introduction to Coaching class as part of Summit Coach Training from Pinnacle .  In teaching, I have rediscovered at least ten concepts that I think every coach should remember.   1.   1.  The client is central.     Coaching is really all about the client. The client sets the agenda, and the coach provides the process.     If you have any concerns about what to ask or how to proceed, ask yourself, “Does this serve the client?” 2.       Coaching is really a partnership.     It is a collaborative activity.     Bob Dale spoke about coach and client as “thought partners.”     It is a partnership that fosters creativity on the part of client and learning on the part of the coach. 3.       You are not a “fixer.” ...

The final step in the CHANGE process for a church is encouragement.   Accountability structures provide encouragement as we pursue a goal and they keep us on track.     In individual coaching, the coach is NOT the accountability structure.     The client designs his or her own accountability structures or identifies those already in place—family, friends, coworkers—who can come alongside and help. As we work with a church to change, we can call upon structures already in place or create some to help move toward the goal.   Some accountability structures already exist.  These may be staff meetings, leadership teams (elders, session, etc.), or church business meetings.  These provide times to not only report what is being achieved but to celebrate as well.   For example, when a goal is developed, steps to achieve that goal are outlined.  We might see these not only as steps in a process but milestone...

GPS is a wonderful invention.     All one has to do is either type in (or speak) a destination and step by step directions are provided to get there.     I must say, however, that I often pull up an overview map that shows me the “big picture” of how I will get there as well as some perspective on the arrival point.     I like clarity about where I am going to end up. Author Lewis Carroll wrote,  “If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there.”  Before you depart on a journey, it is a good idea to know where you are going.  As a church makes decisions about the change it wishes to initiate, there should be clarity about the desired future before planning on how to get there.  This is the desired goal the church is working toward—more engaged worshippers, expanded ministry to the community, or a great commitment on the part of participants to Christian formation, for example. There will alway...

When did the need for structure first begin to limit your creativity?  I think it began for me in kindergarten when the teacher insisted that I had to color within the lines.  I don’t remember if I asked “Why?” or not, but I do know that there was no option.  Of course, my teacher wife and daughter would assure me that this has something to do with developing small motor skills, but I still wonder about the practice and what’s so important about “coloring within the lines.” The same is true in the church.  Early on, each of us was ingrained with the idea of “this is the way we do church.”  Imagine my surprise as a teenager when I discovered that other people (including other Baptists) did church in different ways.  I did not find this threatening but rather exciting!   Those of us who work in the church today must address the fact that we have been trained to avoid creativity and temper our curiosity.  We have been e...

Several years ago, I heard Alan Roxburgh make a statement something like this: “The Spirit of God is at work among the people of God.”     He went on to say that, as a result of this relationship, God has already provided within God’s people the ability to fulfill God’s mission. One way to discover what God’s people have to offer in fulfilling that mission comes from developing spiritual and relational vitality in the congregation.  Another way is to ask questions that will challenge members of the church to dig deeper and not settle for their first response. These questions “peel the layers off the onion.”  In coaching, we call this “asking powerful questions.” Powerful questions come in many forms, but the primary characteristic of a powerful question is that it moves a person to a new perspective.  I always know that I have asked a person or a group a powerful question when the response is, “Now that’s a good question.” Powerful ...

Our society provides numerous examples of people not listening to and respecting each other.     We let prejudices and preconceived ideas get in the way of respectful discourse.     Unfortunately, we often find the same practice in the church. When we consider the change process, the second step is “honor the other.” Honest differences of opinion must not only be respected but honored.  We all have our points of view.  As we talk and reason with one another, uniformity is not the goal.  Writer Walter Lippman was reported to have said,  "When everyone thinks alike, no one thinks very much."  The challenge is to present one’s opinion in such a way that we do not cut off effective dialogue and discussion.  We want to generate light rather than heat. A mistake often made in the process of change is to jump to conclusions and to try to resolve a contested issue without adequate discourse.  Th...

Coaching has given me great insights on the power of individuals to identify their needs, cast vision for their lives, discover the personal resources for life change, design a plan of action, and successfully pursue that plan.     What works for individuals can also work for groups and organizations including churches. Consider this process that churches can adopt as they address change: C—Connect H—Honor the other A—Ask powerful questions N—Nurture curiosity and creativity G—Goal Setting E--Encourage The first step is to connect.  In individual coaching, we often work with clients not only to identify a specific life change they wish to achieve but to understand the values that motivate and guide their behavior and how this life change fits into the total picture of whom they are becoming.  They connect with themselves on a deeper level. As we begin to address change in a congregational setting, we help people to connect with ...