Barnabas File

In a recent Christian Coaches Cafe LIVE Call, coach Chris McCluskey talked about the challenge of making meaningful, sustainable change and suggested two approaches that we often use in addressing needed change.   On the one hand, those initiating change may attempt to use these three strategies or arguments: Fear--“If you don’t do this, you are going to die.” Facts--“Here are the rational reasons to do this.” Force--“You’ll do this or else.” As I thought about the best way to encourage change in a congregation, I quickly realized that all of these fail as adequate motivators.  Fear tends to elicit denial and an “I’ll show you” attitude.  Facts may help to develop strategy after a decision is made, but people make choices more often with their heads than their hearts.  I think it goes without saying that force does not work in most churches, especially the Baptist churches where I have spent most of my life! The alternativ...

Life coaching has become very popular as a personal development process in the last two decades, but coaching is still an unregulated profession.   Anyone can print up business cards proclaiming that he or she is a life coach without any specific training, certification, or licensure. When Mark Tidsworth asked me to join Pinnacle Leadership Associates as a coach four years ago, he did so based on my background and experience in working with young adults, church leaders, and campus ministers over three decades of ministry.  During that time, I called out, encouraged, and empowered men and women to follow God’s leadership in their lives.  As I think back, I was practicing coaching with all of these individuals without any particular training in the process. As I started my work with Pinnacle, I was smart enough to realize that there was a lot about coaching that I did not know.  I set a goal to receive the basic coaching certification—Associate Certified Coa...