Barnabas File

“How can a coach help someone to grow as a disciple of Christ? Does coaching help in spiritual formation?” As a Christian who is a practicing coach, you have probably been asked such questions. These are big, challenging questions, but in this context let’s limit our discussion to how coaching can be used in the church to develop believers in their growth and service.   When Mark Tidsworth and I wrote  Disciple Development Coaching: Christian Formation for the Twenty-First Century,  we started with one major assumption: people are coming into the fellowship of the church today from many different backgrounds. Some have been believers for a long time, although not necessarily in the faith tradition of their present fellowship. Others come with little or no Christian background, but with many life experiences and exposure to a variety of belief systems. Of course, some are grounded believers with a clear understanding of the Way of Christ. The biggest mistake that a church ...

In our Introduction to Coaching Class, a question that is often asked is, “What’s the difference between coaching and spiritual direction?”  We usually respond by referring participants to a chart developed by Mark Tidsworth that is included in our book Disciple Development Coaching (see excerpts below).  We also point out that each process has become a well-developed discipline with clear standards for training and credentialing (for spiritual direction, see Spiritual Directors International or Spiritual Directions.com ; for coaching, see International Coaching Federation ).     Here are some ways we might differentiate coaching from spiritual direction.   Focus Coaching:     Developing people through learning by doing, partnering between self-discovery and sustainable action Spiritual Direction:     Listening for God’s direction, gaining insights into one’s spiritual journey.   Expertise Coaching:     Expertise wit...

In leading a session at a church once, I talked about the terms used in the New Testament for the followers of Jesus.    I noted that the word “disciple” is found 263 times in the New Testament and the word “Christian” only three times.     The word “member” is found 45 times in the New Testament, nine times in the Gospels.     Disciple seems to be the term used most often for Christian believers.     As I unpacked the importance of being disciples of Jesus, I received some push-back that the word “disciple” had negative connotations and perhaps another word would work better. I was a bit surprised.     Perhaps it is time to reclaim the word and use it more in our coaching practices with believers.   What is your definition of “discipleship”?  In general usage, a disciple is one who follows the example and teachings of another person.  In the Christian context, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, one who se...

In some recent coach training events, the participants have pushed me on the difference between coaching and consulting. Are the lines of demarcation as hard as I seem to make them?     In Disciple Development Coaching , Mark Tidsworth and I define the foci of these two people development practices in this way: Consulting deals with “problem solving, action plans, specific problems.” Coaching is “developing people through learning by doing, partnering between self-discovery and sustainable action.” Consultants are generally seen as persons with expertise in a particular area of content whereas coaches are process experts who work in many different contexts.  A coach does not have to know about education to coach an educator or be an expert in the law to coach a lawyer. Coaches are hired to promote clarity rather than inform their clients.  Consultants are generally seen as resource people and teachers. Even with these definitions, I cont...

What is your definition of “discipleship”?     In general usage, a disciple is one who follows the example and teachings of another person.     In the Christian context, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, one who seeks to practice his teachings and make them a part of her or his life.     Living out the teachings of Christ is generally called the act of discipleship. Several years ago, I joined my colleague Mark Tidsworth in training church leaders to use coaching principles to help others to grow as disciples. We called the process “Disciple Development Coaching.”  Both Mark and I have a rather comprehensive view of what it means to be a disciple. Our concept (and I think the belief of many others) is that discipleship encompasses all of life—not simply our spiritual practices but the way we care for God’s gifts to us, act in our relationships with others, and pursue our vocational callings. In a recent conversation, s...

In   A New Kind of Christianity , Brian McLaren writes, “It is worth noting in this regard that the word ‘Christian’ occurs in the New Testament exactly three times and the word ‘Christianity’ exactly zero. The word ‘disciple,’ however, is found 263 times.”     It is also interesting that “member” is only found 45 times in the New Testament and 9 times in the Gospels. Of the 263 references to “disciple” in the New Testament, 235 are in the Gospels.    This seems to have been Jesus’ preferred term for His followers. Being a church member is not necessarily the same thing as being a Christian disciple. The SHIFT process takes this emphasis into account by challenging the 21 st century church to move from the idea of church membership to Christian discipleship.  We don’t need more members, we need more disciples who are responding to the call of God into the world. How do churches go about addressing this and encouraging the movement of indivi...

What is your definition of “discipleship”?     In general usage, a disciple is one who follows the example and teachings of another person.     In the Christian context, a disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ, one who seeks to practice his teachings and make them a part of her or his life.     Living out the teachings of Christ is generally called the act of discipleship. Several years ago, I joined my colleague Mark Tidsworth in training church leaders to use coaching principles to help others to grow as disciples. We called the process “Disciple Development Coaching.”  Both Mark and I have a rather comprehensive view of what it means to be a disciple. Our concept (and I think the belief of many others) is that discipleship encompasses all of life—not simply our spiritual practices but the way we care for God’s gifts to us, act in our relationships with others, and pursue our vocational callings. In a recent conversation, s...

No matter what you do for a living, you are expected to participate in meetings.  It doesn’t end at work, of course.  You attend meetings at your church, civic organization, and volunteer project.  For the most part, meetings are something we dread and endure. Dick and Emily Axelrod seek to provide a remedy in their book Let’s Stop Meeting Like This:  Tools to Save Time and Get More Done .  They present a practical model that is adaptable to all types of meetings. Their basic model is labeled The Meeting Canoe and involves six movements: Welcome people. Connect people to each other and the task. Discover the way things are. Elicit people’s dreams. Decide. Attend to the end. The model embodies not only good group process, but parallels the approach we in use in Dis ciple Development Coaching © at Pinnacle Leadership Associates: Ask and Listen (Welcome and Connect) Explore (Discover and Elicit) Design...