Faith and Coaching

“Over 85% of the world population identifies with an organized religion while millions more practice folk religions and spiritual beliefs. Humans may be innately spiritual, learning existential views early through family traditions, community practices, and cultural narratives.”

You may be surprised to know that this quote comes from a study by the International Coaching Federation Thought Leadership Institute. The study points out that it is typical for individuals to ask existential questions, often focusing on the big questions of human life like purpose, freedom, and meaning. Religion and spirituality enrich the human experience through meaning-making and help find one’s place in the word.

For those coaches who follow the Christian faith, the opportunity to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18, NIV) is a given in our lives and will inform our coaching as well. However, how does the individual faith of the coach impact the coaching relationship with a client?

My take is that being a person of faith informs and enriches my ability to coach, even if my client is not a person who professes faith. Martin Luther is reported to have said, “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

I think this is applicable to coaching as well. I see my Christian commitment being expressed in being the best possible coach that I can for my client.

I want to unpack this more in future posts and think about how a coach’s spiritual commitment can enrich what a coach offers to her or his clients. I also want to consider some significant benefits of walking with a client who seeks to apply the spiritual in their own lives.

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