Shopping for a Coach

Church Planters often recognize they need a coach, but how do they find the right coach? (see 5 Reasons Why Church Planters Need a Coach)

An important step in the process of shopping for a coach is to discern their coaching approach. This requires doing a little research. You cannot assume a person is a good coach for you just because someone calls themselves a "coach."

Interviewing a prospective coach is a great place to start! Here are some topics and questions that you may want to explore...

1. Coaching Training - excellent coaches have invested time and energy to gain the skills to coach well. There are a lot of training programs available. Explore the breadth of their training: How many hours of coach-specific training have they received? What ongoing courses or teleclasses have they taken? How are they improving their skills as a coach?

2. Coaching Experience - in addition to training, discuss the coach's experience. Are you comfortable with the amount of experience they have had coaching others? Can you talk to others they have coached to learn more about them?

3. Availability - as you think about how frequently you'd like to meet with a coach, determine if they have the time available to meet with you. Are they accessible between appointments? Will they respond to email or texts?

4. Competencies/Credentials - the International Coach Federation is the leading global coaching organization, with over 19,000 members, dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high professional standards, providing independent certification, and building a network of credentialed coaches. What credentials does the coach have? Who has granted those credentials? What was the process they completed to receive credentialing? 

5. Coaching Approach - there are many different approaches to coaching. Some coaches focus primarily on generating awareness, others focus on skill development, others are more holistic in their approach. Discover who sets the agenda for the coaching conversations (the coach or the client). Who generates action steps? How is progress evaluated?

6. Cost - unfortunately when it come to coaching, you often get what you pay for. Many church planters are looking for free coaching or "cheap" coaching. Beware of settling on an inexperienced coach simply because that's all you can afford. Be creative as you explore ways to pay for coaching. Bottom line: can you afford coaching?

7. Ministry Experience - while it's not necessary for your coach to be an expert in the area where you need coaching, it is valuable to understand if your coach is familiar with the challenges of being in ministry. What is the coach's ministry background? How are they currently engaged in ministry?

8. Spiritual Dynamics - explore how faith and cooperating with the Spirit's work in your life fit into the coach's mindset. What is the coach's spiritual background? Do you sense the coach has spiritual depth and awareness?

9. Trust - coaching cannot be successful if you don't trust your coach. How does the coach build trust? Do you sense that confidentiality would be honored?


Today's Missional Challenge: Explore the value of coaching for your ministry and personal life!

If you are shopping for a coach, check out davedevries.org.

If you are considering how to become a coach, check out Creative Results Management.

Related Posts:
Coaches Speak Truth Directly
How to Become a Better Coach
Coaches Create a Learning Environment

Who Are You Called to Reach?

Understanding the people that God has called you to reach is a necessary part of the process of engaging in the mission of Jesus!

The people who live in the culture around you are most likely different than those who live around me. They have different values, behaviors, attitudes, and motivations. Their world view and beliefs are unique. Before you can reach them with the hope of the gospel, it is helpful to understand what makes the gospel good news to them.

Today I completed a week of teaching at Adelphia Bible School on the mission of the Church. We spent part of our time focused on discovering the importance of Exegeting the Culture and Incarnating the Gospel.

I gave each of the students a large Post-It® poster paper and had them draw a map of the geographic area that God has called them to reach.

Then they took another poster and drew pictures of a man, woman and child - and listed the interests, activities, values and motivations of the people who live within their mission field.

Each of the students did an excellent job of keying in on how they might reach those in the culture around them with the gospel.

6 Steps to Know Your Mission Field

1. Draw a Map of Your Community
    Include major highways, streets, businesses, schools, parks, natural boundaries, landmarks and where people connect. Add details – residential areas, other churches, where you and your launch team members live, etc.

2. Pray!
     Thank God for this area where He has called you and ask God to reveal His love through you to your neighborhood.

3. Evaluate Your Neighborhood
   - What different kinds of people live in your area? - What attracts people to your area as opposed to other nearby options? - What is different about your area compared to those surrounding/nearby?

4. Draw Your Focus Group
    Outline the body of a Man, Woman and Child on your poster paper. Using your creativity, include the unique sociological and anthropological characteristics of those within your Circle. You may choose to include: Interests and Free Time Activities, Values & Beliefs, Hopes and Dreams, Careers & Jobs, Personal & Community Interests

5. Circle three indicators that show that they are “not far from God.” (Acts 17:27)

6. Write a one paragraph description of those you are called to serve.

Today's Missional Challenge: Take some time to really get to know your mission field!


Related Posts:
Exegete Your Culture
Take a Missional Tour of Your City
Understanding the Culture
Know Your Mission Field
Invading Secular Space

Church Planting Lessons from Frog and Toad

Planting churches is hard work! Most church planters know this.

The Frog and Toad video "Garden Story" is a great illustration of focusing on working hard to get your church to grow. Watch the video here.

What great lessons can be learned from this short video!

This is a great video to watch with your friends and discuss the implications for trying to get your church to grow!

Frog tells Toad to plant the seeds and "quite soon" he will have a garden. When the seeds don't grow as fast as he would like - Toad gets impatient and yells at the seeds, "Now seeds, start growing!"

Frog tells Toad that the seeds are afraid to grow. He tells him to leave them alone and to let the sun shine on them, and the rain to fall on them, and then they will grow. 

In an effort to get the seeds to grow, Toad tries reading to them, singing to them (in the rain), and reciting poetry to the seeds -- thinking that will help them to grow. 


In an act of desperation, he performs a violin concerto, hoping that the seeds will want to grow. 

Finally when the seeds grow, Toad concludes by acknowledging, "It was very hard work."





As I watch this video, I keep thinking of all the ways that church planters and pastors try to grow the church. It is important to remember that God causes the growth.

I Corinthians 3:6-7, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."


The church planter's responsibility is not to grow the church. That's God's responsibility.

Church planters are responsible to make disciples who make disciples - sowing the seed of the gospel! We can't take credit for the growth and then claim what we did was "very hard work."

Today's Missional Challenge: Be patient. Remember that God is the One who causes the growth. 


Related Posts:
Good Coaching Questions
Thoughts on Church Planting
Lessons I Learned Planting Lake Hills Church
Be a Lifelong Learner
Start Churches by Making Disciples

Thanks to my friend Kevin Stebbings for sharing this video with me!

Leadership is #1 Limitation in Reaching the Harvest!

“The number one limiting factor in reaching the harvest is leadership. The future of the church is in its leaders. Any church multiplication movement that wants to multiply churches must also find a way to multiply leaders, for it will quickly run out of existing, ready-to-go leaders. Creating solid, reproducible methods for raising up indigenous leaders from the harvest will feed and sustain a church multiplication movement.”
                                            --Bob Logan, Be Fruitful and Multiply

I have never heard a pastor say to me, "We have enough leaders. We don't need any more leaders. All we need is more followers."

Where do pastors and churches find spiritual leaders?

How are emerging leaders developed?

What is the process for raising up spiritual leaders in your church or ministry?

Who is responsible for the ongoing training and development of leaders?

10 Practical Helps for Developing Leaders:

1. Embrace a Leadership Development Process (read more)

2. Identify Necessary Qualities for Leadership (read more)

3. Consider 10 Factors in Developing Leaders (read more)

4. Determine the Kind of Leaders You Need (read more)

5. Assess Leadership Potential (read more)

6. Improve Your Own Leadership Skills (read more)

7. Train in Ministry, Not For Ministry (read more)

8. Two Things Every Leader Must Do Well (read more)

9. Stop Trading Leaders for Lessons (read more)

10. Develop a Culture of Leadership Development (read more)


Today's Missional Challenge: Don't let leadership be your limiting factor in reaching the harvest. Start developing leaders around you!

Related Posts:
Facing the Leadership Challenge
Developing Your Leadership Greenhouse
Developing Leaders

Listen More, Talk Less

The Seattle Times included an article today entitled "Shhh: Pope urges silence to communicate better." What a great reminder for coaches.

As Susan Scott says in Fierce Conversations, "Let the silence do the heavy lifting." New coaches often feel the need to talk. Others like to hear their own voice and assume others will too.

However, one of our best tools as coaches is using silence to communicate.

Shhh: Pope urges silence to communicate better

Pope Benedict XVI is asking everyone to quiet down.

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

VATICAN CITY —
Pope Benedict XVI is asking everyone to quiet down.

In his annual communications message released Tuesday, Benedict extolled the sounds of silence. He said a little bit of quiet makes people better listeners and better communicators by giving them more time to think about what they are hearing and saying.

And in a world inundated by Tweets and 24-hour news coverage, that precious time to think and reflect gives words greater value, he said.

"Joy, anxiety and suffering can all be communicated in silence - indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression," he said in his written message.

Benedict has in recent years used his annual communications message to comment on social media. He has urged priests to blog and Catholics who spread the faith on Facebook and other social networks to be respectful of others.

This year, his attention turned to the need to occasionally tune out the social media information overload to allow time for greater reflection. He called for striking a balance between silence, words, images and sounds.

"By remaining silent, we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself, and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested," he said.

(Read the full article).

I can't help but reflect on James 1:19 - "But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger."

I often tell coaches that listening is a gift that we give to someone. Don't you appreciate being listened to? And aren't you frustrated when someone isn't listening?

In a coaching conversations, we must be intentional and truly focused on listening. We also have to turn off our own voice to actually hear what is begin said. We pay attention to the words, tone, and body language, as well as noting the situation, emotions, and behaviors.

Excellent coaches are excellent at listening!

If you want to grow in your coaching skills - consider the Core Coaching Skills Certificate Program.


Today's Missional Challenge: Listen to someone. Truly listen to them. Be slow to speak and quick to listen!

Related Posts:
How to Prepare for a Coaching Appointment
Coaching for Christian Leaders
Coaching and Self-Awareness