CHRISTIAN COACHING: A TOOL FOR PASTORS

David Freeman, Pastor FBC Lebanon

Most guys I know love tools, and I am no exception. Good tools make a difficult job easier and even more fun.  As a pastor, I always have room in my ministerial toolbox for something that can help me become more effective in my work as God’s fellow builder.  And that is why I recently acquired a shiny new tool called “Christian coaching.”

Years ago, I heard the term “life coach,” and to be honest, I associated such things with Dr. Phil and Oprah.  I just couldn’t see much use for what I believed was psycho mumbo jumbo. But, that all changed when someone I sincerely trusted shared with me how God was using Christian coaching to bless His people and expand His Kingdom. This new information led me to experience coaching firsthand, and the results were both positive and immediate.

Spending time with a Christian coach has allowed me to grow as a husband, father, and pastor. For instance, I have always known that one of my weaknesses is a tendency to analyze plans until they are either no longer relevant or so flawed in my own mind that they never see the light of day. Through my bi-weekly Christian coaching sessions, I have learned to move my ideas off the paper and into reality. The action steps that grow out of each call may seem small at the time, but over months they add up to major shifts that keep producing good results.    

Not only have I benefited from Christian coaching, but many others in my church have as well. We are discovering that Christian coaching is especially helpful to individuals and families who are at a crossroads of some kind. Through our church’s Christian coaching ministry, Next Steps, we seek to link Christians together in a coaching relationship that will lead to a fresh clarity, purpose, and mission. We also believe that the principles of Christian coaching can be easily learned and applied by leaders throughout our church in a less formal, but equally effective way. Each of our pastors has been trained and is now introducing coaching principles to those they are equipping.

Christian coaching is not the magic wand of ministry.  But, it is a sharp and effective tool for pastors and other church leaders to use as they seek to help Christians reach their full potential in Christ.  I encourage you to pick it up and try it out for yourself.