A personal ministry coach is a person who is a change expert, someone who helps others become more effective in accomplishing their God-given purpose and call, much in the same way that a personal trainer helps an athlete improve their performance.

Coaching is not the same as mentoring. A coach is not an expert who dispenses advice (that's consulting), or tells you how to do ministry (that's mentoring). Instead, a personal ministry coach helps you map a unique and godly direction for maximizing your potential in ministry.

Key is the willingness to change. Most people recognize that they have shortcomings that hold them back in ministry. These create barriers to ministry growth, and over a lifetime the ministry results are frustratingly familiar. The reason is that if someone does the same things, they will most likely get the same results. The problem is that we don’t know what to change, so often we change the wrong things without changing the results. In time we become resolved that nothing will be different, and we give up trying.

But there is hope! Hope comes in the form of two steps. First, one must be willing to change, to admit that he or she could do better. And second, one must be willing to work with someone who has an independent and experienced eye that helps him or her focus their energy on changing the right things, the things that are holding the ministry back from greater effectiveness.
 
 
 
 
        Building a Coach Relationship
 

A coach is neither a mentor nor a fan. A mentor asks you to do ministry the way they do ministry. That is great and important for emerging leaders, but at some point every minister needs to develop their own style based upon their own strengths. On the other hand, a fan tells you how great you are and do things. Then again, if you have ministry down perfect, without the need for improvement, you don’t really need a coach! Most people, however, realize that while they do a lot of things right, they still have areas in which they can improve. Just ask any professional athlete. The job of a coach is to encourage you in all the things you are doing right, while challenging you to grow in areas that are holding you back from obtaining your full potential.

Thus, a normal coaching relationship will comprise a once or twice a month meeting, accompanied by timely email connection in between. It will most likely also entail one or more on-site visits to observe you in your normal ministry environment. In the process, you choose what you want to address, any relevant steps you are willing to take, and in the process will set your own pace of change. Key here is the willingness to change, that is to be willing to do some things differently even though you may be doing most things right.

Thus, the coaching process should help you establish a working relationship with your coach that provides encouragement, accountability and the necessary support to help you develop good goals and solid next steps. Ultimately, you are in charge of the pace, and the issues you wish to address and change.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Home      |      Who is Clayton Robinson     |     Why Do I Need a Coach?      |     Services Offered     |    Pastoral Resources     |     For More Information