Have you considered working with a coach? The spring and summer can be a great time to engage with a coach in preparation for a new season of ministry in the fall.
Is it time for an investment in your own ministry?
Read on …
Beginning a coaching relationship includes doing a ministry assessment and creating a set of Coaching Objectives that outline what the relationship will accomplish over the term of the contract. To get anything meaningful accomplished together, most contract terms are one year in duration. Oftentimes, at the request of the church leader, I will schedule a site visit at or near the beginning of the contract period. This allows me to experience a weekend service, meet other staff members, and gain a better understanding of the overall ministry, including its successes and challenges.
Here’s an outline of a typical coaching engagement:
- Meeting Frequency – Coaching happens two times per month via 1-hour Zoom video sessions. By the end of the year, the executive pastor/church administrator is ready to go, having “checked the box” on several critical church administration and leadership actions.
- Objective – For a new executive pastor, my goal is to help them begin their new ministry successfully, having accomplished a number of first-year objectives. For an experienced executive pastor, I help to identify areas of ministry that would benefit from better infrastructure and the development of systems, processes, and methods.
- Access to Materials – Coaching relationships include access to materials and methods that can be easily edited and adjusted for the new executive pastor’s specific situation, preventing the need to start from scratch.
- Strategic Planning – Very often the first few months of the coaching relationship include a strategic planning session facilitation and overall guidance in the completion of a documented one to three-year strategic plan.
- Customization – The nature and duration of a coaching relationship can be customized and tailored to specific needs. Almost anything (duration, meeting frequency, areas of focus, etc.) related to my typical coaching services can be discussed to ensure the relationship benefits the client.
- Fee – I do charge a monthly fee for my coaching. The fee does two things. It formalizes the relationship and ensures that both the individual being coached and I take the relationship seriously. It holds us both accountable to do what is necessary between calls to accomplish the objectives identified. The fee is negotiable based on the size of the church’s budget and a few other factors. Contact me to discuss the fee.