What Is Coaching?

Coaching is a discipline that has emerged in the last 20 years to help individuals and teams maximize their capacity. The coaching movement continues to expand in many professions, including among Christian leaders and churches. After observing the benefits of coaching when the coach comes from outside the organization, one major Christian parachurch ministry now encourages all of its staff to engage a trained coach.

Coaching is different from counseling, mentoring, supervising, advising, and consulting. The premise of coaching is that the best answers come from within the individual; the key task of coaching is asking the right questions to help an individual or group move forward in relation to the situation that they themselves have defined.

The relationship between the coach and client(s) is crucial. Mutual trust and transparency is vital. The coach’s role is to listen clearly, then ask those questions which guide the client towards understanding their situation and possible responses for themselves.

The coaching that I conduct helps Christian servant/leaders to listen more attentively to what the Holy Spirit is praying for them in accord with Rom. 8:26-27, then act upon the insights and promptings they experience. When that happens, it is a profoundly spiritual and transforming experience. My training is in accord with the specifications of the International Coaching Federation (https://coachfederation.org); I attained certification as an Associate Certified Coach in the spring of 2018.