Before you give up on your coaching ministry
Something feels off in your coaching ministry. Attendance is down, excitement has waned, things feel stuck and you’re wondering if it’s just not going to work. Before you close up shop read this.

Written By Gary Reinecke

ICF Master Certified Coach, Resource Designer, Mission Strategist : InFocus
You have trained leaders in coaching.  The first round there was a lot of excitement.  Those coaches have seen encouraging signs in those they are coaching – disciples are being made, leaders developed, and new ministries ignited.  But things are slowing down. Now what?

How are you innovating?

before you give up on coaching

One of the realities of momentum is that there is a constant need for innovation.  When you are the primary vision caster for a movement, the need for more coaches is always front of mind. Your hustle for more needs to be balanced with striving for better. 

If your coaching ministry is losing its effectiveness, the first thing you need to look at is how well you are supporting your coaches and helping them grow. Here are some questions to help you innovate and rebuild your coaching ministry:

  • How can you determine the effectiveness of your coaches?
  • What tools and resources can you provide your coaches?
  • How will you determine who needs what tools and resources?
  • In what ways can help your community understand the power of coaching?
  • What can you do to expand your own vision for your coaching ministry?

Refocusing your coaching ministry

There’s nothing that breathes new energy into a ministry like a vision for growth. Just like growing a garden, when you determine you want to grow you nourish the soil, choose the best plants, and provide them with what they need to thrive. In coaching, that looks like supporting your existing coaches, recruiting new coaches, and empowering the best as mentors. 

Training the next generation of coaches

You will have leaders that are now experienced in coaching, and leaders who have been coached.  These are the two groups you should look at first to conduct a new round of coach training.

Experienced Coaches

From this pool you would consider your highest-performing coaches.  These are your potential coach mentors to train the next generation of coaches.  We recommend that you assess your coach mentors using the Christian Coach Assessment for an objective evaluation of your high performers based on the 9 competencies of a Christian Coach.

Leaders who have been coached

This is the pool that you can assess to become coaches.  Based on the feedback you receive from the leaders that have coached them, you can identify those who are ready for your next round of coach training.

How do you train coach mentors?

This is a pressing need for those who are training leaders in coaching.  You want leaders who are competent coaches, plus, have the capacity to train others.  Not all competent coaches are competent mentors.  Here are 5 questions to ask about training coach mentors.

Five Questions to Reflect on how to train Coach Mentors:

  1. What is my vision for raising up more coaches in the next 3-5 years?
  2. How can I train leaders in coaching to attain that vision?
  3. How many coach mentors will I need?
  4. How can I objectively assess who will be excellent coach mentors?
  5. How can I train a coach to become a mentor to train other coaches?

Coach Mentor Training Resources

We can help! If you need a boost to your coaching ministry it’s important to get it right. As you know, there’s nothing more powerful than getting a coach. Check out our Growth Track – Reproducible Coach Training.

Assess your coaches! There is no tool more powerful than the 360° Christian Coach Assessment. Your coaches will discover their strengths and areas where they can grow—you will gain a tool to help them!

How to grow as a coach. Christian Coaching Excellence – Pursuing the Journey of Ongoing Growth This book has it all. The what, why, and how to grow in each of the areas that need to be mastered in order to be an excellent coach.

Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

Cover Photo by Nejc Soklič on Unsplash

Adapted from an InFocus post 

Coaching Through Decision Fatigue

The world is changing at breakneck speed. For many ministry leaders, new innovations are seen as roadblocks to their mission and vision. Constantly navigating around them is exhausting. Here is how you help those leaders keep moving forward.

Drilling down for insight

Giving feedback is a learned skill.  Helping someone grow in this area can be a game changer. But you must slow down and remain present and ask reflective questions.

Is Coaching Still Relevant?

The way ministry is done has changed a lot recently. Your coaching ministry is losing steam. People just aren’t engaging like they used to. Is coaching no longer relevant? Is there another system out there that is more effective?

Building Cultural Awareness for Effective Coaching

If you are working to make your coaching client list more diverse, the best place to start is with a refresher in cultural sensitivity

Coaching for Resourcing 

Fighting a scarcity mindset by helping clients see God’s provision.

A Military Strategy for Coaching Ministries?

Big changes are needed to halt the decline of the Church in America. However, even small changes can be met with heavy resistance. Many pastors have tried to implement healthy changes and admit that it feels almost impossible. Here is a strategy that might help.

The Organized Coach

If you are coaching more than a handful of people, you know it can get hard to track all the moving parts. Here’s how you can keep it all organized.

2 Areas of Your Coaching Business to Consider

You’ve got the basics of your coaching practice in order. You are a trained coach and you have a business plan in motion. But things are moving slower than you hoped. Here are some intangibles and nonessentials that, with some attention, might be just what you need. 

The Prepare—Engage—Act Coaching Cycle

The three-phase cycle that is the foundation for successful coaching sessions.

Building your coaching practice

There is a lot of information swirling about the internet on how to build a coaching practice. Some of it is good and some not so much. What is actually necessary for you and your coaching practice? Here are some misconceptions and 7 essentials for success.