Coaching But Not Christians

[Trey Finley]

Friends,

I'm moving in a direction where coaching will be a pillar of what I'm doing professionally. I concur that coaching has the potential to be a very missional activity. What's interesting to me in this conversation is that the focus is on coaching church planters.

This practice is very important for the church going forward--most of those churches that survive, much less thrive, in the next 50 years will be church plants, I believe. I believe that strongly enough that I'm beginning coach training with Mission Alive, which uses CoachNet's model.

That said, there seems to be a tremendous field waiting for those willing to expand their coaching into fields other than churches and church plants. Business leaders are looking for coaches right now--they need to do more in their businesses without having to hire. They need to squeeze every drop of productivity out of their employees and associates. Younger leaders have less interest in formal training and more interest in establishing relationships they can trust.

I believe that strongly enough that I'm also going to begin a more formal certification recognized in fields outside of Christianity. Do we have any other professional coaches out there who are doing work beyond the walls of their church and church planting?

[James Nored]

Hi Trey. I think that you'll really enjoy the CoachNet training. The non-directive, questioning approach that they have would seem to fit well into your philosophy as well.

I agree that there is opportunity to coach others outside of churches and church plants. I have coached a small business owner recently, and it was a joy to see him grow in all areas of his life.

[Jon Van Bruggen]

Hi Trey, I agree with you that there are many untapped applications for coaching, particularly in the business world where in many instances coaching has become another word for consulting (unfortunately). Businesses have tremendous potential for making a positive difference in the world and good coaching would unleash that potential in the various realms of influence...and beyond!

Currently, I'm coaching a business owner in a number of areas - marketing and communications, long-term vision and strategy, and staff management to name a few. The beauty of coaching is that I don't have to be an expert in the areas in which she's looking for coaching, I simply have to discern the questions that would be most powerful and helpful for her! It's extremely joyful to see her use her God-given gifts to operate more efficiency and effectively as a business owner.

As you continue to grow your coaching practice, I'd like to know how coaching for business leaders and coaching for ministry leaders compare.

Peace,
Jon