Coaching Church Planters
To prepare for planting, our planters go through an assessment process and comprehensive training. In 2020 we recognized the necessity of another important element to increase the likelihood of success and take church planting to a new level across our state. Coaching was introduced that year and has become a vital component of our overall strategy.
Coaching is a unique dynamic that helps church planters maximize their potential to impact the Kingdom and fulfill their God-given assignment. Skilled coaches come along each church planter to help facilitate their “progress and joy in the faith” (Phil. 1:25). Different from mentoring, teaching, or consulting, however, coaches serve others, not by telling or advising, but by asking great questions to promote thought and allow the Holy Spirit to speak and lead.
Church planters often feel overwhelmed by all the demands of their calling. Woody Wilson, a church planter coach in Montreal, said, “Coaching is an amazing way to create space, to intentionally think, reflect, and process.” When combined with encouragement and accountability, coaching becomes an effective dynamic for growth and progress.
The benefits of coaching are tangible, as evidenced by the high number of Fortune 500 companies that employ and utilize coaching for executives and managers. Among the many benefits of coaching, coaching can help church planters:
- Clarify God’s will and calling;
- Stay focused in order to fulfill that calling;
- Determine priorities and productively manage time;
- Become aware of new paths & resources;
- Develop strategies and make wise decisions;
- Set and reach strategic goals;
- Identify challenges and overcome obstacles;
- Reduce stress, frustration, disappointment, and avoid burnout;
- Maintain balance in their personal walk with Christ, family life, and personal well-being;
- And ultimately, to experience the joy of being used by God, one day
hearing Christ say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Since our inception in 2020, the Alabama Baptist Church Planter Coaching Network has grown to become the second-largest in the SBC but with the need for new churches, we are always recruiting capable men to help us coach our planters. In doing so we look for four characteristics:
1. A kingdom mindset
2. A shepherd’s heart
3. A desire to serve Christ by serving others
4. A willingness to learn and apply new skills.
If you’d like more information about coaching or our coaching network, please contact us.
The Coaching Dynamic
In order to help Alabama Baptist church planters succeed in their calling, we not only come alongside through assessment and training, we also provide coaching. Each planter is assigned a coach for the duration of his financial support.
Because we believe that no one should plant alone, we have developed a network of skilled coaches to come alongside church planters, not to speak into their lives, but rather to draw out of them what God has placed in their hearts. The coach offers encouragement, support, and accountability and is the epitome of the friend that “sticks closer than a brother”. This is accomplished through coaching conversations that occur about every two weeks. Through the dynamic of coaching, church planters grow and progress faster than they might on their own.
To provide clarity to our coaching methodology, we have adopted the term “shepherd-coaching”. A shepherd cares for and supports the individual. Coaches help leaders clarify God’s will, and then determine which steps are necessary to carry out God’s will. We shepherd and coach for growth and progress in advancing the Kingdom of God.
Our Coaching Champion is Jeff Mann, a 30-year veteran of ministerial leadership. If you would like more information about receiving coaching or becoming a coach, he can be reached through our office or directly at (256)609-0388.
Want to find out if your passions and skills would help you to be a successful coach?
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