REFRESH | Seven Reasons Your Church Needs to Focus on Discipleship
By Brad Ransom
In today’s fast-paced world, effective leadership is more crucial than ever. The challenges of guiding a team or an organization are complex, often requiring more than just personal wisdom and experience. One of the most valuable resources a leader can have is a coach, someone who provides guidance, accountability, and perspective. From a Christian standpoint, having a coach is not only practical but also biblical.
Here are seven reasons every leader needs a coach.
Accountability and Encouragement. The Apostle Paul often spoke about mutual accountability in the Body of Christ (Galatians 6:1-2). Good coaches hold leaders accountable, ensuring they stay on track with goals and values. Whether it’s navigating difficult decisions or growing in personal discipleship, a coach encourages the leader to keep moving forward, pushing through challenges, and maintaining faithfulness in their calling.
Clarity in Vision.
Vision helps leaders accomplish the task. Vision can easily get off track and be derailed by a busy ministry schedule. Leaders need to revisit the big picture occasionally to stay on track. Coaches help leaders stay focused, aligning their goals with God’s calling and ensuring they are steering their teams toward the right destination. This guidance helps cut through the noise and distractions that often cloud judgment, helping leaders focus on what truly matters.
Personal and Spiritual Growth. No leader ever reaches perfection. Leadership is a journey of constant growth, both personally and spiritually. Coaches can help identify blind spots and help leaders address areas where growth is needed. Whether it’s cultivating humility, deepening their prayer life, or sharpening their decision-making skills, a coach catalyzes personal and spiritual development.
Preventing Burnout. Ministry, like any other form of leadership, can be demanding, leading to physical, emotional, and spiritual exhaustion. A coach helps recognize the warning signs of burnout before they become overwhelming. The coach offers wisdom in setting boundaries, prioritizing rest, and ensuring a leader’s pace is sustainable for the long haul. Jesus Himself modeled the importance of rest and retreat (Mark 6:31), and a coach can help a leader balance work and rest in a healthy way.
Expanding Leadership Capacity.
Coaches push leaders beyond their comfort zones. They help develop skills and mindsets that enable leaders to handle bigger challenges and greater responsibilities. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul encouraged Timothy to share what he had learned with others who would lead. Similarly, a coach helps a leader learn new techniques, adopt fresh perspectives, and build capacity for influence, allowing for more effective leadership.
Providing an Objective Perspective. It’s easy for leaders to get lost in the weeds of day-to-day operations, losing perspective on the bigger picture. Coaches offer an objective, outside viewpoint. By asking the right questions and offering constructive feedback, they help leaders see things more clearly and from different angles. Coaches serve as essential counselors, providing wisdom and insight.
Fostering Long-Term Success.
Ministry is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. Coaches help leaders set long-term goals, develop strategic plans, and maintain the discipline needed to achieve sustainable success. They act as a sounding board, offering guidance and helping leaders avoid pitfalls. By providing this long-term support, a coach ensures that a leader’s journey is marked by consistency and growth, not just short bursts of activity.
Ministry is a complex and often isolating journey, but it doesn’t have to be walked alone. With the support of a coach, Christian leaders can grow in their calling, strengthen their leadership abilities, and avoid common pitfalls. As Proverbs 27:17 reminds us, iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. Leaders need coaches to help them become the best version of themselves for the sake of the Kingdom.
For more information or help in finding a ministry coach, please visit www.fwbnam.com/.
