Don't Walk the Gospel Life Alone

At CMM, we want the Gospel of Jesus to be at the forefront of your sphere of influence. So, we coach and train CMM Coaches to work in the field with fellow ministry leaders as they develop strategies to spread the Gospel in their context.

For several weeks, one of CMM’s key partners for Gospel Coach training, Dave Whitehead, has challenged us with articles about the reasons to support urban church planters. Dave is the Coaching Catalyst for Redeemer City to City, New York. He was kind enough to contribute again this week. Here are his thoughts about how Gospel Coaching works in his context:

“In my first article, The Best Athletes Have a Coach, I talked about the importance of planting churches in urban areas. In my second article, “Sometimes We Struggle in Ministry,” I talked about how we coach urban church planters.

In this installment, I want to explore what the church planter experiences when they have a coach to walk alongside of them:

1.     They are given time to think important things through.
The high pace lifestyle of urban areas overwhelm many people. Add to that starting a new church and you have a combination that makes many leaders more reactive than proactive in their leadership style.

Yet Gospel Coaching gives people the time to think things through. Gospel coaches are trained to ask more questions than make statements, and this gives the leader the mental space they need to process their opportunities/challenges and how to handle them. In a day of constant distractions, an hour to simply think things through is a gift.

2.     They are given perspective to know what to do next.
The famous leadership writer Steven Covey said: ‘Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.’ Most pastors are bombarded with urgent requests, but in order to take a community forward a pastor needs to know how to see the important things (which are rarely urgent). Coaching helps the pastor see beyond the current cries of attention to that which really counts in their ministry. This perspective is crucial in order to lead others well.

3.     They are given clear steps that will take them and their community forward.
Another good thing about Gospel Coaching is that every session ends with specific, measurable, and aspirational goals that have deadlines and desired outcomes. Yet the Gospel Coach doesn’t stop with a goal; the coach also explores what issues come up as goals are accomplished. This awareness provides many gospel moments that help leaders process their successes and failures through the good news that God gives us in Jesus Christ.

There are many more things that happen that we coach urban church planter. We find that having a foundation in the gospel more than achievement frees us to achieve more than we would be motivated toward on our own.  Isn’t that the paradox of the gospel? When we lose our life we gain it. When we look at the important things that we need to address through the lens of the gospel we experience our need for Christ and his great provision at the same time; we can have a productive life that is dependent upon God’s mercy. We can lead with confidence in HIS ability and not our own.” 

Remember: You don’t have to face the challenges of your ministry alone. A Gospel Coach will help encourage and equip you every step along the way. He’s been there and done hard things. He cares about you, your wife, and your family and can speak truth.

Click here to learn more about Coaching for Church Planters, Pastors, and Ministry Leaders today!