Have you ever heard an athlete or an actor publicly declare that they are retiring – only to change their mind? “Just kidding!” Suddenly they are back in their field, as if nothing ever happened. This happens quite often, and this fickle attitude is confusing and frustrating for the fans, even though it doesn’t affect them personally. However, a sudden change of career plans is not a practice isolated to the athletic or entertainment industries; it also happens frequently in ministry…and the results have a great impact on the congregation.
You may have worked with a church whose beloved pastor gave an inclination that a change is in the near future or a date is set for retirement, and then they change their mind. There can be panic, confusion, joy, etc. from the church body! I hate when a leader announces their plan prematurely because it can wreak havoc for the leadership, the church body, and ultimately the pastor and his/her family. “Why?” – you might ask; “Isn’t honesty the best policy!”
I grew-up in a church that did succession planning really, really well! (Read Skyline Wesleyan’s Story here.) Each pastor served for a season – a particular stage in the life-cycle of the church for which they were uniquely suited. Not surprisingly, Skyline continues to thrive today. During my time there I experienced one transition from the founding pastor to that pastor’s successor. What I remember most was how the successor honored the previous pastor’s leadership. Every year on the church’s anniversary was a highlight for me. Periodically I still visit Skyline (my dad served on the board for the first three of the four pastorates during its 80-year history). Each pastor was brought up one-by-one to the stage and honored by the congregation as they greeted each other with a big smile and embrace, stood side-by-side as they applauded their successor and worshiped God for His faithfulness. When a pastor realized it was time to move to a new mission, it was always handled with great care and never announced before the pastor was certain it was the right move, and they were ready to take the leap.
Unfortunately, this is not always how pastoral transitions occur. A plan to leave a church can easily be derailed or second-guessed, leading to much confusion. Here are some ways for you to coach a pastor if they are contemplating moving on:
Here is a common scenario:
Pre-Transition: The first stage of a transition is really about making the decision. Do they really want to (or feel led to) leave, or is it a pattern of dissatisfaction every few years, only for the feeling to dissipate after a while? A good indicator of whether the pastor is seriously considering moving on if they have told, or are thinking of telling, their family and the church board. Who should they speak to first? Who should they refrain from speaking to until the wheels are in motion? As soon as they make their declaration public, the transition has begun.
Transition: The board, the staff, and the decision makers have been informed. As soon as this happens, minds are moving in the direction of, “Now what?” They are now focused on the future. This is a good time to bring in a successor. An overlap of three to nine months can be a helpful transition phase to ease the successor into their position before the pastor leaves. Most importantly, it’s essential to understand that there is an exit plan for both the pastor and the church.
Post-Transition: As a coach, you want to make sure that your client is ready for what happens after they leave their occupation. There are a few things to consider with your client: 1) Can they provide for their family immediately? 2) Are they going to find a place where they can maximize their gifts? A move this serious should be a lateral move, if not a move closer to their mission/passion. Your client might also need support through a transition to a new job or phase of life. Sometimes a change is expected to yield immediate results, and when it doesn’t there is a knee-jerk reaction to return to a comfortable status-quo. However, all changes require adjustments and time.
Things to avoid:
Emotional Reactions: Some clients will want to inform their board, but it might be far too early or before they are set in their decision.
Temporary Urges: Some clients are reacting to a season of frustration, anger or destitution (the frustration of Covid, for example, had many pastors wondering if it was their time to move on).
Avoid asserting your agenda: This goes for your client and their next steps. As a coach, you are there to guide and advise, but you are not there to dictate their next move.
Principles to Guide the Succession Conversation
Succession is a process, not an event. Decisions of this magnitude have ramifications for a lot of people, and it will have a myriad of responses. Be prepared for the blow back and surprises that come out of this. For example, some people might even be happy the pastor is leaving, which your client might not have expected. When preparing, consider all the possibilities and how to prepare for them.
Questions for Your Reflection as the Coach
How does this fit with what you believe God is doing in your client’s life and ministry?
What has contributed to this decision?
In your mind, is this a wise move?
What does God want to do through you?
Questions to process with your client
How long have you been sitting on this?
Who have you shared this with and what was their reaction?
Have you shared it with your spouse? What was their reaction?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
If you stay in the coaching game long enough, at some point you will coach leaders on how to deal with controversy, division in the body, and disciplinary issues. It can be a sad state of affairs when these issues hit the fan, but these issues are a part of life. As a coach, you have an opportunity to help leaders rise above the problem and take the higher ground.
Conflict in churches can range between problems with specific people or with specific ideas to clashes in philosophy of ministry to schisms between entire congregations. Some issues will be fairly black and white while many more are complex and nuanced. It is the job of a coach to see through the conflict, the tempers and the pride, to the best path forward.
As an example: imagine working with a church and a scandal takes place; a volunteer youth leader has been caught having inappropriate relationships with various members of the congregation. The news is already spreading. You receive a call from the lead pastor asking for wisdom handling the situation. The church has already called in a lawyer and has spoken with the volunteer youth leader, but the lead pastor also knows that the volunteer youth leader was beloved by the congregation, and there will be a messy fall-out of people who feel hurt and betrayed and, perhaps, even some that will come to the volunteer youth leader’s defense.
In this case, the church acted quickly and had a clear procedure to follow, which makes your job easier. However, the lead pastor and the volunteer youth leader have already exchanged a lot of angry words, before involving you, that they cannot take back. Ideally, the lead pastor would have set a boundary, refusing to relay anything but necessary information to the volunteer youth leader, while they searched for a mediator. Now, your client is seeking wisdom to undo damage that has been done, find the most peaceful resolution possible, and help the church handle the blowback.
This is when you call on your “inner coach” (or the Holy Spirit) to help you remain anchored in Him and share your wisdom through listening and asking questions. A coach does not need to respond to the impulse to give input unless explicitly asked (and only after the client has exhausted all of their resources and are at the end of their tether).
At the same time, you are invested in the life of this leader. You are empathetic. And you are concerned. What can you do and what should you avoid doing as a coach?
Principles to follow when vetting a church discipline situation:
Help your client process their emotional toll booth
Help your client gather the facts
Help your client stay anchored in Christ
Help your client find the truth
Help your client create a game plan & clarify next steps
Help your client identify people to communicate with
Help your client discern what to communicate
Help your client identify who NOT to communicate with
Help your client take responsibility
Help your client to release control
Key Questions to ask:
What is the nature of the offense?
To what degree will this have on the church community?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
What is the right revitalization strategy for your church?
When you hear the phrase “church revitalization,” different ideas may come to mind. You might imagine new events to bolster church attendance or new programs to reinvigorate the spiritual lives of the congregation. Often, this is what is done when a church is stagnant or in decline. Events and programs are wonderful, and certainly can help reignite passion within a congregation, But they are often band-aid solutions and rarely will save a church that is truly in decline.
I want to offer four revitalization strategies that provide long-term change. Approximately 80% of congregations in the US are in need of revitalization. These churches will require more energy, are more complex, and demand more time in contrast to events or programs; but in the long run, this will serve the local congregation and its members as they pursue the mission to love God, love neighbor, and make disciples.
Before we look at what these strategies entail, however, it’s important to know where your church is in its life cycle. The life cycle of a church can be identified in 5 stages as follows:
Birth: years 1-5
Maturity: years 6-15
Plateau or Refocus to new birth and growth: years 15-50
Decline and Drop Out: years 60-80
Death or Restart: years 80+
A church life-cycle assessment you might find helpful is found in the book “Legacy Churches” in Appendix III – CLICK HERE.
Wherever a church finds itself in the life cycle stage, one constant remains: the longer a church exists, preparing for the next stage is increasingly important. If, for instance, your church is in its “maturing years” you will want to anticipate the inertia of plateaus and stimulate new ministries to reach more people, or potentially consider launching a new campus or church plant. This is easier said than done! The reality is, the vast majority of congregations have not navigated this transition well, as indicated by the statistic above.
4 Mission Critical Church Revitalization Strategies:
Reverse the Non-Growth trend – the longer the downward trend, the more complicated the solution, and the more courage, grit and perseverance are required. If a church has been in decline for a year, it will be easier to reverse the non-growth trend versus reversing the damage of a church that has been in decline for ten years. Taking action as early as possible is always preferred.
Replant to Multiply – This is an aggressive mission but offers great hope. A replant is a total overhaul of a church and requires shutting the doors to focus on revitalization before reopening. Changes may require a new pastor or a new building or a change in the way the church has systematically operated in the past.
Legacy – The most difficult part of revitalization is when a church has the honesty and humility to see that their church is in decline and recognizes that it’s time to let go. This is often true with older churches. However, this is an opportunity to gift the remaining assets to a new campus or a new church plant, paying it forward for the next generation.
Interim – This option may be especially necessary if a separation is needed between the founder and the next lead pastor(s), or if the current pastor has been in the role for a decade or more. An interim pastor can greatly assist with church transition, helping the congregation process the grief that comes with change before looking ahead to find a new lead pastor.
Before launching into a decision of this magnitude, the leadership team would benefit from seeking Christ-inspired wisdom to discern what the Holy Spirit wants them to do.
Three simple steps to understanding which strategy is right for you:
Invite the key leaders into a time of focused prayer.
Process some of the questions listed below.
Discern the best option and create an action plan.
Questions for coaching decision-makers:
How long has the church been stagnant or in decline?
What do you discern are the contributing factors causing the decline?
What do you sense God is preparing to do in this church in the near future?
Who else needs to be part of the leadership team to discern the future?
What are the risks if nothing is done?
If you are coaching a church that is considering one of the four strategies above you might find the Transition Church Coaching Guide with Storyboard a useful tool – CLICK HERE.
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
If you have ever been in a ministry leadership position, you know the impact that your board has on your mission. The board is who you turn to when decisions need to be made. They are who you rely on when you are in times of crisis or uncertainty. A board is able to provide perspective outside of your own experience. They should challenge you, inspire you, and provide valuable insight into all essential matters. Putting together and leading a board well may be the factor that accelerates or impairs your mission.
I am so grateful for my InFocus board! The complexion of our board has morphed over the last thirty years; initially, my board was extremely diverse. Over time, it became more culturally homogeneous, and has since evolved once again to be more diverse. I’ve spent a lot of time and care finding the right members for my board based on the specific mission of InFocus and, today, I want to offer some tips to help you do the same.
Clarify the purpose of your board
For the InFocus board, I have three main purposes:
Guard the Vision – I wanted people who knew and understood my vision. I needed them to support and encourage this vision and keep the mission on track. The collaboration of well-chosen people will make the vision stronger.
Wise Counsel – Even the wisest leader will have stumbling blocks and blind spots. We need the wisdom of others who can see what we miss or have experiences and skills we lack.
Financial Oversight – It is always advisable to have other eyes on the finances of a ministry. Finances may not feel like part of the mission/vision, but the mission cannot happen without smart financial decisions–and the smartest decisions happen through collaboration.
Understanding and respecting the purpose of your board will help keep the time you spend together efficient and productive. Without a clear purpose, the board, and the mission, will lack direction and can easily fall apart. So before forming a board, consider what roles the board will play in the mission.
Reflection questions to narrow your focus:
What is the function or role the board will play?
What are your primary goals for the board right now?
What long-term goals do you have for the organization?
What is your role in relation to the board?
What kind of people do you want on your board?
Observe another leader interact with the sort of board you aspire to lead
This step is super important! By observing other leaders with their boards, you will notice things you want to adopt, other things you want to avoid, and questions you will need to answer. I remember observing a friend I shared office space with lead his board. It was such an impressive, organized, and effective board meeting. I left that meeting thinking that I needed to implement what I saw. However, when I got back to my ministry it was noticeable how differently we were structured. He had a working board that met monthly so that they could help him deliver regular training events, which kept each of the 12 board members engaged and active. I tried this for a season but quickly realized the rhythms and expectations I had for my board members were different – not better or worse, just different! This was a helpful exercise to discern what I wanted my board to do and what the board was not expected to do.
Find the right people for your board
Now that you know the purpose of your board, what sort of people will help achieve your goals and stay true to your vision? What skills and experiences are needed? Some leaders may want a board to offer support and encouragement; they might seek like-minded thinkers. Others might thrive on being challenged by people they respect and will look for people who will push back and offer different opinions. I have found that the most effective board for InFocus has diversity.
When looking for diversity in your board, here are some things to consider:
Age, background and culture – My current board now consists of men and women ranging in age, ethnicity and cultural background: Dr. S has diverse professional background in technology and ministry and speaks four languages; Traco Matthews is a social justice activist; and Willita Sanguma is the Founder and Executive Director for The Lobiko Initiative, a nonprofit organization that identifies, invests, and partners with individuals and grassroots organizations in economically marginalized communities. If you want to learn more about the InFocus Board – CLICK HERE.
Theological orientation – This will depend on the purpose of the board and the goals of the mission. If you are creating a board for the ministry in the community in which you serve, it makes sense to have a board representative of that demographic. Are you working in a community with diverse ideologies? You may want to recruit a board from multiple denominations and philosophies to speak for the people of this community. However, if you are strictly working with a single denominational group, you will probably want a majority of your board members who belong to this denomination.
Skill sets / Experience – I have had so many incredible people on my board that have offered unique skills. Just a few examples: Linda Miller has experience coaching in the corporate world; Jeff Spout is a school superintendent; Steve Hart is an accountant by training. All of these people have brought their specific skills to help support and grow InFocus into what it is today.
Personality types – When creating a board, it is helpful to understand how each individual operates and what they offer personally. Are they a peace-maker or a challenger? Are they open-minded or close-minded? Are they an idealist or a pragmatist? Do they think in terms of the big picture or are they detail-oriented? A board filled with stubborn challengers will struggle to accomplish anything when they disagree. Conversely, a board may become stagnant without anyone to challenge ideas.
Expertise – One of the areas I wanted to grow in my leadership was to initiate and grow an affiliate status with like-minded leaders who wanted to grow their coaching and training platforms. With that in mind, I approached a previous client who had done this in a previous ministry. David McDaniel is the founder of the Northpoint Partnership Group and helped me create InFocus Affiliates in a way that honors the mission of the organization while serving the affiliate. David had unique experience that I gleaned and helped me advance the vision I had for affiliates.
Deciding on the Degree of Board Involvement
This is perhaps the most important decision you need to make about your board. Among the five board types below, which does your board align with most along a continuum of least to most involved?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
There will always be voices that rise above the din in Christianity and those voices will attract large congregations. The larger the influence the more likely a coach is involved.
A current opinion in American Christian circles is that the age of the megachurch is waning or even over. With the platform growing beyond the pulpit and onto streaming and social media, the truth is there will always be a megachurch and chances are it will go global.
Should ‘Megachurch’ be the goal? No. The work of making disciples is personal. For every Mega Pastor there are thousands of men and women in the trenches making huge contributions to the Kingdom on a seemingly small stage.
Perspective on Global Church Growth
The top 10 largest churches globally range from 65,000 in worship attendance and peak at 480,000 (Yoido Full Gospel Church in South Korea). It is fascinating that with all the sophistication of the American church, not one is located in the US. The top 10 largest congregations are located in Nigeria, India, Indonesia, Korea, and the Philippines.
For perspective, the largest church in America is North Point at 35,000 in Apharetta, GA.
What do you know about really large churches in America?
0.5% – While almost 10% of Protestant church goers attend a megachurch (2,000+ in weekly worship attendance), these churches represent only about half of one percent of the roughly 320,000 Protestant churches that exist in the United States.
Why do American churches hit a lower attendance ceiling?
This is obviously a loaded question. The answer would involve a grocery list of complex issues. However, one issue stands out that negatively impacts the health of the church in America. Based on research from Natural Church Development America, the #1 health restricting area is Empowering Leadership.
How many leadership books do you have on your bookshelf? It is ironic that we have so much information and knowledge on leadership yet the American church trails the rest of the world in church growth. We can justify this with very reasonable explanations but the fact remains – our largest churches are a fraction of the size when compared to the global landscape.
Considerations when coaching really large church pastors:
When coaching a large church lead pastor there are some unique considerations that are worth investing time and energy into if you are motivated to coach clients in this arena.
Know yourself
This might seem obvious. You have a certain comfort level. If you are comfortable working with clients who lead 500-member churches and you are content; keep working with leaders of this caliber. If you aspire to work with larger churches then you might want to consider the following.
Consider the type of church leader you gravitate towards. The leaders might be of a certain theological persuasion, a particular context, or style. The clearer you are on who you are uniquely gifted to coach the more aware you will be when you encounter leaders of your tribe.
Key Question:
What are the common denominators that cause you to gravitate towards certain leaders?
Become a subject expert
What are the common needs really large churches share? Based on the NCD research, Empowering Leadership is an issue that creates a ceiling for the majority of congregations in the US. The question then for you is, how can you increase your ability to coach leaders in this area?
Consider doing a deep dive on an aspect of leadership development. For really large churches, hiring the right staff member is mission critical. So much is on the line – time, money, opportunity. One resource that helps in the hiring process is the Harrison Assessment. You probably have your own “go-to” resources. Become well-versed in that area and be ready to offer your services in your area of expertise.
Key Question:
What leadership topics do large churches face that you resonate with and have expertise?
Specializations for coaching really large churches:
Leadership Development
Staffing
Supervision
Change Management
Succession planning
FInd opportunities to connect
Really large church pastors flock together. Like the statistics reveal, the median church in the U.S. has 75 regular participants in worship. Currently there are 1,750 megachurches in the United States, according to church lists compiled by Leadership Network.
Therefore, the leader of a church of 2,000 or more in weekly worship attendance is a unicorn in the American church landscape.
“Excellence, choices, openness to change, low pressure seeker environments, being multicultural, creating a full-service family support system, church planting, faith-based holistic ministries and providing R&D to the broader church” are distinctives that draw like-minded leaders of very large churches together and forge bonds.
It makes sense and is a not-well-kept secret that large church pastors network with other large church pastors.
Key Question:
How and where do lead pastors of really large churches gather?
10 myths to debunk about very large churches:
Bigger is Better
Driven by the lead pastor’s ego
Hyper-focused on numbers
Building-centric
Should be the goal of every leader
Autonomous to a fault
Water-down the gospel
Run like a corporation
Get’s all the attention
Big dog!
Reflection questions to grow your ability to coach very large church pastors
How can you build your track record to gain credibility?
How are you growing in your knowledge of large church culture?
Who do you know that coaches pastors of very large churches?
How can you connect with the kind of leaders you want to coach?
Historically, what size church are you comfortable coaching?
Which phase of the growth cycle are you most authentically effective?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
First posted at Christian Coaching Tools: https://christiancoachingtools.com/articles/are-you-ready-to-coach-large-churches/?mc_cid=251d951a16&mc_eid=7b0f72d7de
Large churches grow through a “front-door” approach. The key to its growth is what happens in the worship services.
A large church has a congregation of approximately 400 to 800 people. Leading a church of this size comes with benefits and challenges that, as a coach, you need to be aware of. It’s important to recognize that a church of this size means that there will be many moving parts and a lot of people the leader relies on to keep the church as an organization operating at full capacity.
Juggling the needs and ideas of this many people is very difficult. The more pieces involved, the more complicated the machine becomes; churches work the same way. However, a large congregation and staff also provides a large support system for the church. Here are some pros and cons of working with a large church:
Strengths of Coaching the Lead Pastor of a large church
Multiplicity of ministries
Numerous ways to get involved
Momentum for growth
Two obstacles marketing your coaching to a large church pastor
Credibility and confidence – a large church pastor is going to ask themselves: “Does coach _____ have the chops?” If you are lacking in either confidence or credibility and the leader senses that, you will not be hired. Be the best version of yourself and figure out how to grow in these two critical areas because the larger the church the more these will be scrutinized.
Challenges when Coaching the Lead Pastor of a Large Church
Challenge #1: Multiplying options:
Up to the “800 barrier,” churches can still get away with having a mediocre or poor small-group system.
Coaching to become a church of small groups
If 80% or more of the adults in worship are not in small groups then leadership needs to be more aggressive in developing leaders for small groups. Check-out the book “The Coming Church Revolution” by Carl George. In it, he provides a blueprint to make the shift from a church with small groups to a church of small groups.
The driving forces to make the shift is two-fold:
Provide excellent pastoral care
Develop leaders
Small groups provide the unique environment to accomplish both. As the small group DNA gains traction the result is a dramatic shift in the expectations of paid staff. Staff will be hired to develop and empower leaders versus, provide direct ministry to church members.
Key questions to ask about small groups:
What is your vision for small groups?
What percentage of your adults are in small groups?
How are you using small groups to spot, train and mobilize future leaders?
Challenge #2: Multiplying staff:
Up to the “800 barrier” churches can still get away with a small staff of generalists, but after the 800 barrier there must be much more specialization.
Coaching to develop a leadership pipeline
Everything rises and falls on leaders who are reproducing themselves in other leaders. This is the way leaders are developed. It can be accomplished through a number of modalities e.g. classroom, books, podcasts. However, the relational support of another leader investing in the development of another leader is a critical factor in the developmental process.
Developing leaders through coaching is a critical piece in the leadership pipeline. Help the lead pastor assess their leadership pipeline and identify the strengths, gaps, and deficiencies using a tool like the Leadership Multiplication Pathway Storyboard.
Key questions to ask about their leadership development process:
What is the vision for your leadership development process?
What’s working?
What’s not working?
What needs to be addressed?
What can you do that will have the greatest impact?
Challenge #3: Shifting decision-making power
Up to the “800 barrier,” decision-making power was becoming more centralized—migrating from the periphery (the whole membership or the whole lay board) to the center (the staff and eventually the senior staff).
Coaching to decentralize leadership
Help the lead pastor and senior leadership team move leadership authority and responsibility down the organizational chart. This is done by clarifying what the key issues are that only staff can make the final decision on and who in the organization can make other decisions.
Vision-related issues can only be made by the senior leadership team but less strategic areas like ministry plans, down to the meeting schedule of a ministry, can be delegated to others in the organization. Clear lines of communication, determining when a decision needs to go to the senior leadership team, and budget considerations that impact the entire organization are some of the issues that need to be discussed. The clearer these communication channels, the cleaner the execution.
Key questions to ask about their leadership development process:
What decisions can only be made by the lead pastor?
What decisions can only be made by the senior leadership team?
What issues are ambiguous and need more clarification?
Who is in charge of what?
What needs to be addressed and by when?
Challenge #4: More formal and deliberate assimilation
Assimilation, discipline, and incorporation of newcomers must become even more well organized, highly detailed, and supervised.
Coach to systematize the assimilation of new members
This is easier to say than done. This seems to be a moving target for a lot of churches because of the craziness of life. What was done over multiple sessions in the past has now been condensed into a few hours, perhaps in a one-time event.
What works today may not work a year from now. Closely related, monitoring the rapidly changing environment in which a church ministers requires an agile assimilation process. With the advent of on-demand content (for such things as explaining church and denominational distinctives), church leaders are rethinking the benefits and real areas of focus for in-person gatherings throughout the assimilation process.
Key questions to ask about their assimilation process:
What is the vision for your assimilation process?
What’s working?
What’s not working?
What needs to be addressed?
What can you do that will have the greatest impact?
Challenge #5: Changing the Lead Pastor’s Role.
The pastor becomes even less accessible to do individual shepherding and concentrates even more on preaching, large group teaching, vision casting, and strategizing.
Coach to help the Lead Pastor change roles
Positively, the lead pastor focuses more and more on those things that only the leader can do. Not one else in the organization is better positioned to do certain, mission-critical activities, like communicating vision.
Negatively, members need to adapt to the new restrictions placed on the lead pastor and permissions needed to have access to the office. And not everyone responds in healthy ways.
Helping your client process sensitive issues related to their role and responsibilities like staffing, conflict resolution, and energy management is a seat that you can sit-in as a neutral, third party coach. Large churches are unique and in the US are in the upper percentile of churches. Often, you are the only person that the lead pastor can talk to about these issues without fear of consequences.
Key questions to ask about their assimilation process:
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
On the surface, finances might be healthy, facilities appear sufficient and staff are content. Underneath the veneer however there may be a high level of dissatisfaction – and reason for concern! What strategies do you use when coaching pastors of mid-sized churches?
Mid-sized churches give off an all-american vibe. Like the photo of a husband and wife standing in front of their family home with their 2 smiling children and a dog, all seems perfect—but there’s always more than meets the eye.
The Challenge for Medium-Sized Churches
The small church can accommodate amateurish quality because the key attraction is its intimacy and family-like warmth. But the medium-sized church’s ministries must be different. Classes really must be great learning experiences. Music must meet aesthetic needs. Preaching must inform and inspire. – Tim Keller
A medium-sized church could have anywhere between 200-450 people. Both the pastor and congregation of mid-sized churches like the benefits of a larger church with the sense of not being too big. However, this is an awkward size that comes with it’s unique set of challenges.
Coaching Pastors of Mid-Sized Churches
Resistance to change
Things might “feel” as though they are moving along nicely. But in reality, churches do not remain static; they are either growing or in decline.
Coaching to overcome resistance to change
The necessity to change may be low due to the appearance of health e.g. a staff-led church, well-attended worship services, children’s and youth ministries, etc. But the challenge is for the pastor and leadership to anticipate when the church is still in a healthy place, what they need to do to grow.
The real issue is the question of vision: Where are we headed? Where there is no vision people are frustrated and over time become rigid and resistant to new ideas. When you introduce vision, pay attention to the nuances of how to best communicate. Before you work on the “How?” it is mission-critical to clarify “Why?” and “What?”
Key questions to ask about their vision:
What is your vision?
What are you doing well as a church?
What can you prune to maximize what you are doing well?
Church Growth bias
Bigger is not always better. Being a product of our growth-by-addition, American church culture is sometimes contrary to the multiplication mindset that is exponentially more fruitful in the long-run.
Coaching to overcome church growth bias
One frustration that you will face while coaching medium-sized church pastors is the inability to grow through this barrier. Your client might aspire to be a larger church, growing into the 1,000s. There are valid reasons for this: diversified ministries, larger presence in the community and more impactful events to attract new church members. Another option is to plant a church.
Church planting has the advantage of helping leaders see that they are actually well-suited for daughtering a new church that could double or triple their impact with the added benefit of attracting and mobilizing apostolic leaders. Leaders of this caliber are attracted to churches with a vision for church multiplication. They are more likely to leave churches that don’t share that vision because they are drawn to a mission that will potentially reach people far from God that the existing churches are unable to reach.
Key questions to ask about church planting:
What ministries are developing leaders from the harvest?
How can you multiply the impact and not just grow by addition?
How would planting a new church impact your ministry?
Lack of Urgency
Pain and discomfort can be catalysts for change; however, leaders can fall into a lethargic culture by creating a false sense of security when things are running smoothly.
Coaching to overcome lack of urgency
“No pain – no gain” is more than a euphemism. It is a principle of change. Pain impacts the sense of urgency for leaders and the greater the pain a leader experiences the more open they may be to change.
Pain, discomfort, frustration are all strong motivators to change. It is sometimes better to wait until the sense of urgency is great enough to engage the leader as a client; otherwise they may not be as willing to adapt to their situation, acquire new skills or struggle. This is a delicate balance that you need to discern as a coach.
Key questions to discern the pain point:
What is draining your energy?
How can you increase your enjoyment in this area?
How will you hold yourself accountable to grow in this area?
Church of small groups
This is a case of what has gotten you here may not take the congregation there (meaning the next growth barrier).
Coaching to build small groups
With a robust small group ministry (80% or more of adults in small groups) you can coach leaders to address both leadership development and pastoral care. Maximize small groups to provide pastoral care. And utilize small groups to spot, train and mobilize future leaders.
The vast majority of pastoral care issues can be handled in small group environments through the loving relationships found within. Roughly, 20% require the expertise of clergy. counselors, or specialists that go beyond the skill-set, experience or expertise of your typical small group. So it makes good sense to invest in leaders to pastor, care for and facilitate small groups of all kinds. And use this important environment for leadership development..
Key questions to ask about small groups:
What is your vision for small groups?
What percentage of your adults are in small groups?
How are you using small groups to spot, train and mobilize future leaders?
Good quality preaching, music and equipping ministries
The quality is good enough for a medium-sized church but the challenge is real. Large churches will tend to be excellent in all three categories.
Coaching to develop excellence in growing ministries
A mid-sized church can remain medium by maintaining good preaching, music and equipping ministries; but to achieve the next category, the large church, excellence is more and more important. “Excellence” is an overused, loaded word. It can camouflage a plethora of issues. It can also be used to set a certain standard. That is how it is being used here.
Feedback is critical to attain and sustain excellence. Honest, consistent feedback is one of the strategic practices a team can apply to grow in the three areas. Caring and compassionate feedback with a high level of empathy can go a long way to move from good to great or medium to large.
Key questions to ask about raising the bar of excellence:
What’s working?
What is not working?
What needs to change?
Helping the pastor move forward
Another challenge is helping pastors adapt their own leadership to accommodate their vision for ministry. It’s important to revisit, confirm, and build excitement around that vision and then help them strategize the best way to move forward.
Key questions to ask a medium size church pastor:
What is your vision for growth?
How can you maximize each person’s gifts on your team?
Are there individuals on your team that are being called elsewhere?
Who else do you need on your team?
What are the most important things that you can do now for the greatest impact?
What’s one new initiative that you could introduce that will catalyze growth?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
There are wonderful things about working with small congregations, but just as with any church, there are potential pit-falls to be aware of from the perspective of a coach.
Do you coach the leader of a small church? There are so many aspects to consider as a coach, when beginning to work with a pastor of a church; denomination, location, culture, the responses of the staff and congregation … but size of the church is maybe one of the most definitive factors.
Where Small Churches Excel
Like house churches, small churches grow through newcomers’ attraction to the relationships in the congregation. However, in the small church it can also be a personal relationship to the pastor that is the primary attraction for a new person. The pastor can begin two or three new ministries, classes, or groups, as long as he has secured the backing or participation of one key informal leader. Together they can begin a new activity that will bring many new people into the church. – Tim Keller
A small church could have anywhere between 70 to 200 people.The majority of churches in the United States are in the 40-200 range. Three reasons this is so:
“Span of Care”
The solo pastor can comfortably lead and manage 40-200 people. Pastor’s who aren’t comfortable or knowledgable directing a staff tend to hit a growth barrier that keeps their church to a size they can shepherd on their own.
To break through the 70-120-200 growth barriers there are some changes in the way the leader operates that must be executed with intention and determination. Breaking through one growth barrer to the next requires a significant shift for the senior leader. Namely, instead of being the prime focus for all pastoral care, solo pastors learn to adapt and shift their behaviors to become a leader of leaders.
Coaching the Small Church Pastor
“Span of Care”
There exists varying views on the gift and role of a pastor. One end of the continuum is the “healer of the soul”… a doctor to care for the soul of people. On the other end of the continuum is the “leader of leaders” charged to win-build-send workers into the harvest. This profile might be a CEO or movement leader. Helping your client discern the type of leader they are, is one of the gifts you provide. Following are some questions to clarify their vision for the congregation they serve.
Key questions to ask a small church pastor about their vision:
What is your vision for growth and reproduction?
What are you doing well as a church?
What can you prune to maximize what you are doing well?
What do you need to change?
How do you need to adapt?
What are the most important things that you can do now that will have the greatest impact?
What will you actually do?
Facilities
Help your client to capture a realistic picture of the resources the Lord has entrusted in their care. Facilities embody a myriad of messages to the community the church sends, consciously and subconsciously. Location is an obvious one. Imagine a church in the inner city vs. the suburbs vs. a space in a strip mall. What does this tell you about the church’s vision? Size, style, condition, etc. convey messages that people receive about the vision of the leader and congregation.
Key questions to ask a small church pastor about their facility:
How well does your facility connect with the people you want to reach?
What message does your building communicate?
How can you accentuate the positive message?
What can you change about the negative message your building communicates?
How does the location of your facility help or hinder growth?
Growth Barriers
Epheshians 4:11-12 highlight the five giftings in the church: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers (APEST). Apostles, prophets and evangelists tend to be strong on establishing churches vs. shepherds and teachers shine in their pastoral care and teaching roles, more more established works All five are necessary for health.
As leaders mobilize others in their APEST gifting it is important for the leader to adopt a coach approach so that they are able to multiply themselves to do the work of ministry. Releasing control by empowering others through coaching is key. As the leader does this, other leaders will adopt the same methodology as the pastor and will need to be trained in the essentials of coaching. This will ultimately create a culture of empowerment, expanding their circle of influence.
Key questions to ask a small church pastor about expanding their circle of influence
What gifts are currently represented in your core leadership team?
Which gifs are lacking or missing?
Who is the Lord identifying that has these gifts?
Who could you invite into your circle?
How can you mobilize others in their gifting?
Breaking through the Small Church Barrier
To break through each barrier the leader must have a determined, intentional, pioneering outlook otherwise, the leadership will lose focus.
Birth pains will accompany each barrier as the congregation leans into a new way of being. There are negative connotations and challenges innate to the growth process. Here are some questions members might begin to ask:
Does the pastor care?
Is it all about growth?
What about the good old days?
For some this is a natural and necessary transition. For others, it is not as natural and is more complicated. And still, others will have a more difficult time making the shift – and that is why you are so necessary to the small church pastor you coach.
Check-out these coaching guides and storyboards to coach leaders through the following growth barriers:
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
House Churches are becoming more common. Are you ready to coach their leadership toward effective ministry?
The pandemic turned somewhat fledgling house church networks into burgeoning movements. Frustrated with growing disunity in the church but longing for fellowship, flocks of people banded together in small groups to worship and grow. Leaders of House Churches are looking for coaches to come alongside them as they scale their church for growth. If you are a coach to house church pastors or are serving a congregation in that capacity; you will find this blog helpful.
Where House Churches Excel
Simplicity rules!
A house church is under 40 people in size. This is a manageable size for a leader to create community. Healthy house churches measure fruitfulness in three areas: love for God, love your neighbor and make disciples.
Multiplication is a compelling, strategic option.
Functionally, when a house church approaches capacity the option to reproduce is clear. Cramped space is not THE reason to multiply house churches; but is a realistic option. A higher calling is to follow Jesus and reach more people with the gospel.
Low overhead costs for doing ministry.
Most house church leaders are co-vocational. This eliminates one very large budget item – salary for full-time pastoral staff. And a second budget item – facility costs.
Highly relational
Tim Keller said it well in his article, Leadership and Church Size Dynamics: “House churches grow in the most organic possible way—through attraction to their warmth, relationships, and people. New people are simply invited and continue to come because they are befriended. There is no “program” of outreach.”
There are subtle and not so subtle nuances that will make a difference when coaching a house church leader. Consider the following 5 challenges every house church faces and how you might come alongside them in each.
5 Challenges Every House Church Faces
Inward focus
One of the currents that leaders of house churches need to be aware of and combat is the consumer mentality of Jesus followers who transfer from an established church to a house church. Just like small groups found in larger churches, house churches can become overly focused on the fellowship of believers, forgetting essential obedience to the Great Commandment. Without the building, the staff, or the worship team, house church gatherings leave nowhere to hide as they focus on the spiritual growth of members AND work together to accomplish church goals. You, as the leader’s coach, can help them adapt and change to engage with each. The primary focus though is to reach pre-Christians with the Gospel who are seeking something that is relationally based and part of their daily lives.
Coaching Tip:
Provide a safe place for the house church leader to process their vision. Allow them the space to envision a movement that goes beyond a single house church. Help them unpack the values of their house church and let them hear themselves defend those and ask questions to challenge their assumptions.
Time limitations
Most house church leaders are self-funding. They either raise their own salary or they work a full-time job that frees-up time for them to serve in the house church. Reality is the time they have available to serve the house church they lead is limited and done in the margins of their lives. This is their reality. Your job is to help them maximize what time they have at their disposal.
Coaching Tip:
Does the leader have an effective project management system that works? A simple
Scrum Board can help them visualize what the top priorities are to move things forward. Break a large surface such as a white board into three columns and label them from left to right: “To Do”, “Doing” and “Done”. Use post-it notes to identify the tasks that need to get done and move them to the next column as they progress. This helps the house church leader stay ahead of the more important projects.
Accountability
Common among church planters is the desire to be different. This can be a positive motivator but the church needs the help of an outside voice such as a network or denominational leader. If the house church leader is not connected to a network, accountability might be a foreign concept or at least more challenging. It is important to help them establish those relationships, otherwise they may find themselves in an unhealthy situation that is to their detriment. For instance, what should a leader of a house church do when a strong leader challenges their philosophy of ministry? It can be helpful to access outside resources that can help them navigate conflict.
Coaching Tip:
Listen to the motivations a house church leader was that led to plant or pastor a house church. Everyone wins when the leader desires the Interdependent relationships a network provides. The house church leader wins when they discover like-minded people to stay connected. The network wins because they have another voice to speak into their culture. The house church wins when they feel part of something bigger than themselves.
Mission drift
Because of the amount of time required for a person far from God to enter into a house church and follow Jesus, evangelistic fruit will take time – perhaps more than the leader anticipated. During this lag time it is easy to get impatient, lose focus and get off track. All leaders need a nudge and again to be reminded “why” they are doing house church.
Coaching Tip:
You can serve a great purpose simply by showing-up for a coaching appointment. You are a reminder of the mission of house church leaders: love for God, love your neighbor and make disciples. Beyond showing-up, ask leaders to reflect on the things that can move their house church forward to achieve its mission. Listen carefully, ask powerful questions and be fully present to help them discern the things the Holy Spirit wants to bring to their attention.
Specialization
Care for children, youth and singles among other groupings is the holy grail of house church. Some do it better than others but the challenge is always present. Because every house church will have its own philosophy, for instance, children remain in the larger group vs. going to an age-appropriate activity in a separate space.
Coaching Tip:
The role you play as the coach is to help the leader apply the best strategy to address the issues. Remain curious. Ask questions. Allow the client to arrive at the approach that will work best for them.
Key Questions to Ask a House Church Leader:
What is your vision to grow and reproduce house churches?
What are you doing well as a house church in the three core behaviors of a disciple: love for God, love your neighbor and make disciples?
What can you prune to maximize what you are doing well?
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
This past Sunday was Pentecost–the day the Holy Spirit came in power and baptized the disciples. Before we get into the woods, I want to invite you to pause and enter into a time of contemplation and self-reflection as we explore the profound significance of this day.
In the Book of Acts, we find the disciples gathered together in prayer, eagerly awaiting the promise of the Holy Spirit. Little did they know that this day would mark a pivotal moment in their lives and the birth of the Church. Today, we can still draw inspiration from their experiences and embrace the transformative power of Pentecost in our own lives.
In Acts chapter 1, Jesus instructs His disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, assuring them that they will receive power when the Spirit comes upon them. The disciples, driven by their love and devotion to their Master, obediently gather in prayer, opening their hearts to the divine intervention that is about to take place. How often do we pause in the busyness of our lives, surrendering our own plans and expectations to invite the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us?
The disciples’ unity and their shared anticipation create a sacred space for the Holy Spirit to come. This unity is essential in the life of the Church and within our own spiritual communities. As we gather together, opening our hearts and minds to one another, we create an environment where the Spirit can move freely and work through us. It is through our shared faith and love that the transformative power of Pentecost becomes a reality in our lives.
Pentecost reminds us of the personal transformation that occurs when we invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. The disciples, once fearful and uncertain, are filled with boldness and empowered to proclaim the message of Christ fearlessly. In our own lives, the Holy Spirit brings renewal, healing, and empowerment. It is through the indwelling of the Spirit that we can bear witness to God’s love, grace, and truth.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is an invitation to embrace the divine mission and participate in the transformative work of God in the world.” Indeed, the journey of faith is not solely an individual one but an ever-evolving, outward-mobilizing one. Pentecost serves as a powerful reminder of our ongoing transformation, of God’s transformation in the world, and of His future coming. As we continually yield ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we look to the hope that is and is to come!
As you lead in the weeks to come, here are some questions for you to ponder:
When was the last time you experienced the power of Pentecost in your own life?
When was the last time those around you experienced the power of Pentecost?
Where in your life do you need to wait for God?
How can you cultivate a spirit of waiting for God among those you lead?
As we embrace the holy day of Pentecost, may we cultivate unity, both within our communities and within ourselves, allowing the Spirit to work through us to bring renewal and empowerment. Let us remember that our journey of faith is one of continuous transformation, and even the simplest acts can become vehicles for the Spirit’s transformative touch to our own lives and the lives of others. May this Pentecost be a time of profound self-reflection, renewal, and a deeper surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Do you want to take your team on the disciple-making journey together? The Discipleship Collective helps you mobilize other disciple makers. Take the Disciple Maker Quiz to discover the habits in which you are excelling and the growth points on which you need to focus. Then invite other members of your team to join you. It’s FREE and you can use it as often as you like!
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