I'm Getting Coached!

Hello Emmanuel,

I’m getting a coach!  Yes, that’s right, the United Methodist Church offers coaching to pastors.  I’ve been coached before and it was a great experience.  It is the chance to spend one-on-one time with another pastor who has more experience than I do.  His name is Chris Holmes.  Your Lay Leader, Muriel Cunningham, and I will be spending the next year in conversation with him.  Here is more about Chris:

                                                            

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) credentialed Chris Holmes as a Associate Coach in 2008, and the United Methodist Church endorsed Chris for the ministry of coaching in 2009. He is a pastor with 26 years of experience serving small to large churches and has seven years serving as District Superintendent in the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Chris has played a pivotal role in developing the coaching ministry in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. "As a leadership coach, I come beside denominational leaders and pastors to help them get sharply focused and committed to what they need to do in ministry and then lead boldly with courage."

Chris co-authored the Coach Approach Skills Training (CAST) manuals used by the General Board of Discipleship in the training of Bishops, District Superintendents, and Directors of Connection Ministries in the basic coaching skills. Chris has written numerous articles on coaching and serves as an adviser to several United Methodist Conferences in utilizing the basic skills of coaching in ministry at all levels of the church. He is the President-elect for the newly formed Maryland Chapter of the International Coaching Federation and a founding member of the Methodist Coaching Connection. Chris has begun working with Auburn's coaching program in 2012  (http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Chris-Holmes/8585320).

Some might wonder why I should get coached.  For those who are familiar with coaching, it is seen as often used with pastors who are in the midst of church conflict or immediately after the conflict.  This is not entirely true.  Coaching allows for pastors to take that extra step in becoming a more effective leader when the pastor isn’t sure how to go about taking that extra step. 

I’m at a place in my ministry where I’m not sure what more I could be or should be doing.  As well as Emmanuel is doing, I often feel like Emmanuel is primed for something more and I want to discern what that ‘more’ looks like.  Having a coach might help that become clearer.

So over the course of the next 12 months, Muriel and I will be meeting with Chris.  Chris will dive into our context at Emmanuel and learn about me and my strengths and weaknesses as well as learn about Emmanuel.  It will be a chance for us to get insight from a different perspective.  I’m looking forward to learning.

Finally, to be clear, a coach doesn’t pastor anyone.  He is also not my ‘boss’.  He is an advisor only.  You likely will never see Chris.  He will push me, support me, hold me accountable, pray for me and with me, but will never demand I do anything that I choose not to do.  Nor is his job to step in in my place to do my work.  His job is simply to be a coach.  I’m looking forward to learning.

If you have any other questions about this process, shoot me an email (pastorjoe@emmaneul-umc.com).  I’m sure this will make for interesting subjects for the MMP in future editions.  I’ll keep you informed.  It should be quite fun.

God is Good,

Pastor Joe