What is clergy coaching?
Clergy coaching is a relationship that offers coachees:
a conversation partner who encourages and gently challenges during times of current or imminent change and
dedicated space for the vulnerability and reflection that is needed for making changes but is often hard to come by elsewhere.
Here are some of the hope-filled new normals that my coachees have achieved with the help of this partnership:
Resolved a congregational conflict with intentionality, integrity, and care for all involved.
Led the church through a discernment process around vision (including whether or not to launch a capital campaign) and the design of new ministries that drew upon the strengths of the congregation and addressed needs in the neighborhood.
Secured a new call, leaving the prior church in good shape for the transition time and starting the new position with a plan for establishing priorities and building relationships.
Established a new worshipping community with the lay leadership and infrastructure needed for long-term success.
Created and implemented a self-care strategy that better balanced vocation and personal life in order to be more present to church and to family.
Equipped and empowered laity to take on more leadership roles, thereby setting the congregation up to make the shift to a bigger church size.
Designed a plan for having hard but necessary congregational conversations so that trust was rebuilt and the focus could shift to the collective mission.
Identified an authentic leadership style and ways to become a more effective minister by leaning into it.
Structured a work flow that moved the pastor from doing tasks as they presented themselves to being more pro-active and thinking long-term.
Developed a sabbatical plan that allowed for renewal and rest as well as successful re-entry into the congregation afterward.
Educated the congregation about a new pastoral model and helped the church make accompanying shifts in expectations.
Moved from one role to another within the same church staff, successfully communicating and acting out of changes in responsibility and authority.
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What does clergy coaching look like?
I start by asking what results you seek from the coaching relationship as a whole. In each call we break off a piece of that overall goal to tackle, and I offer open-ended questions to allow the person being coached to focus further the goal for that particular call; explore options, resources, and obstacles; and design action items. When needed, I nudge coachees to name ways of holding themselves accountable to the strategies they create.
Coaching sessions last one hour each and take place by phone or Zoom. Coaching relationships typically start out with six- or ten-session packages, with calls spaced one month apart. (If the coachee is working with a deadline or a conflict situation, the calls are more frequent.) At the end of the pre-determined number of sessions, I check in with the coachee about whether she wants to covenant for additional sessions or if she has met the coaching goals she named at the outset. I also offer pre-outlined, customizable packages as delineated and a la carte coaching services as described here.
Click here to view my current rates. Note that I offer discounts for members and alumnae of Young Clergy Women International as well as for seminary students and seminary graduates awaiting first call.
Click below to schedule a free 45-minute call. We’ll talk about the outcomes you seek and the ways coaching can help you obtain them.