I have served as a consultant to leaders, congregations, denominations, and parachurch organizations for 30 years. My consulting skills and processes have served me well, and I hope have served the Church and the Kingdom well.
Over the past ten years, however, I have been on an intentional journey from consulting to coaching. While many factors form the constellation of reasons why I made this journey, a few are crucial.
First, a lot of the one-on-one work I did with leaders actually involved some coaching and some consulting. I began to realize those with whom I did more coaching than consulting made more progress.
Let’s ask a side question or two at this juncture. Was my work more successful when I used a coaching style because of my ability to coach? Or, was my work more successful when I used a coaching style because the people with whom I was having dialogue were so coachable?
Let’s not answer those questions yet. Rather, let’s move on.
Second, I realized the harder I pressed direct consulting techniques, the less likely my client congregations, denominations, or parachurch organizations were to be successful in fulfilling the goals of my intervention with them. The more I was able to coach them along a journey the more successful they were.
O.K. this begs my side questions. Still let’s not go there. Instead let’s introduce a side insight.
If my client was in the midst of a medium to high conflict, and they had asked me to intervene with a decisiveness that would management their conflict, then when I used direct techniques, they were successful.
Third, I realized that although my personality is pretty straightforward, direct, and even blunt, my theology is much more process-orientated, enabling, and empowering in terms of how my work with clients ought to be characterized.
Fourth, my consulting philosophy from my various mentors—especially Lyle Schaller—had a big dose of affirm and build. This involved discerning and discovering the presence of God and leadership strengths. Then I would help clients understand the presence of these factors. Finally, I would suggest that the next steps involve actions to take the client on a forward journey.
Fifth, was the realization that I could not help every leader, congregation, denominational organization, or parachurch organization. Primarily I could help the healthy ones who were just about ready to move forward and needed encouragement and assisted self-discovery to understand the pathways that would create the best possible journey.
With these factors in mind, in 1996 I began to intentionally modulate my personal style of working with individuals and organizations. In 2001 I determined we needed Christian leaders coach training and certification that was credible and internationally recognized. That is why I got my ministry colleague Jane Creswell to help me create what has become Valwood Christian Leadership Coaching at www.valwoodcoaching.org.
Now I am seeking to take my personal coaching practices and habits to several dimensions deeper, further, or higher to serve the Church and the Kingdom even better.
Oh, by the way, it is the person or organization being coached who makes the crucial difference. They are the experts and heroes. They are the ones who really serve the Church and the Kingdom. I am simply a skilled and dedicated servant who has the privilege to help them with their journey.
