What has found phenomenal success in the corporate environment is just now making its way into the Christian congregational world.  Those same questions that business executives ask of their companies are questions that today’s churches should ask its congregations. 

Such questions include:

“Is the church really effective in its mission of going and making disciples?” 
"Is the church really unified now to reach the postmodern world?”
“What does it mean, really mean, to be sold out to the Lord, to give heart and soul and mind and strength to Him as a corporate body?”
“What does it mean to be part of a community of faith, a unified body seeking the same goals?”
“Just exactly what are those goals, and how do we hope to meet them?” 

Plenty of money and resources are being thrown at answering these questions, especially from a denominational and centralized level. 

Jane Creswell, creator of On Purpose Ministries, an organization devoted to training congregational coaches, wrote, “A few years ago I spent some time working with several denominational groups who were asking similar questions.”  She said that they found that by utilizing coaching with churches answers could be quickly realized. (1) 

Creswell went on to say that they could formulate solutions with sound strategic planning through coaching.  “Coaching is a powerful tool with which the Holy Spirit can customize the ministries of individual congregations.”  It is my belief that congregational coaching as a part of church redevelopment is what is needed in churches today.  The process of church redevelopment will mean transformation in the methodology many churches currently use for conducting their church.

Jane Creswell, creator of On Purpose Ministries, wrote about a pastor of a very large congregation, beyond what we would call a “mega church,” who had a mega problem.  His congregation had grown exponentially, and it seemed everyone had a complaint or need that required his immediate attention. 

The days flew by, filled only with an “earful” from every complainant and no time left for leading, guiding, and ministering to this huge and newly commissioned flock.  The congregation soon degenerated into near chaos.  The pastor was at wits’ end.  He needed help planning and strategizing to meet his members’ needs and knew that soon he would be completely spent, with nothing left to give. 

As if divinely sent, a congregational coach discerned the problem, offering both a compassionate ear and a learned opinion.  Through the thoughtful questioning and inquiry of the coach, the pastor saw a way to solve his immediate problem and still grow his church. 

The coach helped the pastor develop a method to utilize the gifts of his many parishioners.  This allowed him to provide a structure—an authority hierarchy of sorts—through which all these comments and complaints could be heard, filtered, and ultimately addressed. 

The result? 
The pastor delegated most of this work to those among the congregation who were uniquely gifted in administrative skills, freeing himself up for effective leadership.  This is one of the best examples of congregational coaching on record.  You may remember the pastor.  His name was Moses.  His “congregation” was probably the largest church ever assembled in one place—perhaps three million people who needed the attention of their leader in a very big way.

The coach? 
A wise man named Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law.  Jethro was not a trained coach or even a pastor, yet his coaching skills are legendary.  In Exodus 18:1-8 we see the most essential skill in coaching, the skill of listening.  Exodus 18:9-11 shows us the important coaching skill of endorsing the person being coached, and Exodus 18:12 illustrates relationship building.  Exodus 18:13-14 introduces us to the coach’s art of questioning.  Exodus 18:17-18 opens our eyes to the difficult skill of telling the truth to the person being coached.  Exodus 18:19-23 reveals the coach’s skill of advising, and planting the seeds for solution, and Exodus 18:24-27 shows us that the person being coached does the work!  What a great ending to the coaching experience between Jethro and Moses, the reason it worked is still the only way coaching ever works—the person being coached, Moses, was coachable.