by R.A. Weigel
Everybody needs a Christian coach and perhaps God’s people need a Christian coach even more than unbelievers. The truth be told, it’s believers that make up the different parts of the “body of Christ” and as a group, believers need each other in order to fulfill more of what God has called the body to do. Then one of the best ways for individuals in the body of Christ to discover more of how the Lord made each individual member so incredibly unique is through Christian coaching, so each member can learn how to work independently and collectively to do great things for God’s glory.
Christian coaching is a worldwide phenomenon designed not by mankind but, from thinking, designed by God since the beginning of time. Consider God’s first question in the Bible where he asked Adam, “Where are you?” Of course, God knew where Adam was physically, but that question put Adam in a mindset where he had to think about what had just happened and how he had gone against God’s command. Then, in the book of John, the first question asked by Jesus was “What are you seeking?” Here again, Jesus knew what was in their heart, but he needed them to verbalize their thinking in order to prepare them for what was to come. Those were powerful questions being asked at the right time, in the right place, in the right tone, with the right expectation. And… nothing has really changed because God is still asking the people of the earth “Where are you?” and Jesus is still asking the people, “What are you seeking?”
The right question at the right time with the right expectation is very important to the life of all people because in order for people to live the life that the Lord wants his people to live, it’s simply not possible without someone asking the right questions at the right time with the right expectation. Formulating the best spiritual inquiry requires a Christian coach who has the training and insights to follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting in order to ask those questions and help God’s people.
Christian coaching is a helping profession. As a profession it’s been around for over 20 years but in reality it’s more a calling by God for certain people to step up and become that supportive accountability partner who has the skills to help others in that unique way by asking the right questions at the right time, asking the questions that the Lord wants asked for the benefit of the person responding. Christian coaching is not telling other people what they should do but a conduit for the Holy Spirit to work with the Christian coach to ask the most important questions that need to be asked. This may make Christian coaching the ultimate supporting profession, walking alongside an individual, serving them to discover the best path for improving their life while opening their potential to answer the questions that God and Jesus have already asked. Christian coaching is helping God’s people to do more in their life by considering deeply about what they’ve been called by God to do. Christian coaching provides a specialized service to the body of Christ that frames an alignment of faith, skills, actions, and outcomes.
Most of the world’s systems of support are designed for people to “sit in rows” or “sit and git” where someone talks at them with the idea that the speaker/presenter knows what the other person needs, and the listener is expected to recognize that morsel of information that they might use. Some things may be learned, but much of what is presented in rows gets lost. But God’s design has always been different. People don’t get their needs met, direction affirmed, or future designed by sitting in rows. That happens in circles, in small groups, or in the one-on-one experiences that happen through Christian coaching. With that in mind, it seems logical that every Christian should have someone who loves them enough to coach them and every church should have a cadre of people who have been trained as Christian coaches to build the church from the inside.
Jesus’ plan for his followers was and is based on having faith in him, taking up his cross, and hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit to know the heart of God while taking actions that affirms their faith. Yet, life gets busy, and the drama of everyday occurrences become distractors, keeping many of the followers of Christ from hearing the voice and direction of the Holy Spirit. That too is why Christian coaching is so important as it provides the advantage, engaging with the lives of believers with the sole intent of helping them as a service to Jesus. The Lord wants trained Christian coaches who will rely on the Holy Spirit in order to benefit the body of Christ and to advantage the life of believers, helping them to stay strong in faith while impacting the world for God’s glory.
God has given an awesome responsibility to all those individuals who are called to be Christian coaches. He has called them to step up and rely on the Holy Spirit in order to help God’s people by asking the questions that the Lord wants asked. The Lord is still calling and encouraging certain believers to become Christian coaches in order to help more and more people to align their life with God’s truth and answer their unique calling and responsibility within the body of Christ. It’s the responsibility of the Christian coach to continually be tuned into the voice and inspiration from the Holy Spirit. That’s the key to Christian coaching. It’s a full reliance on the Holy Spirit providing the Christian coach the path to follow, in order to effectively help others, bringing life, light, and love in a specialized service to God to the body of Christ.
Christian coaches are to order their steps in God’s Word and help others to reach the fullness of how God designed them.
Psalm 119:133 (KJV) – Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
Dr. Richard Weigel
DR. RICHARD WEIGEL, CPLC, CPCC, CPVC, and CEO of ProEdCoach LLC. RICH WEIGEL SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF CHRISTIAN COACHES NETWORK INTERNATIONAL FROM 2020-JUNE2024 – IS A CERTIFIED LEADERSHIP AND VISIONEERING COACH, (CPCC, CPLC, CPVC) – AUTHOR OF ENGAGING CHRISTIAN LEADERS: A TALENT-BASED COACHING WORKBOOK – CEO OF PROEDCOACH: LEADING A TEAM OF EDUCATORS TO PROVIDE A NEW MODEL OF EDUCATION FOR CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS – VICE PRESIDENT OF REGION LEADERS – AND OVER 20 YEARS LEADING SCHOOL DISTRICTS. YOU CAN REACH OUT TO DR. WEIGEL AT PROEDCOACH@GMAIL.COM
