The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is doing many really terrific things to support the reboot of the denomination's coaching ministry. At present it offers free continuing education hours for those who have at least Level 1 training in the ELCA's current model of certification. Hosted by CoachNet Global, these free Zoom calls give participants opportunities to review coaching as a technology and art, and to see its application in specialty modes related to congregational needs. We have had conversations now on Stewardship, Discipleship, and most recently Congregational Redevelopment. We began the Redevelopment conversation with a recognition that redevelopment work is a very unique and vulnerbale space. Beyond this, not everyone should coach this kind of space. Jonathan Reitz, CEO of CoachNet Global shared that he typically doesn't. As a movement starter himself, the redevelopment space is not one he relishes.
This gave us all a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our own unique contributions to coaching. We SHOULD be in some types of situations, and we should probably learn to stear clear of others. Knowing what to do with whom and when is an artifact of solid self-knowledge and wisdom born of experience. Specialty coaching takes us into the difficult space of the "resident expert." The trainers amongst us work VERY hard to deconstruct the myth of the expert in ELCA Launch and ongoing training with new coaches. There are at least two reasons for this:
Related to this, Pastor Scott Suskovic quoted Jonathan Reitz back to all of us with, "...if you don't share your thoughts you are denying the client half of the Spirit's work in that conversation." Wow. So we were given a rubric for sharing. It's ok to offer insights and information. But there are FOUR provisos:
In gratitue, Nathan Swenson-Reinhold ICF ACC ELCA Coach Trainer Coach Coordinator, Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod
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AuthorsChristy Hartigan and Nathan Swenson-Reinhold Archives
June 2019
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