After forty-five years of pastoral and local church ministry leadership, I continue to challenge myself to grow professionally, develop leadership skills, grow in wisdom, and be open to be transformed in the Image of God. Yet, I am conscious of my shortcomings and failures, after all I am human.
One of the most transformative experiences for me is the experience of being coached. That experience began many years back, and I continue to be coached! There’s nothing like being coached to understand the value of life and leadership coaching.
I encourage you to consider entering into a coaching relationship. You don’t have to be in crisis to profit from one-on-one coaching. But, if you think there’s more to life and more to serving as a pastor, coaching can free you and empower you to be “who you are as God created you.”
I’ve coached many pastors who were in personal dissatisfaction with life as a pastor, and many pastors who simply wanted a more fulfilling personal life, and greater fulfillment and success as a pastor. That’s a pretty wide spectrum! In other words, I really believe every pastor will benefit from coaching.
The biggest obstacle most pastors face is the cost of coaching. We try to help, first, by keeping the cost of coaching low. Often, we have the opportunity to present the value of coaching to church boards, councils, and elder leadership. Seeing the value, church leaders step up to fund coaching for their pastor. If you desire coaching, it doesn’t hurt to discuss this with your leadership, and make the ask. If you desire coaching, don’t let money be the deciding factor. Talk to me and let’s see if we can help.
Check out the questions below. Think and reflect on your current reality. How are you doing? Might coaching help you move forward?
Jerry Butler
Perissos Head Coach
QUESTIONS FOR PASTORS TO PONDER
- Am I thinking and living in alignment with my dreams, vision, and values?
- What is success to me?
- What do you believe . . . really?
- Am I experiencing inner peace as a rule or as an exception? Why?
- What is the “good” about me?
- Am I practicing self-care, “self-compassion?
- Am I living a life of courage and action, or fear and paralysis, or lukewarm—somewhere in between?
- What kind of leader am I? What is my leadership style?
- What relationships empower and encourage me with positive energy, and which relationships drain and tax me with negative energy?
- What is the condition of my soul right now?
- What is success for me?