6 Ways Coaching Makes Disciples (not dependents) Are you making disciples?
Jesus was rarely a "teller", and when He was it was mainly to the religious leaders when He was telling them off in no uncertain terms.
Think about it when you are reading the gospels. Jesus often responded to questions with questions, or sometimes with stories. We also have the beatitudes and many word pictures about what the kingdom is like. Most often, He encouraged people to decide what they needed to do next.
When we tell people what we think they should do we risk getting in the way of their personal connection with God. Of course, there are moral boundaries and we would never encourage someone to "decide" if those were right, but here are a few examples of where coaching questions could help someone make healthy choices:
- who to date
- whether or not to go to college and where
- how to decide if you should stay with a certain job/role
- choosing where to volunteer
- how to move toward a specific goal, and even if you should
Just to name a few.
Coaching makes disciples by helping people learn to discern God's leading in their own lives and then respond in faith and obedience to that prompting.
Many believers of multiple varieties feel like it is their responsibility to share what they would do in a certain situation, but few of us are looking to be told what to do. Most of us want someone to talk through our options with.
Here are 6 reasons coaching makes disciples not dependents.
1) When we learn to ask better questions we can help people move forward toward the goals God is leading them toward, not the goals we think they should be preferring.
2) When we leave the choices being made up to the person being coached, we step out of the way. This allows them to hear from God more clearly.
3) Good coaching helps people build confidence in their personal relationships with God.
4) Coaching comes alongside, it doesn't lead. God does not have grandchildren, only children and good coaching helps people connect personally.
5) Disciples are maturing adults, dependents need someone to provide for them. Coaching honors the coaches by encouraging maturity.
6) if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, but if you teach him to fish you have helped him get food for a lifetime. Coaching helps people learn to connect with God for a lifetime rather than get an answer for today's dilemma.
I can think of so many times I thought I knew what someone should do. Before coach training, I tried to share my thoughts and opinions and honestly, I look back and see where I burned relationships. I thought I knew best for people. And even if I did, they needed to learn for themselves, not have me, or anyone, discern for them.
Learning to ask better questions can change your effectiveness as a discipler. Asking better questions helps people tap into what God has already seeded in their hearts. As they learn to discern they will grow in confidence, faith, and maturity!
Is it time? is it time to consider coach training? Check out this and our other offerings at https://www.bridgescoaching.net/.