Greetings all,
There's no hiding the fact that we think very highly of experienced planters and pastors helping the next generation break new ground for the Gospel – coaching is, in fact, one of the key planks on which Geneva's Australian church planting network is built. But have we made the argument for you?
For the next month Geneva Push will be encouraging you to think deeply about coaching. What makes for good coaching? Can good coaching be one of the God-given differences between success and failure? How practically helpful has coaching proven to be?
In the coming weeks we'll be encouraging you to benefit from some of the best coaching tools we have in our extensive, Australian resource library:
- Coaching guru Col Marshall talks about The power of Christian coaching
- Geneva director Mikey Lynch lists The top issues church planters are bringing to coaches today
- Church By The Bridge founder Paul Dale discusses The value of coaching for the coached and the coacher
We'll also be sharing first hand stories from those who have experienced coaching first hand, hearing what they have to say about its benefits:
- Tim Baldwin interviews church planter Richard Wilson and his mentor Andrew Heard on the coaching relationship
- Third year pastor Luke Yelland tells us how its helped to know he has Someone in his corner
- Pastor Peter Ko shares why Coaching is an essential part of his preparation of future church planters
We'll also be bringing you fresh coaching resources, beginning with Andrew Heard on the best sort of coaching he's ever experienced, and moving on to current-day coaching insights from Geneva church planter Kurt Peters and Geneva coach David Sheath.
And possibly the best way to finish will be to actually introduce you to some of Geneva's coaches with a sharp minute of advice on some key issues for planters and other pastors:
- EV Church's Tim Baldwin lists ways of keeping in touch with your local culture
- Church planter David Sheath counsels how to handle criticism from within the church
- Dubbo Presbyterian's Bryson Smith talks about keeping your sermons sharp
- South Australian pastor Andrew Downes shares tips for staying fresh in long term ministry
We hope you come away valuing – desiring! – good coaching as much as we do. And if you're a church planter without a coach, maybe one of the best 'next steps' would be to consider joining Geneva's network.
– Ed.
