Ten Ways a Coach Can Rocket Your Church Growth

Disciple Like Jesus Ministry

As a pastor you surely want to see your congregation grow dynamically like the early church. That kind of rapid growth is happening now in some churches even with the slow economy. But maybe your church is not growing, or it has declined. Or perhaps it’s just not growing fast enough.

Why does rapid growth happen to some churches but not others? No doubt some factors are out of your control. Take for example the economy or your church location. However God gives you more control than you may realize. God wants your church to grow and to intentionally make disciples! 

Certainly church growth can be a spontaneous work of God. On the other hand many churches grow through Holy Spirit led planning. They bring in an expert to help. A good planning coach will help you get clarity on your personal vision, calling and goals. He will identify and remove obstacles to your growth. Planning coaches help pastors to develop a growth plan. They are experts at developing a shared vision with the staff and congregation. A good coach will renew and inspire you and your entire congregation!

Planning isn’t new for the church. Ephesians 5:15-16 tells us that we are to “…make the most of every opportunity.” Paul made plans (Acts 15:36, Rom 1:13), the apostles made plans (Acts 6:1-3) and even Jesus Himself made plans and communicated them to His disciples (Matt 10:5-15, 16:21, 26:17-19). The Old Testament provides even more examples of planning and instructions to plan in Proverbs.

 Prayerful planning works! A good coach is a great way to go. Here is my top ten list of how a coach can rocket your growth.  The first five items relate to how an effective coach will impact you personally:

1.     You will have a clear, Biblical vision of where you personally are headed. The most important key to church growth is you, the pastor! Most pastors have big goals like “Do the Great Commission,” or “Win the Lost” but you need more clarity than that. Breaking out of foggy thinking can transform and grow your congregation. 

2.     You will get renewed clarity about your personal passions and gifts. Your passion will overflow into reaching others and growing your flock. It is very rewarding for me to see discouraged, burned-out pastors “light up” as they see how to break out of the week-to-week monotony of the church calendar.

3.     You will discover “hidden” obstacles that sabotage your growth. Once these obstacles are removed, church growth will naturally begin. A pastor of a mid-size church recently told me, “the longer I stay at a church, the more of a burden I carry.” Pastor, you don’t need to leave your church to get relief! A simple redesign of your job description according to God’s design can change everything. 

4.     You will possess a crystal clear vision of actions you need to take personally.  During a recent coaching session a pastor told me that he is “ruled by the tyranny of the urgent.”  I am helping him to learn ways to stay focused on his calling as pastor. You can too! A coach will help you develop actions to address the obstacles, reach the lost and keep your congregation growing.

5.     You will be renewed, inspired and energized personally. Your energy and inspiration are the most important factors in a good church plan. If you are excited about where you are going, you will keep moving forward. If you love what you are doing, you will persevere. Persistence will lead you to reach your growth goals for Christ. 

Once you are personally energized, you should engage your staff and congregation. This is like pouring gasoline on a fire!  Take a look at the last five ways a good coach will rocket your growth:

6.     An outside, unbiased perspective will help you to discover obstacles at church.  A pastor of a large church told me that he liked the fact that members are more honest with me because I am unbiased. No matter how hard you try, it is very hard to identify obstacles on your own.

7.     You will have clarity on where you are taking your church. Everyone around you will sense your passion, your clarity and your leadership. No more nebulous thinking.

8.     Your vision and enthusiasm will “rub-off” on your staff and laypeople. Now everyone will have clarity about the direction of your church.  As your staff and congregation see and feel the new passion and resolve in you, many of them will also become excited! 

9.     Your staff and laypeople will be pulling in the same direction as you.  Fragmented groups going in different directions will be reduced. Others will be handling tasks that drain your energy.  You will all begin moving in the same direction, and this is a powerful thing. Like a freight train, at first you will slowly begin to build momentum. Soon your growth will accelerate!

10.  The new passion in your church will overflow into your community. You won’t need to push, cajole or lay guilt trips on your staff and congregation any more. Lost people and believers alike will be attracted to your energy and will want to join you in your efforts. You will experience dynamic growth because you are fulfilling the Great Commission.

In summary a good planning coach will lay a good foundation for you to achieve your personal goals. Then he will bring clarity and unity to your church. Doing that will change your community for Christ!  A good planning coach will guide you to develop a clear plan to win the lost. The plan will include specific, biblical ways to make disciples in your community and beyond. 

Your investment in personal coaching can be as little as $127. A comprehensive planning package for you and your church can be as little as $1497. Contact me now. You will be glad you did!

If you are one of the first 100 pastors to respond by email to this offer today, you’ll receive a free 30 minute coaching assessment ($127 value). But this offer is good for today only.

Alan Melton makes personal and church planning easy and energizing for pastors. Whether you simply need pastoral coaching or an effective plan for your church, Alan can help. To get a clear vision for your life or church, contact him by email: alan@disciplelikejesus.com

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