Is Coaching Even Biblical? [Part 1]
A pastor friend of mine recently told me that a mentor of his mentioned that he wasn't even sure coaching was biblical. I actually understand that question.
Many people, pastors even, don't really know what coaching is.
And if I'm completely honest, I really wish there was a different word than coaching for that very reason. It gets confusing. Many people think coaching is telling others what to do in a kind, but direct, way. Coaching, as we align with at Bridges, is quite different.
(If you aren't sure how to define coaching please click here and maybe even here before reading on...)
Coaches help people learn to discern what God is prompting them to think and do. It's much easier to weigh in and tell people what you think they should do. Maybe you have been through a similar situation and you feel you should just spare them the difficulty and give them your solution.
But what if...
What if God has a different plan for their journey?
Of course, there are times when it is appropriate to tell someone what the right way is. There are absolutes in the kingdom of God. We don't kill people, we don't lie, or cheat, or steal. We pursue sexual purity and don't tip toward the culture around us that excuses unhealthy behavior.
But there are plenty of decisions that God leaves up to the individual. Decisions we might think differently about. Perhaps they have a higher risk tolerance, or maybe they are not feeling the urgency we would be if we were them.
Here's the thing. In the new covenant, God has made a way for a direct pathway between each of us who choose Him and His presence. There is no more going to the priest as a mediator between God and man.
Check out this passage from Hebrews 8 especially the bolded parts.
But the priestly work that has been given to Jesus is much greater than the work that was given to the other priests. In the same way, the new agreement that Jesus brought from God to his people is much greater than the old one. And the new agreement is based on promises of better things.
7 If there had been nothing wrong with the first agreement, here would have been no need for a second agreement. 8 But God found something wrong with his people. He says:
“Look, the time is coming, says the Lord,
when I will make a new agreement
with the people of Israel
and the people of Judah.
9 It will not be like the agreement
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to bring them out of Egypt.
But they broke that agreement,
and I turned away from them, says the Lord.
10 This is the agreement I will make
with the people of Israel at that time, says the Lord.
I will put my teachings in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
11 People will no longer have to teach their neighbors and relatives
to know the Lord,
because all people will know me,
from the least to the most important.
12 I will forgive them for the wicked things they did,
and I will not remember their sins anymore.”
Here's some of what God puts in people's hearts that a good coach can help them discern.
- Whether they should go to college? What they should study?
- Who they should date?
- Whether they should take the new job?
- How they should lean into healing?
- How to walk in healthy relationships and lifestyle?
- Whether to forgive a hurt or call it out? (Both are Biblical by the way...)
- What to focus on next?
God gave us all free will and He wants to meet us at our core. He IS guiding each of us toward the next right steps He has for us.
Are you leaning in and listening to what the Spirit is saying to you? Can you trust that He is speaking to others as well?
People’s thoughts can be like a deep well, but someone with understanding can find the wisdom there. Proverbs 20:5
There is a skill to coaching. Learning Active Listening and how to ask Empowering Questions can make all the difference! At Bridges, we lean into the Coaching ROAD to help people move forward and not get stuck in their personal journey with God.
How about you? How are you doing on your journey? What is your next step?
AND how are doing helping others with their next steps? Have you fallen into the "telling trap" or are you trusting the Holy Spirit in their lives?
Find more on Coach Training and even how to hire Coach here.