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I've seen clergy friends and their churches get taken advantage of, so here's a short PSA. Before you hire a clergy coach, do a little due-diligence. Ask some key questions to determine whether that person should even be coaching, let alone coaching you. 1/?
First, when was the last time they pastored a church? I personally would not work with a coach who was not also currently a pastor to a congregation. This is especially true in the time of COVID, but is a good standard in any situation. 2/?
Second, find out how they left their last pastorate. No transition is perfect but did they leave because they were called elsewhere? Or, were they shown the door? There's a lot of reasons a pastor can be pushed out, but there's often a story you want to fully understand first. 3/
Third, have they done their own work? What kind of training have they had? Have they done CPE? Like, ideally more than one unit? Do they go to therapy? Have they learned not to be abusive? What's their support system like? Do they have a coach? 4/?
Fourth, are they setting up shop as a coach because they can't find another ministry call? Yes, I've seen this. I'll spare you the details. 5/?
Fifth, are they truly an effective pastor? Or, do they just have a good social media presence? I've watched pastors present themselves as experts while their own parishes were imploding. Do a little research. Ask friends. In non-COVID times, go to a service. 6/?
It's okay to ask questions like "What's your average attendance?" instead of "What's your membership?" I've met pastors of churches with 500 people on the rolls but get less than 100 people on Sundays. There's nothing wrong with a small church, but be honest. 7/?
Sixth, understand how they approach organizational leadership. Churches can learn a lot from other fields, but at the end of the day don't pay for a coach who just read a few books from a business school and now thinks they have it all figured out. 8/?
Seven, beware of any coach who tries to give you a cookie-cutter approach to transforming your church. No one knows how to pastor your church better than you do. You know the people, the community, and the history. You need someone who can listen and help you discern actions. 9/?
Eight, and most important, do they know what they believe? Do they pray? Do they cultivate a relationship with God? Do they admit mistakes and seek to change? Do they have the sort of positive humility that every good pastor must have? If not...keep looking. 10/11
These are just a few quick ideas. You might have more to add. But, pastors and churches, your time and money are valuable. I don't want to see any more of my friends get taken in by flashy websites and promises to fix their church.
