When Missionaries Need a Coach

By Timothy B. Shorb, Ph.D., CLC

John and Jessica were closing in on the end of their first term of missionary service in a West African
country. Their assignment was that of teaching at an academy for missionaries’ children. Although they
enjoyed using the college training they had received in the field of elementary education, and felt they
were effective in ministering to the children of other western missionaries, they both longed for a
ministry of evangelism and discipleship among young Africans. John and Jessica consulted with their
field leader and field council, but were advised and assured that they were currently serving where they
were best suited and most effective. At a meeting of the field council held shortly before John and
Jessica were to leave for home assignment, the field leaders decided to invite them to return to this
same field for a second term, and again assigned both to the position of elementary teacher at the
academy. John and Jessica were disappointed and perplexed as to what their response should be. Had
God closed the door for them to do youth evangelism and discipleship? Were they misinterpreting the
burden that God seemed to be laying on their hearts? How should they proceed?

Henry is a veteran missionary in South America. He has mastered the Spanish language as well as or
better than most of his coworkers and speaks almost without a foreign accent. The Bible institute where
he teaches is stable, but not growing. The school’s graduates seem to appreciate Henry’s teaching and
preaching and often invite him to preach in their churches on weekends. His supporters at home are
convinced that he is among their most effective missionaries, but Henry is not so sure that is true. He is
restless. Is he really as effective as he ought to be? Is there some other area of missionary ministry that
might be a better fit or more fulfilling for him? The Bible school’s curriculum is by now well
established. Although Henry has lesson review work to do each evening in preparation for the next
day’s classes, he longs for new challenges like those he faced early in his career when he was in charge
of setting up the Bible school’s curriculum. He sometimes wishes he were not cooped up in a classroom
all week. He would rather be out in the field working one-on-one with the young national pastors and
evangelists. Should he consider a change of ministry? With whom could he discuss his issues in
confidence? Would his mission’s leaders understand his heartbeat? Who can help him develop a road
map to his future ministry?

John and Jessica, as well as Henry, are excellent candidates for missionary coaching. Although they can
and should seek advice from their own mission’s leaders, fresh perspective from a third party can often
be helpful and lead to new and clearer insights regarding the leading of the Lord. Since most coaching
is done by telephone, and can even be done by e-mail, these missionaries need not wait until home
assignment to get started—if they can locate a good missionary coach before returning home. They can
then continue the coaching process during their home assignment as long as needed.

Christian Life Coaching

Life Coaching is a rapidly-growing field. A Google internet search using “Life Coaching” as the search
criteria yielded about 34 million hits in February 2009. “Christian Life Coaching” yielded about
808,000 hits.

Is coaching the same as counseling? No, it isn’t. Counseling looks primarily at the past, while coaching
looks to the future. Counseling asks “How did I get to where I am today?” Coaching asks “How can I
get to where I want to be in the future?” Counseling seeks therapeutic answers to problems and crises
in life, while coaching seeks the implementation of tools for greater success in life and the discovery of
a life purpose. Dr. Gary Collins, one of Christian Life Coaching’s pioneers, wrote:
“Christian coaching is the art and practice of guiding a person or group from where they are to
where God wants them to be. Coaching helps people expand their visions, build their
confidence, unlock their potential, increase their skills. And takes practical steps toward their
goals. In summary, coaches guide people from where they are toward the greater competence
and fulfillment they desire. Christian coaches help people reach their God given goals and
potential.” (www.garyrcollins.com/coaching/)

Americans are familiar with how coaches help athletes achieve greater success on the field or in the
gym. Christian life coaches help believers achieve greater success in their Christian life and ministry.
Life coaches do not give their clients all the answers; they help guide the clients to discover the
answers for themselves and then serve as an accountability partner to help assure their clients
experience success. One might make the case that the Prophet Samuel was a spiritual coach for the
early kings of Israel. Elijah coached Elisha. Two excellent examples of Christ coaching His disciples
are found in Matthew 16:13-17 and Mark 10:35-45. The Apostle Paul was coached by Barnabas and
then went on to coach younger men such as Timothy and Titus. Coaching is a biblical discipline.

Missionary Coaching

Missionary Coaching is one of the newer specialties within Christian Life Coaching. A growing
number of Christian life coaches are specializing is coaching pastors, missionaries, and other ministry
professionals. A good missionary coach will have both coaching credentials and experience and
missionary credentials and experience. A coach who has been through the wilderness of cross-cultural
ministry will generally do a better job coaching a missionary on his own pilgrimage through it.
Missionaries considering hiring a coach should look for a certified life coach who has had some
previous overseas missionary experience. I also suggest that you look for things like a written contract
and a formal intake procedure to begin the coach-client relationship. A coach who pays attention to
these kinds of professional details will likely do a better job than a coach who just “wings it.”

John and Jessica have questions that they need to be able to answer before they return overseas for a
second term. The same is true for Henry as he contemplates a change of ministry focus on the mission
field. But their coach will not supply the answers to their questions. Coaches are trained and skilled in
the art of asking the right questions. A good coach helps people discover their own answers. Coaches
assume that the client has the best answers, and that the client will discover those answers with the help
of a coach who is skilled in asking the right questions.

The Four Seasons of Missionary Coaching

There are four seasons in a missionary’s career when missionary coaching can be especially helpful.

Spring

A missionary appointee has begun his pre-field ministries. After just a few months of contacting friends
and pastors, and speaking in churches, he is experiencing self doubts and wondering when and how he
will ever get to the field. He is not reaching his goals for writing letters and calling—if he has any goals
set. He is trying to balance support-raising activities with a part-time job to meet the minimal needs of
his young family. Suddenly the whole responsibility seems so overwhelming. He feels as if he needs
his own personal director of development. Who will help him? The mission board has given him the
tools it believes he needs to be successful, and now it is up to him to use them. It is at this time that a
good missionary coach could come alongside the missionary appointee and steer him in drawing a
roadmap for pre-field ministry success. Although quantifiable data is unavailable to prove that coaching
can and does speed up the fund-raising process, common sense leads one to expect this to be the case,
just as a body builder who is coached is more likely to reach the goals he has set for himself than the
body builder who trains alone.

Summer

John and Jessica are examples of missionaries in the “summer” of their missionary career. They have
been on the field for a few years. They have enjoyed success in their ministry. Their mission’s leaders
have confidence in them and want them to continue with their current assignment. But John and Jessica
believe they would be more effective and would experience greater fulfillment doing a different type of
work. A good coach for John and Jessica is one who respects the authority of their mission leaders and
the leadership of the Holy Spirit, but will listen to their heart and wants to help John and Jessica
navigate through their personal wilderness of decision making and finding the Holy Spirit’s exact best
spot for them in his harvest.

Autumn

Henry is an example of the missionary who has entered the “autumn” season in his missionary career.
After several terms on the field he feels an “itch” to be doing something different. Is it a Holy Spirit-
initiated itch, or is it a personal dissatisfaction with where God has placed him? Perhaps it is mere
boredom. Henry will be helped by a godly coach who practices the vital coaching skills of listening
carefully, asking open-ended questions, and giving feedback. A good coach will help the client hear
God for himself while also increasing the client’s responsibility to obey what God says after hearing
that still small voice.

Winter

Some senior missionaries have never done anything but overseas missionary work. Although they have
come back home for brief furloughs, they feel more at home in their adopted country than they do in
the USA or Canada. Now that their ministry “winter” has arrived, the retiring missionary often asks
himself perplexing questions such as “What will I do now?” “Where can I best fit in?” “How can I
have a productive life in retirement?” “How do I emotionally let go of my former life and
responsibilities?” Good coaching can help the seasoned veteran missionary navigate this last but very
challenging transition.

Practical Matters

Mission leaders should not fear missionary coaching and missionary coaches. Coaching is a trend that
mission leaders should embrace. Coaches will not encourage missionaries to rebel against mission
leadership. They will help missionaries be more productive and better servants of God.
Having coaches work as employees of a mission board to coach the mission’s personnel is not a good
idea. Coaches should be independent, looking in from the outside. The ideal situation exists when
mission boards and independent missionary coaches agree to work together. Mission leaders should
gather a list of coaches to whom they can refer their missionaries with confidence. Both mission
leaders and coaches must respect the strictest confidentiality standards; missionaries must have the
freedom to share anything at all with their coaches.
Coaching fees are generally similar to fees charged by counselors. Paying coaching fees can often be a
challenge for missionaries. Mission boards can help their missionaries by allowing all or a portion of
the coaching fees to be paid from ministry expenses rather than from the missionary’s personal
allowance. In some cases the missionary’s sending church may be willing and happy to help with the
expenses involved in hiring a good coach.

Conclusion

Christian Life Coaching is a relatively new discipline that is helping many believers to reach goals they
would otherwise find difficult to attain. Missionary Coaching has the potential to revolutionize the
ministries of missionaries who have a good idea where they want to be, but need a roadmap to know
how to get there. Mission leaders should embrace this new opportunity for iron to sharpen iron. In the
months and years ahead one can expect to see a rapid growth in the availability of missionary coaches
and in the number of missionaries who seek to be coached.

© Copyright Timothy B. Shorb, 2009

The author has traveled worldwide in missionary work for more than three decades and has touched the
lives of hundreds of missionaries. He began coaching missionaries in 1980 when he assumed the
position of West Africa Regional Director for Child Evangelism Fellowship, Inc., and continued to
develop and coach missionaries in his work for more than 23 years with International Partnership
Ministries.

Dr. Timothy B. Shorb, Certified Life Coach

Christian Counseling & Educational Services
239 York St., Hanover, PA 17331
Office: 717.630.2255
www.ccesonline.com