So... lately I've been thinking about the possibility of looking further into this coaching thing. I recently received my Certificate in Christian Leadership Coaching through Coach Approach Ministries, and it seems like a bit of a waste to not put it to some kind of use. Of course, if you know me, you know that I immediately started to question whether I could do such a thing, or why anyone would ask ME for coaching - let alone pay me for it! So... I've just been thinking about it.
One consideration would be my past and present online presence. Ooof... have you read some of the things I've written online??? Good God! Who is this guy (me)? So I might need to clean some things up around here; probably start a whole new blog; maybe even get rid of this one entirely; and... you know, I'd have to be a lot more serious about stuff I publish. I think I 'could' do it... the question is... do I WANT to? Although, I guess the other side is... But this is who I am, and that's how some people like me to be. So... I dunno.
I was also thinking about how I would advertise myself. Yes, I would be doing this as a job - not a form of discipleship (ok, Bill?). So I wondered, what do I have to offer people; why would anyone be interested in coming to me for coaching? Well, I do have a wide and varied background in a lot of areas (factory work, music, sports, professional), I have a BA in Religious Studies from Findlay U., a Diploma in Pastoral Ministry from Winebrenner Seminary, I spent 14 years as a Sr. Pastor doing actual church work, and then there's the certificate I just received. It doesn't look too awful bad on paper does it?
However, I'm still not sure how I would advertise or what I would call myself (notice I am going to great lengths to keep from using the word 'market'!). Would I coach only church leaders? Would it be only for Christians? Would it be ministry-specific? Could I be more like a life coach? ...I don't know.
I don't know enough about life-coaching to know if I could go that route, but I don't know that I would be comfortable limiting it to just church leaders. So that's why I'm wondering about just saying: Dan Horwedel, Personal Coach. Eh... that sounds weird, but really, maybe it's better to not limit it in any way.
I like what my teacher/friend Brian has done with his Coaching Clarity site. I would like to do something similar, and would undoubtedly steal as much from him as I could, but I am also quite different from Brian. He is much smarter than I am, but we also have different niches, and I wouldn't necessarily be interested in training others to coach. My interests are different.
I have also been considering the Renovare Institute. It's a 2-year school of Christian Spiritual Formation. That is a definite area of interest for me (spiritual formation). I believe it would not only better me as a coach, but I am just personally interested for my own growth. I know it's online, but I don't know yet about costs and time-commitments and whatnot. It's a possibility.
So, there you have it. I'm not at the point of quitting my day job. In fact, it's probably something I would always do in addition to my day job. I just feel like there's something more I could/should be doing. We'll see.
4 comments:
I think this blog is your reality show, except that it's real, unlike most reality shows. Your willingness to put it "out there" for others facing the human condition to see, identify with and realize, as you so concisely put it, that they are not alone, is an inspiration that can't be imparted in church. You recorded your raw thoughts in real time, as you were experiencing them and reacting to them, not in level-headed, authors-remorse hindsight. This blog should be on your list of achievements, a truly human collection of work. It may be at too low of a level, too granular to be referenced in your coaching, but who knows where the coaching will go. It might go from someone thinking of starting a business to someone thinking of killing themselves and paying you talk them out of it. In a word, this is REAL.
And that's a good segue into my suggestion for your coaching "mode". I don't want to say you should AVOID coaching clergy and churchgoers, but faith is at such a high level. When someone is about to teach me something, I tell them not to worry about what I already know and feel free to talk down to me like I'm three years old, just so long as I understand it. I think the expectation that faith is something that will help might be an assumption, whereas a lot of people are wont to admit it collapsed with everything else. I say don't make them lie to you. Maybe leave it out and see if they bring it up. You might even challenge them when they do to see if it holds up.
The other reason to keep the blog is that, as humans, our demons can be circular. Winston Churchill's "doomed to repeat it" or Proverbs dog to the vomit, fool to the folly. It would be a shame to have written your own Owner's Manual, then not keep it as reference.
As far as your question to me is concerned, I, for myself, have made the decision that my job would be an act of discipleship and one in which I would engage in disciplining.
I'm a sort of tentmaker. I don't pastor a church, nor will I start one, as the current use of the word entails in the Christendom church world.
If you try to make a living as a coach, I guess that's fine with me but understand that all you do as a disciple has to be small d discipleship.
Bill, I included the question to you as a bit of chiding. Sorry, I should have explained further.
You have previously questioned the relevance of coaching, asking "where in the Word is that?" It sounded a bit like, "You shouldn't be doing it because coaching is not biblical." That is confusing to me, because I wouldn't think bagging groceries to be biblical either. So why is one okay, but not the other?
I did, however, misspeak when I said it would not be discipleship (in this post). Like you, I believe it is, or can be, a part of anything and everything we do.
So hopefully you didn't take it too seriously. Just having some fun. Peace, my friend.
I actually did catch the chiding element.
As you probably know, I receive no compensation for anything I do when I do it directly for the benefit of the Kingdom. Were I to go into coaching--well I doubt I would so I can't speculate.
I do think that ten years from now we will think of Christian coaching as yet other fad endorsed by the Shepherd Mafia that has fizzled.
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