Coaching: A New Paradigm Empowering Missional Leaders for Ministry in a Changing World

by Steven Lyle Ogne
June 1st, 2005
The title of this dissertation reflects its purpose. First, coaching is a new ministry paradigm. Though it is routinely practiced in sports education and business, coaching is a new paradigm for ministry. Second, we are coaching in a new ministry paradigm. We are
experiencing massive shifts in how we do ministry in a changing world. Third, coaching is the most effective means of empowering missional leaders in a changing world. The dissertation includes four forms of research. Chapter 1 is an extensive literature review of coaching books from sports, business, and ministry. Chapter 5 includes an extensive survey reflecting a diversity of definitions for coaching. Chapter 6
includes biblical and theological reflection on coaching. Finally, chapter 7 is a survey of twenty-five studies demonstrating the effectiveness of coaching in business, education, nonprofits, and ministry.

This dissertation is intended to be a manuscript for a popular book on the ministry of coaching. Our mission is to change the way leaders work with leaders. Leaders will shift from 'supervising to coaching,' 'educating to empowering,' 'telling to listening,' and 'controlling to releasing.' To do so we introduce a whole new holistic paradigm  designed to empower leaders to clarify their call, cultivate their character, create community, and connect with culture. We also provide practical suggestions and tools beyond current coaching resources to aid in the coaching of young and missional leaders. It is our hope that our readers will understand how changing ministry paradigms affect leaders and begin to practice a new coaching paradigm to empower the leaders they serve.