Discipleship Coach - 3 Reasons Why Pastors Need One
Updated: Sep 26
In the year 2003, the fate of British Cycling took a dramatic turn.
Prior to his arrival, the annals of British cycling were marked by a century of mediocrity. From as far back as 1908, British riders had clinched a mere solitary gold medal at the Olympic Games. The Tour de France, a grand event spanning 110 years, had eluded their grasp entirely. One of Europe's premier bike manufacturers had shunned the team, fearing that associating their brand with the Brits would mar their brand's reputation!
Brailsford, however, harbored a radical vision. He introduced a philosophy he dubbed "the aggregation of marginal gains," a relentless pursuit of improvement in every conceivable aspect of cycling.
"The whole principle," Brailsford professed, "came from the idea that if you broke down everything you could think of that goes into riding a bike, and then improve it by 1 percent, you will get a significant increase when you put them all together."
With Brailsford at the helm, a series of seemingly small adjustments began.
They crafted bike seats for optimum comfort
They used a touch of rubbing alcohol on the tires for enhanced grip.
Electrically heated overshorts ensured ideal muscle temperature.
Biofeedback sensors monitored each athlete's response to workouts
Rigorous wind tunnel testing on fabrics
Massage gels were tested for swiftest muscle recovery.
They even brought in a surgeon to educate riders on the art of handwashing, reducing the risk of falling ill.
Every facet of a rider's life was scrutinized. The type of pillow and mattress for a restful night's sleep was discerned. Even the interior of the team truck received attention, painted a stark white to catch stray dust particles that might otherwise compromise the performance of their finely tuned machines.
As these myriad improvements piled up, the results exceeded even the wildest expectations. Merely five years under Brailsford's stewardship, the transformation was astounding.
The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games witnessed British cyclists snatching a staggering 60% of the gold medals on offer.
In the illustrious 2012 London Games, the Brits set nine Olympic records and seven world records, etching their names in the annals of history.
Bradley Wiggins, in 2012, ascended to become the first British cyclist to conquer the Tour de France.
Following in Wiggins' tire tracks, teammate Chris Froome claimed victory in the Tour de France in 2013. His reign persisted, with triumphs in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
The British team clinched an astonishing five Tour de France titles in a span of six years.
From 2007 to 2017, British cyclists left an indelible mark on the world stage, seizing a whopping 178 world championships and 66 Olympic gold medals, cementing their legacy as the most successful era in cycling history.
Quality coaching is the difference between mediocrity and success. It drills down into the relevant actions and habits that create success, and learns how to apply them.
The Power of Coaching
Do you think that coaching could help with discipleship in your church?
Discipleship is a crucial aspect of Christian ministry, but it can be hard to implement in a church setting. Many pastors find it helpful to have a discipleship coach to guide them through the process.
Here are three reasons why pastors should consider finding a discipleship coach:
1. A discipleship coach can provide accountability and support.
Implementing discipleship in a church can be a daunting task, especially for pastors who are already busy with other responsibilities. A discipleship coach can provide the accountability and support that pastors need to stay on track and make progress. They can help pastors:
change their mindset
set realistic goals
take action
track their progress
...and offer encouragement along the way!
2. A discipleship coach can offer expertise and guidance.
Discipleship is a simple process, but requires significant thought and clear communication. A discipleship coach can offer the expertise and guidance that pastors need to navigate the challenges of exerting this influence over discipleship in your church. They can help pastors develop a clear plan for discipleship, identify the best discipleship resources and tools to use, and provide training on key skills such as mentoring and coaching families to start family devotions.
3. A discipleship coach can help pastors avoid common pitfalls.
There are many common pitfalls that pastors can encounter when implementing discipleship in their church. For example, they may have difficulty getting people to participate, or get worn out from constantly promoting discipleship. A discipleship coach can help pastors avoid these pitfalls by offering insights and strategies based on their own experience.
What if, instead of getting stuck at the first obstacle, you saw it coming, and had a plan for overcoming it? That's what coaching does!
Using coaching to create a clear plan
I'm Darrell Stetler II, and I have served for over 2 decades as a pastor. For the first 12+ years, I had no clear plan for discipleship. I did make some disciples (thank God!) but it was sporadic, and I had no clear plan for multiplying disciples.
Been there? Most pastors I know just hate the feeling of having no discipleship plan, or having one they know isn't that great. You know what I mean.
You spend hours preparing and praying over your message.... You want to see new people saved, but you know that when it comes to real DISCIPLESHIP, a weekly sermon JUST WON'T CUT IT... not if the Devil has their ears the other 167 hours a week.
You know that they're going to need real meaningful time with God to counteract all the influence of the world & the flesh.
But how can you get them to really spend time with God?
You're going to need to be intentional and create a clear discipleship pathway. I can show you exactly how to do that with discipleship coaching.
1. You need discipleship coaching to build a clear system.
What if you had a SYSTEM -- something crystal clear, that you could realistically expect a brand new Christian to follow successfully? Something you can plug brand new believers into -- that will
eliminate the guesswork
help them build holy habits
help them understand the Bible
help them learn to pray
and let you focus on being their biggest encourager!
That's what I've been creating at my church, and I want to show you how to do it!
2. You need discipleship coaching to avoid roadblocks.
There are lots of potential roadblocks to getting your discipleship plan implemented. Funding... church boards... the ministry whirlwind... a negative mindset...
You need someone who can help you break discipleship into its component pieces, and create a plan to dodge the pitfalls that can stop your progress.
3. You need discipleship coaching to help you create clear communication.
Get some coaching, so you can figure out how to build a discipleship plan that works.
P.S. If you're one of those super-motivated people who want ALL the info RIGHT NOW, you can do my free 1 hour training right here. Just click the image to register, and you can be on the training in the next 3 minutes:
