Christian Coaching FAQ | Answers about Professional Life Coaching

Have a question about coaching? Here's some expert advice, plus the resources we recommend to meet your need:

1. I want to study coaching on my own. What are the best resources for learning the basics of Christian coaching?

It's tough to learn coaching from a book alone. Listening to skilled coaches on audio CDs or DVDs makes a big difference in how well you pick up the fundamentals of coaching. Practice is huge as well. If you can find a coaching buddy to learn with you and practice on each other, you'll be way ahead of learning on yourown.

So start with one of our recommended coaching how-to books, then pick up some audio discs from our training CDs page, like Leadership Coaching Live! or The Master Coach Series.

If you want something more structured, try the Peer Coaching Independent Study. This package for you and a coaching buddy includes two workbooks, a DVD set and an 8-week self-study schedule. The book Coaching Questions also includes a basic and advanced independent study schedule using the exercises in the book.

2. How do I figure out what the right coach training school is for me? There are so many options!

First, check out this article (in the sidebar) on how to pick a coach training school. Then you can do a lot of research on the internet, or just pick up The Complete Guide to Christian Coach Training. This e-book reviews all the well-known Christian coach training schools and helps you make a decision about which one is the best fit for you.

3. I'm a coach, and I want to train others in my church in coaching skills. Where do I start?

The place to start is with your pastor. It's usually tough to do something of lasting impact in a local church if the pastor isn't really on board. If he or she is unfamiliar with coaching, one great strategy is to offer some free coaching to a staff person or a key lay leader. If someone else really benefits from working with you, a leader will pay mroe attention. The book we recommend for introducing coaching to your pastor is Christ-Centered Coaching -- it is about the benefits of coaching for ministry leaders. For more strategies on bringing coaching to your church, read this article.

If you are looking for training resources, check out the turn-key coach training courses we carry. If you are confident in your ability to model coaching skills, try an open-source course like Getting Started in Leadership Coaching. If you'd prefer someone else to do the heavy lifting, try a DVD-based course like Peer Coach Training or Leadership Coaching: Developing Discipling Leaders. All of these courses include resources to help you recruit and set up the logistics of your training as well as for doing the actual sessions.

4. Our organization needs trained coaches, but sending everyone through a certification program is either too expensive or it's overkill. What other options are there to bring training to our organization?

A number of the coach training schools offer shorter programs that don't result in a coaching certification but don't cost as much or take as long, either. Some of them even let you upgrade to a certification later. Another option is workshop or tele-class-based coaching skills training. Many coaches offer short courses that introduce the coaching basics which can be done in person or over the phone.

If you would like to do your own formal training, consider Coach22's Open Source Coach Training program. These are inexpensive, royalty-free, professional-level training courses you can freely use and modify to fit your organization's needs. They include facilitator outlines, promotional materials, PowerPoints and more. The four modular levels currently available add up to over 100 hours of coach training!

5. I've been coaching for a while, but I want to take my skills to another level. How can I become a better coach?

One great way is simply to trade coaching with another skilled coach. You'll learn new questions and techniques while you get coaching for yourself--for free!

Most of the coaching booksout there in the Christian Marketare introductions to coaching, so they cover the same ground, albeit with a different twist. One option tolearn more is to study a niche area in coaching, like career coaching or relationship coaching. See our Coaching Specialties section (in the menu bar) for ideas of niches you could explore. Here are a few advanced Christian coaching resources targeted at practicing coaches:

Coaching Transitions CDs - how God uses Transition to grow leaders. Teaching and demo.
Coaching Visionaries CD - techniques for working with visionary leaders.
Coaching Questions: A Coach's Guide to Powerful Asking Skills
Stages in Calling CD: How life purpose must be coached differently in each stage of life.

6. I'd like to take a group of people through a destiny discovery process. Are there any ready-made resources I could use instead of creating my own?

Blueprint for life | coaching life purpose tool One good option is Blueprint for Life. While not a coaching product per se, it can easily be adapted by coaches. The great advantages of using Blueprint are the big-name speakers on the CDs, the quality packaging and the value of everything that comes in the box. Using a quality product endorsed by well-known leaders makes it easier to get your foot in the door and do it in a local church setting.

A Leader's Life Purpose Workbook contains 60 destiny discovery exercises and a self-study schedule for using the book. Coach22 is planning to release a set of workshop outlines in late 2009 for taking groups through discovering their life purpose using a coaching approach.

7. Our small group system uses coaching, and we need help! How can w

e be more effective?

Try this article on discipleship groups, this one on how to set up successful unpaid coaching relationships, or this article on why small group coaching systems fail for a start.

Our Small Group Coaching page has some great resources for your coaching system. If you need help designing a structure, try Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders from Willow Creek. Touch USA recommends Leadership Coaching as a basic coaching how-to book (their title, A Pocket Guide to Coaching Small Groups makes a great gift for all your leaders and coaches at only $5 a pop). Or get a set of coach training audio CDs and pass them around -- people enjoy using their drive time to learn a new coaching skill.

8. Do you ship internationally? And how do I get the best shipping price?

Check out or International Ordering Page to find out who you can get the coaching books you want and get the best deal on shipping.
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See more recommendations on our Coaching Book Reviews page.