Coaching and Mentoring

Most leaders can and will benefit from having both coaches and mentors in their life and ministry.

Both relationships (mentoring and coaching) can and do use powerful questions and listening skills to achieve results. Both involve compatibility because they are relational at their core.

COACHING

Coaching is partnering with others in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to deepen his or her relationship with God. Coaching is an opportunity for a person to explore and embrace the change he or she desires to see happen. It is best suited to those who are highly motivated to experience personal transformation.

A coach uses a variety of assessment tools to evaluate a person's overall giftedness in order to identify not only gifts, graces but growing edges that may be inhibiting a person's ability to become the person God has intended them to be. 

A coach is trained to come alongside individuals in order to accurately assess their gifts and graces and help form an action plan for growth and development - helping the person find their natural style.

A coach utilizes basic techniques: active listening, powerful questions and designing actions.

MENTORING

Mentoring, on the other hand tends to function more as a facilitator through life than the wise advice dispenser. It is going from the “Sage on the stage to the Guide on the side.” (Ref: Zachary, Lois J. The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, Second edition. Wiley, 2011 Page 3)

There are a wide range of relationships that qualify as a mentoring relationship (including older, younger, cross-gender, cross-cultural, and even biographical and historical). Depending on what you need to learn or where you might be on your journey.

The bottom line is that a mentor relationship is generally more helpful to learn new skills and correct unhelpful habits/attitudes through the giving of advice and coaching is generally more helpful for growth and development of what God has placed inside of you by helping you to see it for yourself.

GROUP COACHING

We can also help you set up Group Coaching with your small group or church. In the Article by Jennifer Britton, What is Group Coaching (March 29, 2013), she describes Group Coaching as:

“Group coaching clients benefit from the peer learning with others, commonly referred to as the collective wisdom of the group. This peer learning is often as important as the interaction with the coach. Many clients find the process "less on the spot", giving them more time to reflect and integrate their insights.” 

 “It is an intimate conversation space, focused on goal setting, deepening awareness around key issues, taking action, and accountability.”

If you, your small group, or Church think that you may benefit from Individual or Group Coaching, please let us know. We can help assess what is going on and recommend Coaches or Mentors that can help walk you through the situation.

For more information, contact Rev. Dr. Jason Zebert at jzebert@mississippi-umc.org or 769-243-7073.