Helping someone without having the answer.

I attended the Coaching workshop for Christian Leaders in August 2018. Richard facilitated the learning effectively.

Workshop participants came from different countries in Asia and served in different ministries. They shared their experiences and, through them, I gained different perspectives on how coaching can help church leaders to work with volunteers and co-workers.

I benefited greatly from the coaching exercises during the three-day workshop. During the initial practise session, I struggled with the habit of problem-solving: I tried to solve the issue shared by the coachee. Later, I was reminded to switch to a coaching hat and not try to solve the problem. I started to ask powerful questions and listen attentively to the coachee. At the end of the session, I felt so empowered to be able to help the coachee gain new perspectives and a shift in mindset.

My key takeaways from the workshop were: trust the coaching process, let the Holy Spirit guide me, and coach the person to solve his/her own problem instead of solving it for him/her.

I have started using the COACH model to coach others in my Sunday School ministry. I would encourage Christian leaders to attend this workshop and learn to coach, so that they may have a useful tool to help them be effective in their ministries.