Ministers Sharing and Coaching
Spiritual Renewal for the church today
Ministers Sharing and Coaching
What it is and how it works
Evangelical Working Alliance w ithin the Protestant Church of the Netherlands
What is 'Ministers sharing and coaching'?
By 'sharing and coaching' or 'colleagues work review for ministers' we mean: a didactic method by which ministers learn from each others work problems through the help of colleagues in order to optimise the way they function in their work.
DIDACTIC METHOD
It is a form of learning. That is why the participants come; in order to learn something. It is more intensive than 'telling each other about your work and maybe getting something from it.' This method of learning is defined above and in the following explanation.
MINISTERS
The participants are ministers and so at work in a church. They are therefore all in the same sort of work situation. Because of this, pastoral workers who do ministerial work in a church can also take part. However, it is not a learning method that can be used with students studying theology.
LEARNING
It is therefore aimed at ministers who have already done their training but would like to continue learning in another way and so have chosen this method of sharing and coaching. Whether the participants learn something, or do something with what has been said in the times of sharing and coaching, is up to them. There is no teacher who is going to give his students an exam.
A part of the minister's profession is doing things for others. Here the concern is what he does for himself. He will learn to look critically at how he himself functions; he will receive new ideas, encouragement, stimulation and advice. This doesn't mean that the time spent in sharing and coaching is 'time stolen from the church'. The purpose is to learn to function optimally. If the quality of the work for the church is improved that is to the churches benefit.
LEARNING FROM EACH OTHER'S WORK PROBLEMS
The learning material which will be used is quite simply a concrete aspect of the minister's own work. It is't to do with talking about visions and theories but to do with work in which the person is already involved, was involved or will be involved. He has a question or a problem for which he would like advice from his colleagues in order to get a better view of it, or to learn to manage it better. His description of this is then the 'case-study' that will be discussed during the sharing and coaching meeting. In an EWA sharing and coaching group it is clear that some of the work problems brought could be to do with the evangelical outlook of the minister and his desire for evangelical church growth.
HELP FROM COLLEAGUES
The help that will be offered doesn't come from someone who is an expert, but from colleagues ( who are therefore also working in the church as ministers ). It is a sort of 'self-help group'. It therefore follows that all participants, head for head, are responsible from the start for what happens in the meetings. It needs to be a place where everyone has the chance to learn, whether it be the person sharing or the others taking part.
Even the person in charge of the meeting doesn't function as an external expert. His role is firstly that of a 'link' between the work group and the EWA. After that he is nothing more (or less) than the leader of the discussion. If he wishes he can delegate the whole or part of this to one of the others so that everyone gets the chance to gain experience.
FUNCTIONING BETTER
The goal we are striving for is this: that participants learn to solve their own work problems and therefore function better in their position. Moreover, they will learn how to formulate their work problems, to analyse them and to give advice. Other effects could be: learning how to bring their own work under discussion; an increase in fellowship with other colleagues; more intensive contact with one or more colleagues (for friendship, prayer and encouragement). It is possible there could be other positive effects (pastoral, therapeutic), but these would be only indirect results.
CASE-STUDY
The sharer writes a report over a part of his work, something concrete in which he himself is, was, or will be involved and where he also carries a certain amount of responsibility for the result. This doesn't need to be something to do with church growth plans. It could be a passage out of a sermon or a verbatim account of a pastoral talk; a report (or part of a report) of a church council meeting or a part of a future meeting which he isn't looking forward to; an unavoidable choice that has to be made, etc. The whole thing shouldn't be more than one side of an A4. This helps concentrate the mind on the most essential information and to put it down in a condensed form.
The case-study is sent round to the other participants a week before the meeting so that they have the chance to study it.
THREE ROUNDS OF TALKS
Information
Everyone may ask questions but only in order to clarify what is written in the report. The time for this is limited to five minutes.
Reflection
The group talks for 25 minutes about precisely what has taken place. No judgement is given - it is just an analysis of the facts: what things and emotions played a part? What were the turning points and critical moments? To what extent was the person actively involved or did he become involved against his will? How did it all begin and what followed? The sharer keeps an eye on the time but doesn't actively himself part in the discussion. This may have the result of making him feel alienated at first but at the same time it calls for the necessary distancing from his own work.
Judgement
Has the sharer attained his goal? Did it happen in a positive way? Has he done what he planned to do? Were there other solutions? Other possibilities? Take ten minutes for this. Also during this discussion the sharer does nothing but listen.
REACTION
The sharer can now react (ten minutes). Which points of the analysis and judgement are of use to him? He is the last to react and makes a report after the discussion about what he has learned and/or is planning to do. This is to avoid the possibility that it will all be lost in the busyness of the work that is waiting for a minister immediately he returns from the meeting.
The broad framework of a Sharing and Coaching meeting
Opening
The first time by the co-ordinator, afterwards by taking turns. Possibilities: listening to a Bible word, time of quiet, sharing in the group, prayer by one or more, singing.
Time to share
Things in your personal life or your work which you want to share with others. It is possible that something will be shared that the group would like to pray for.
Short response to the report by the sharer from the last meeting. Questions about this, further information or developments.
Discussion ' in phases ' of the case-study received in advance for this meeting. This will be done in accordance with the above mentioned model. At first the group will work strictly according to the book, in order to get used to the set-up, but later the group could agree together to do it another way.
Closing evaluation
How did it go?
Are there things that anyone didn't like?
Who will send in a case-study next time?
Who will do the opening and closing next time?
What should be done differently next time?
Closing
Whatever else is done here include prayer for the sharer of the case-study and his work problems.
Other Conditions and agreements
We work with a fixed group of participants who put themselves under obligation to attend all the meetings (for instance, once a month between May and October). Be on time!
The sharer sends his case-study to all participants a week in advance. Afterwards he sends everyone a report of how he has profited from the meeting. The case-study should be studied, and the time of sharing prepared for, by all partici
The Evangelical Working Alliance
Within the Protestant Church of the Netherlands
The EWA is a working alliance of ministers and church members, who are members of the Reformed churches or the Evangelical Lutheran church. These are the churches that are involved in the process of becoming one united church; the United Protestant Church of the Netherlands (UPCN).
The EWA wishes to work within the framework of the above mentioned churches. However positive our feelings may be towards the many evangelical believers who are active in inter-church movements, or come together in evangelical churches, we know we are called to seek for openings for evangelical church growth within the framework of our own church.
