Great coaches are passionate
Coaches who love the game are passionate, it comes through in every word and action. This role is about believing in and guiding people as they grow in Christ.
Reflect:
- Am I passionate about this team ministry? Is my passion contagious?
- How does my passion for the Lord and for serving motivate my team?
- How can I help my team serve more passionately?
Great coaches lead by example
Studies have shown that after 36 months a team reflects specific characteristics of its coach. A coach of integrity and excellence has a team reflecting those qualities. A coach who lives in fear and selfishness has a team reflecting those traits. Paul writes, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:11) In all things, even during difficult seasons, live humbly and faithfully and allow others to follow you as you follow Christ.
- Journal. As a coach you are responsible to feed yourself.
- Pray. Model the importance and power of prayer to your team.
- Forgive. Let go of offenses quickly.
- Be real. Share your successes, failures, joys and sorrows because they provide infinite wisdom and encouragement for others.
- Stay excited. Your relationship with Jesus is the most inspiring example you can provide. Fan your gifts into flame (1 Timothy 1.6) and pursue God.
Reflect:
- What example do I set for my team? What should I model more intentionally?
- Do I place pressure on myself to be a “perfect leader?”
- Am I authentic?
Great coaches are organized
Great coaches have a solid game plan. They organize team practices, meetings, schedules, and their personal lives to maintain a healthy rhythm. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. To stay in the race, maintain a sustainable pace.
Coaches manage all components of the Planning Center, including team rosters and assignments. Make sure to learn to use Planning Center effectively.
The Church office supports by: filing, organizing supplies, occasionally placing orders, or communication regarding planned events.
Reflect:
Are there aspects of my leadership that are chaotic and affecting my team? (Scheduling, leadership development, relationship development, setting goals, etc.)
How can I better organize in the area of weakness?
Manage your personal schedule well in the areas of:
- Time with God
- Time with family and friends
- Work responsibilities
- Being part of church (Worship and Connect Groups)
- Hobbies
- Rest
Manage your Dream Team schedule well in the areas of:
- Identify and interview of new members
- Facilitate short huddles
- Observe and give feedback
- Communicate expectations, information, and logistics
- Discuss any issues
- Planning
Great coaches are visionary
As a Dream Team Coach you lead the game and the team with the following principles:
Have a vision. A dream for what the team can achieve and practical steps for accomplishing it.
Share the vision. Write it down, make it clear.
Teach and pray. The Bible is filled with Scripture to motivate and guide the team.
Encourage the wins. Provide practical steps to achieve team goals. Celebrate publicly.
Use personal testimonies. Share the stories that capture the heart of serving.
Hand out vision more than tasks. Every meeting should carry a component of vision.
Prayer. Close every meeting with prayer for points discussed and resolutions, asking for God’s
continued direction.
Reflect:
- Is the vision for serving clear to me? To my leaders? What is one practical step I could take to clarify basic vision to them?
- Is there a gap between my vision for the team and what they actually do? How do I bridge this gap?
Great coaches care
How do we care? Simply, be aware of who and where people are at so we know how to help them grow.
Known their spiritual journey. How did they come to Christ? What are their struggles and greatest victories?
Know their story: What were the turning points in their life? Are they married? Do they enjoy their job?
Know their heart. What brings them joy? What makes them sad? What do they dream about?
“Leadership is not something you do to people, but something you do with people.”
KEN BLANCHARD
Building relationaly is so exciting! Just keep including, empowering, and encouraging. Keep listening, praying, and pointing people to Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
If a Coach is unsure how to care for a challenging team member, talk with the Area Coordinator. If an Area Coordinator is unsure how to handle the situation, talk with the Campus Pastor. There’s someone there to help.
Reflect:
- Who do I need to invest more time in this season? How can I best do this?
- Who seems to be overwhelmed or disconnected? Who is going through a difficult season? How can I lead and love them?
Great coaches are decisive
Confidently make and stick to decisions. Overcome fear to lead with decisiveness. Ask for God’s help to overcome any hindrances.
Reflect:
- Am I hesitant or hasty with decisions? Why?
- How does the team respond to my indecisiveness or impulsiveness?
- Do I allow for feedback from my leaders and team? How?
Application:
When issues arise or decisions need to be made, walk through the following steps:
- Deal with issues in a timely manner.
- Gather all the information to fully process the issue(s).
- Pray for God’s wisdom and revelation.
- Seek guidance from those in authority: Campus Pastors, Area Coordinator, and Staff.
Look now at the events coming up. Are the leaders and team prepared to serve? Is communication and logistics clear?
Look ahead and plan for the coming three to six months. Develop creative strategies.
Great coaches multiply leaders
You are not expected nor able to do ministry alone. As the team grows, the Coach can develop leaders in order to — empower others to serve as a sounding board for decisions and help carry the leadership responsibilities together. These types of coaches will have exponential growth and impact.
APPOINT, EQUIP, AND RELEASE
APPOINT
- Look for potential in people, the skills and passion, even if in the raw form.
- Pray for God’s direction. The Bible teaches us to “never be in a hurry about appointing a church leader.” (1 Timothy 5:22). So don’t be quick to fill empty spots.
- Ask trusted team members for their opinion about the potential individual. Then, get approval from the Area Coordinator before approaching him/her.
- Meet one-on-one to determine their readiness, availability, and capacity to lead. Go over and discuss with them their Personality and Gift Assessment results.
- Continue to ask God to give you eyes to see the possibilities and potential in them.
EQUIP
Equipping people involves intentional training, instructive feedback, and relationship.
Follow these steps:
– You Do It. At first the Coach carries the primary leadership responsibilities until others on the team can be identified and developed.
Ask: Are they interested?
– You Do It — They Watch.
Explain the role and responsibilities, set high standards, and clearly communicate vision. Lead by example.
Ask: Are they still interested? Ready for the next step?
– They Do It —You Watch. Serve alongside them, providing feedback, correction, and encouragement. Train them as they serve. Observe them to see if they are in the right position.
Ask: Are they learning? Is the feedback appropriate?
– They Do It! — By themselves. Only delegate responsibility when they’re able to handle it. Set them up for success! Once released, introduce them to the team, and pray with them for God’s wisdom in serving.
RELEASE
The goal is to empower people to passionately and purposefully serve in God’s Kingdom.
Releasing people to lead might be scary but be confident you have heard from God and have adequately equipped them.
- Give them the role. Once they have proven their character and you have adequately trained them, let them lead.
- Give them space. Do not micromanage their every move, allow for opportunities to succeed and fail. Provide appropriate feedback for both.
- Give them time. It takes time to learn a new role.
- Give them the benefit of the doubt. There is a new level of spiritual warfare and maturity that accompanies their new role.
Great coaches recruit and train
Connect with new people, introduce potential members to the 3-steps to joining the Dream Team.
THREE STEPS TO JOINING THE DREAM TEAM
- APPLY: Complete the Dream Team Application.
- CONNECT: Connect them to the Dream Team Coach.
- TRAIN: Introduce to the trainer and attend a training session.
Coaches oversee Dream Team training by: guiding people through the training processes, teaching them the necessary skills, and releasing them to serve with confidence.
Inspect what you expect. Lay out expectations and implementation steps. Check their effectiveness—Do they serve in alignment with culture, core values, and expectations?
Serve with your team. This helps you stay in touch with team and guest needs.
Give feedback. Offer feedback in connection to their role, and correct promptly and personally.
Correct the team when conflict arises. Issues should be prayerfully and personally addressed.
Help team members address issues with individuals. Help them navigate resolution and be available to participate in the process.
Give Dream Team members an open door of communication. But remember to set healthy boundaries, and kindly communicate those boundaries to your team. Emergencies are an exception.
