When Phil Jackson became coach of the Chicago Bulls his first meeting was with Michael Jordan. Phil shared with Michael his dreams and plans for turning the Bulls into a Championship Team. He said to Michael, "It will only work if you embrace them"... to which Michael Jordan said, “I am with you Phil, you know I have always been coachable.” The rest is history! Michael Jordan, because he was coachable, submitted himself to his coach, to his coach's process and plans. He was willing to be put under the scrutiny of others, so that they could see what he couldn’t. He was willing to trust his coach enough to make the necessary adjustments that would make him (Jordan) one of the world’s greatest basketball players that led one of the greatest champion runs in NBA history.
Over the next few months we are going to examine ten marks of a coachable leader because coaching can only work when there is a coachable person.
1. Coachable people understand the concept of ‘spiritual authority’.
Spiritual authority is the result of one submitting to the authority of Christ in ones life. Every great leader is a strong follower. Spiritual authority is the source of true credibility in leadership. While there are other legitimate means of authority such as, positional, expert, and relational, spiritual authority is foundational to accomplishing the mission of God. Spiritual authority is the direct result of God doing a greater work in the deeper areas of a leader’s life so that they act with courage, faith and conviction in the face of great challenges.
Joshua and Caleb under great opposition acted with courageous faith (Numbers 13-14). They claimed the promises of God for their people (Numbers 13:1). They saw that the hand of God was with them (Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9). They were willing to act by faith and not by sight under the threat of their own lives (Numbers 14:10). And in the end, Joshua and Caleb were the only ones who experienced the blessings and promises of God. They were the only ones to be spiritually empowered to lead God’s people into God’s great cause.
Many a leader has withered away in the wilderness of ineffective ministry because they shrunk back in those critical moments that call for courageous faith.
Many a new church has plateaued because the leaders could not see the hand of God with them and forgot the promises of God as they stumbled in taking the church to the next level of growth and impact.
Many older churches have declined because the leaders are unwilling to confront and deal with the strongholds the enemy is using to suck the spiritual life and power out of the church.
I have been coaching pastors and church planters for nearly 20 years now and I have come to this conclusion: No amount of question asking, motivational cheerleading, truth-telling, grace giving or personally challenges will help a leader experience spiritual authority. As Robert Clinton wrote, “Spiritual authority is delegated by God.”
Coaching can set the atmosphere or awareness for the need of spiritual authority but spiritual authority will only occur when the leader practices obedient faith at critical moments in their ministry life. Robert Clinton calls this a faith challenge. He writes, “God’s call to a leader to increase his or her faith in ministry is one of the strongest challenges a leader will face. Faith challenges almost always stretch one beyond his present understanding. The faith challenge refers to those instances in ministry when a leader is challenged by God to take steps of faith in ministry and see God reward those steps with divine affirmation and ministry achievement. God’s faithfulness increases the leader’s capacity to trust Him in future ministry.” (The Making of a Leader)
Leaders who possess spiritual authority are leaders who live by faith and not sight (II Corinthians 6:6-10). These types of leaders come to the coaching relationship with openness not suspicion, with hope and not hesitancy, with readiness to be empowered by God and not simply receive tactical advice.
Reflective Questions
- What were the key faith moments you experienced early in your relationship with Christ?
- What have been the key faith challenges you have addressed in your current ministry?
- What are the key faith challenges you are experiencing today in your ministry?
- What evidence is there in your life that you are experiencing spiritual authority?
- How does a leader or a church recover from a faith setback?
- Where does a leader or a church find help in dealing with a faith challenge?
Next Time: Coachable people are action oriented.
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