Coaching for Christian Leaders by Linda Miller

Reviewed by Keith E. Webb

Linda Miller and Chad Hall have produced a helpful introduction to Christian coaching. The strength of the book lies in its balance of explaining coaching skills, benefits, and uses of coaching in Christian ministry.

The “how to” section of Coaching for Christian Leaders is roughly half the book (70 pages). These chapters introduce 8 basic coaching skills, with Listening and Asking Precise Questions getting the most coverage. The teaching is correct, helpful, and up to professional standards (Miller is an ICF Master Certified Coach working for The Ken Blanchard Companies). However, the book suffers the same fate as so many introductions: There’s not enough “how to” for someone to pick up the book and significantly improved their ability to coach. (The best Christian “how to” coaching book is Leadership Coaching: The Disciplines, Skills, and Heart of a Christian Coach.)

Practical examples throughout the book demonstrate the benefits of coaching in a wide variety of settings and from a variety of helping roles. In fact, the unique contribution that Coaching For Christian Leaders makes is the summary of how to use a coaching approach in different leadership roles (leading, visioning, managing, and shepherding), and in church ministry.

Many authors and readers have trouble translating the formal coach-coachee relationship to a more spontaneous, informal relationship of using coaching skills in everyday interactions. Here Miller and Hall excel. They take the longest chapter (26 pages) to outline coaching in the church. They give a page or two to a coaching approach to:

• Preaching
• Sacraments
• Prayer
• Building Community with One Another
• Spiritual Growth
• Spiritual Friendships
• Ministry Teams
• Service to Those in Need
• Evangelism

The cumulative effect is a beautiful picture of how coaching skills can be used in everyday interactions in the church to empower and draw out the potential of people.

Currently, I’d say Coaching For Christian Leaders is the best introduction to coaching from a Christian perspective, although the subtitle, “A Practical Guide,” is going too far. If you’re looking for a well-rounded book to introduce Christian coaching, this is it.

Dr. Keith E. Webb is a cross-cultural leadership coach helping organizations, teams, and individuals multiply their cross-cultural impact. http://www.CreativeResultsManagement.com. © 2007 Keith E. Webb & CRM