The rise of the coach

What is a pastor? What comes to mind when I ask the question?

Is he the cuddly, softly-spoken grandpa who will pop in for a cup of tea and eat a few too many biscuits?

Is it the person who’s first on the scene when tragedy hits (but isn’t really required for normal life)?

In some contexts, it’s the exalted leader of the church community - the one who speaks to us the words of God from a distance. It’s a terrifying thought that he would maybe come to visit our house and want to talk to us directly.

Your view of pastor is probably shaped by the culture you are in, and it’s vastly different in different places.

So what does the bible have to say about this strange role of ‘pastor’?

The literal translation of this word from Greek is ‘shepherd’. A guiding presence who leads a community towards good places to find food, who watches out for those who are lagging behind or going astray, and whose job it is to protect and ensure the flock grows towards maturity.



For many of us, ‘shepherd’ is a slightly ancient or foreign concept. Perhaps it’s my (brief and fairly unspectacular) sporting history, but I like the term ‘coach’. This is the person that thinks about the development of others. Their sole job is to see the talent that may be hidden in a person and bring out the best in them, and help them to fit into the bigger team, with a bigger goal in mind.

This idea of ‘coach’ has become a model for me in my training in Mobilise Global. I’m happy to teach a big crowd, but really I’m looking for the one. One who is hungry to learn. One who has got a heart to teach others what they have been learning. One who is motivated to be part of something bigger than themselves. These are the ones that I love to spend my best time and energy with.



Jesus, of course, is the ultimate coach. He seeks us out and rescues us from our isolation and rebellion. He bestows dignity on us, and calls out the gifts and abilities that we never knew we had. He puts us in a community that we can serve and enjoy, and he gives us a bigger purpose to give our lives for.

Don’t we all need a coach in our lives?