J.R. Briggs
Attempting to behold the miracle long enough without falling asleep
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Kairos Partnerships is growing
In January I officially launched a new initiative called Kairos Partnerships in order to partner with pastors, church planters and leaders during significant moments of their lives and ministries.Last fall I sensed a growing need (and growing opportunity) to walk alongside of pastors and leaders – many who were asking questions about heart issues or were seeking direction and guidance with practical elements of direction and traction. (Here is the announcement made last fall).
It was a significant risk to start this new initiative. As we started, we wondered where things might lead and who God might bring to us through this avenue of opportunity.
By God’s grace, it’s been an incredibly rich – and very busy – first nine months. In fact, there are significantly more pastors and church planters requesting help and guidance than I anticipated. With this reality, I knew something needed to change over the next several months in order to meet the needs of these pastors and leaders.
The truth is, we are in need of adding additional people and resources to the team. After a few months of processing and engaging in discussion with wise individuals, we’ve worked to provide additional help, especially in the area of pastor and church planter coaching. While coaching is just one element of what Kairos Partnerships provides, we’ve experienced the most need in that particular area.
I’m thrilled to announce that we’ve officially added Bob Hyatt as a coach to the Kairos Partnerships team. Bob Hyatt has been coaching church planters since 2009. He brings with him the experience of planting from scratch and pastoring in various size churches in the U.S. and in Europe.I’ve known Bob the past several years and he has become someone who I have grown to trust immensely. His experience is rich and varied – and he is eager to walk alongside of other pastors and share what he’s learned along the way. He and I serve together on the Board of Directors of the Ecclesia Network, a relational network of missional churches scattered around the country. Bob gets the ethos of Kairos Partnerships – which is why this partnership thrills me so much.
Here’s what Bob says about what he brings to the coaching relationship:I offer what I call “content-rich” coaching. That is, within discussions focused on your agenda, I will occasionally step outside a pure coaching role into more of a spiritual director or consultant on issues of church planting, pastoring and surviving the rigors of ministry.
But in general, the role of the coach is to listen, and ask the questions that will help you identify the issues you most need to focus on, find clarity in and feel a sense of purposeful empowerment as you recognize that in the adventure of church planting, God is with you, and success is more about Him working something in your life through the rigors of church planting than it is about many of the metrics we often think of in relation to “success.”
Planting a church can be hard and it can be lonely. Often we feel like we need someone to walk beside us, and help us work through the leadership, pastoral and even spiritual knots that tend to get us tied up. Coaching provides just that. A coach will come alongside you, helping you to clarify what areas you’d like to work on or need help thinking through and helping you define the action steps needed to move forward.
Coaching provides a listening ear, an encouraging voice and a safe place to talk through the challenges, questions and even joys of planting a new community. We’ll work together towards finding answers to the tough questions about your own personal spiritual health, boundaries and balance.
My goal is to build a relationship that not only encourages you in the adventure of church planting, but very much co-operates in what God is doing in your life, your church community and our world in general.
Almost all Kairos coaching is done via phone or Skype. Currently, several coaching relationships exist with pastors/leaders across six different states. Although Bob is on the West Coast, distance has little impact on the coaching relationship itself as technology is utilized as an important tool in the process.
If you are a pastor, church planter or leader and believe purposeful, content-rich coaching would be beneficial, contact me. I would love hear about your journey, answer any questions about what we do and/or share how Kairos might be able to partner with you.
Lastly, adding Bob Hyatt to the team is not the only exciting change coming to Kairos Partnerships. There are more opportunities we are prayerfully processing throughout the fall and discerning where – and when – those should unfold.
Stay tuned this fall for further exciting news. I will share them as they develop.
