(besides vacation!)
I have a coach! A clergy coach! And I am thrilled.
My boss made it pretty clear that he didn't want to have to do a lot of mentoring when he hired me. And we have enough differences in temperament and work style that it wouldn't have a great fit anyway. And although the diocese gives newly ordained clergy mentors, mine really didn't work out. And all my attempts to develop a support system have gone bust for a variety of reasons.
But there is a retired priest in our parish who does clergy coaching. He's really good, and he's unofficially been offering me lots of support for the last 6-8 months. And he offered to coach me for a vastly reduced fee. I alreadly know we work well together. So when I get back from vacation I'll have regular monthly coaching sessions, and he'll be "on-call" for me when I need to talk something over. I am so grateful to have this opportunity. Too much of what I have learned here has been couched in the negative (like, "I know I don't want to do it THAT way.") I want to focus on strengths for a change, on learning to be more effective as a preacher and as a pastor. I want to be ready for the next thing, whatever it may be.
4 comments:
That sounds great. Having a mentor who's a good fit for you can be so important.
Can you ask him about the whole baptism thing? :)
How interesting. I hadn't known there was such a thing as a clergy coach, although as soon as I read it I thought, "That makes sense." And it sounds like it's already a good relationship, which is a great start to the coaching. Something to look forward to when you return from vacation.
love that term too "A clergy coach!"
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