Leadership Coaching in Chinese Churches in North America
Leadership Coaching in Chinese Churches in North America
Fanhui Kong | 2020
Abstract
Chinese churches in North America are in a struggle. Week after week, they manage to put up Sunday worship services to maintain the ministry. But many lack a strong vision to unify congregations and filter church programs; church leaders are engaged in frequent power struggles; capable people are reluctant to participate in ministry; and churches lack deliberate, life-shaping discipleship models. In such a setting, believers cannot live out the life of Christ, and churches are detached from their communities. While they claim to bring the gospel to the world, but in reality, churches have lost motivation, leaving many on the brink of closing doors.
This book discusses four essential principles of rebuilding healthy and growing churches to address these very needs within the Chinese church. First, restoring a healthy church starts with clarifying the vision and purposes that motivate people and drive the church ministries. Second, only when people’s souls are touched by the spirit of God in worship, their lives will be transformed, and they can become the vessels in the hands of God.Third, to facilitate spiritual growth requires an understanding of the laws of spiritual development and make proper use of these laws. Finally, only when Christians actively approach people beyond the four walls of their church, they can win the community for Christ.
Applying these simple principles often encounters spiritual, cultural, traditional, and structural obstacles. Enhancing pastoral leadership is crucial to overcome these difficulties and achieve the objectives of the church. In this book, we introduce leadership essentials and the underlying behavioral habits for superior leadership. We suggest coaching as a leadership approach to help pastors and church leaders reevaluate their goals and motivations, re-assess the risks they are willing to take, and the prices they are willing to pay, explore various options that exist and choose the ones that best fit their context. Proper coaching can increase their awareness, facilitate their thinking, support their choices, and keep them accountable. Consider the specific obstacles in each area of Chinese churches, and we provide suggestions on how coaches can assist pastors in fulfilling their God-given calling and achieving the church’s purpose.