May 9, 2008
Pastor Coaching Services
"Many hands, and hearts, and minds generally contribute to anyone's notable achievements."

Walt Disney

Dr. Dan Trathen and his associates provides a high quality, professional assessment and coaching experience for pastors. Due to our years in ministry, the Lord has given us a wide range of experience, allowing us to understand pastors and the demands of church life in unique ways.

In order to help pastors, we seek to assess and develop the whole person - body, soul, and spirit. We encourage them in their spiritual, personal and emotional development. We also encourage growth in their marriage, family, and ministry.


Our Approach

Coaching is a highly interactive and collaborative two-way process. It is goal-oriented and focuses on specific issues. Change is encouraged (where needed) to remove obstacles and build strengths, skills, and coping abilities. Our coaching services are tailored to a pastor's individual needs. We work as a team with mission boards, denominational leaders, local churches, and other resources, as needs arise.

We believe that lasting change occurs over time. Therefore, we maintain regular contact with pastors after their initial assessment and coaching experience. We want to see the Holy Spirit bring about continued growth in all pastors that we coach. We consistently give the Lord praise for His work, and seek to be His obedient servants as we use our gifts for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.


Coaching Services

Dr. Dan Trathen and his associates currently offer three coaching services:
  1. Pastoral candidate assessment
  2. Coaching for pastors who want to maintain a high level of functioning in their ministry and relationships, or are having difficulty adjusting to their church or leadership positions
  3. Coaching for pastors who are considering re-entering the ministry
Candidate Assessment

This evaluates the pastoral candidate in the areas of calling, emotional stability and well-being, family functioning, and adaptability for their proposed position. In order to make a valid and effective evaluation, we use:
  • Personal Information to assess calling, family of origin issues, emotional well-being through the level of personality functioning, marriage, family, and work relationships.

  • Testing to provide objective, relevant information regarding personality and relational functioning.

The information is synthesized to provide a comprehensive and objective evaluation.

Dr. Dan Trathen and his associates do not determine whether a candidate should be accepted or rejected as a pastor. This is the decision of the church or sending agency. We encourage to the candidate to freely share the information that we accumulate with the sending agency.

We point out the candidate's strengths, limitations, and any recommendations we make for their ongoing growth. If requested (and with the written consent of the candidate), the PCS staff will provide a summary of the assessment and recommendations to the appropriate church representative.

Coaching for Pastors

This service can be used for pastors while they are doing well in their ministry, or when they are having difficulty. The pastor is evaluated in the areas of mental and emotional well-being, family functioning, pastoral ministry, stress management, and sending agency/church relationships. From this evaluation, a yearly growth plan is designed to assist the pastor in staying healthy, serving the church from a place of awareness, and personal development.

Coaching for Pastors re-entering Ministry

This service is available for pastors who are in the re-entry phase of their careers. This is one of the most difficult times in the pastor's life, and we are sensitive to the special needs of pastors in this position. We help them to understand themselves and the process, in order to make the many adjustments required for successful re-entry to the church or parachurch ministry. Our ultimate goal is to return the pastor to ministry with greater stability, improved relational skills, increased insight, a positive direction for the future, and greater effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.

The Pastor Coaching Process

Ongoing pastoral coaching consists of five steps:
  1. Assessment and Testing

  2. Professional and Personal Development Plan: This is developed by the Pastor Coaching staff in conjunction with the pastor. This professional and personal development plan is established to provide meaningful structure and accountability. The coach provides the pastor a summary of their overall findings, which includes specific guidelines to improve their overall satisfaction and effectiveness as they work for the Lord. Upon request, and with the written consent of the pastor, a written summary will be provided to both the church representative and to the pastor.

  3. Coaching: This is done in person, by telephone, or e-mail. Change also occurs outside the formal coaching setting. The process includes a variety of homework assignments to assist with change. The PCS staff will provide ideas that the pastor can continue to explore, and suggest ways in which they can grow.

  4. Re-assessment to measure Growth and Change: To encourage continual positive change and accountability, we do a subsequent personality evaluation as determined by the PCS team.

  5. Follow-up: After the initial coaching experience is complete, we provide periodic "booster coaching" sessions for the pastor.

Successful coaching helps the pastor handle stress more effectively, show greater personal awareness, interpersonal insight, and coping skills, and improves marriage and family relationships.

Personality Assessment Tests

The services above include personality assessment tests. These help us understand a person's strengths and limitations. The wise use of testing can provide a wide range of objective information about personal and relational functioning, and overall coping skills, in a relatively short time. It is cost effective and time effective. This approach helps us coach on the most relevant issues. Currently, we use these tests for pastor coaching:
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®)
    This provides an overview of the pastor's personality makeup, preferences, learning styles, strengths and weaknesses, and their functioning in relationships. The insights from the MBTI® are invaluable in helping people better understand themselves, and learn how to communicate with family, other pastors, and the church more effectively.

  • Taylor-Johnson Temperament Analysis (TJTA)
    This indicates the pastor's current level of functioning in several personality areas. It also helps us understand marriage dynamics. The TJTA provides a number of scales that help us understand how a pastor is coping with life, family, and the church.

  • Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)
    This test gives us an in-depth look at the pastor's emotional health, and possible areas of dysfunction. These scales are a great benefit in establishing a pastor's professional/personal development plan. They enable us to give the pastor comprehensive strategies for growth, and help determine whether the pastor may need to be referred for therapy.

  • Millon (MCMI-III)
    This provides an in-depth look at a variety of personality tendencies and patterns. It gives an overview of the pastor's personal character, marriage and parenting relationships, and how they may respond to ministry and the Body of Christ. This evaluation is helpful in establishing a longer term coaching plan or a referral for therapy.

  • Enrich (2000)
    This tool looks at the pastor's marriage, and its strengths and weaknesses. It helps us provide specific and practical suggestions to strengthen the marriage.

Together, these tools provide a comprehensive picture of the individual and their relationships. Additional tools may be used as we determine what best meets our coaching needs, and the needs of the agency or church that referred the pastor.


Financial Policies

We believe that we provide excellent coaching services. Please call us at 303-593-0575 to discuss your specific needs, and to request a cost estimate for Pastoral Coaching Services. (For ongoing coaching services, we cannot provide a final cost until the coaching team has developed a full assessment of the needs.)

Payment is requested at the time of service. As a matter of policy, we also request payment in advance for the follow-up testing that will be done. This is an established part of our program and is a set cost. Insurance companies do not pay benefits for coaching services.

Please contact us with any questions about our financial policies.

We hope this provides you with helpful information regarding our Pastoral Coaching Services. We also hope it provides you with a sense of our heart - to serve the Lord and to be a blessing to pastors.


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