Ministry Coaching Framework

Below we offer a framework for how to receive or give ministry coaching with other Christians at least twice a month. You can use it in one-on-one conversations between two men or two women, as a married couple, or with your adolescent or adult children.

What is the format for ministry coaching?

1. Pray

2. Your Relationships with God and Others (10–15 minutes)

1. Your Relationship with God

  • Personal Spiritual Disciplines: How well are you following your plan for daily Bible reading?* Daily prayer? Occasional fasting? Studying books about the Bible, theology, and/or ministry? [Ideally, start and follow a Bible reading or listening plan that takes you through the entire Bible in a year, which takes 10 to 15 minutes per day. At very least, read two chapters of the New Testament per day.]

  • Putting Away Sin and Pursuing Holiness: What temptations to sin are you currently facing? Are there any sins that you want to confess (including the tendency to overvalue people and things)? What is God teaching you about growing into the likeness of Christ in your desires, thoughts, words, and actions?

  • Personal Trials: What strong emotions (such as anger, sadness, anxiety, shame) are you currently facing? Major decisions? Concerns for loved ones?

2. Your Relationships within Your Biological Family

  • If you are married, how are you helping your spouse to become a Christian or to grow as a Christian? Do you need advice or encouragement in any areas of your marriage?

  • If you are a parent, how are you helping each of your children to become Christians or to grow as Christians? Do you need advice or encouragement in any areas of your parenting?

  • Regarding your other relatives (including parents and in-laws), how are you helping each of them to become Christians or to grow as Christians? Do you need advice or encouragement in this area of your life?

3. Your Relationships within Your Church Family

  • How well are you following your plan to gather regularly with other Christians (both in large and smaller gatherings)?

  • Is there anyone to whom you need to apologize?

  • Anyone you need to encourage, warn, or correct?

3. Evangelizing Non-Christians (10–15 minutes)

  1. Scheduling Evangelistic Appointments: Identify at least three non-Christians with whom you want to read The Path to God aloud. For each person, where and when will you meet for that evangelistic appointment?

    • Person #1:

    • Person #2:

    • Person #3:

    • (Add more as needed)

    Once you share The Path to God with those people, strive to identify the next set of people with whom you want to share the gospel. “Who’s next?” is the question we must ask ourselves for the rest of our lives, because our evangelistic task will continue until Christ returns.

    In addition to scheduling individual appointments, consider inviting groups of people (families, friends, and neighbors) to study The Path to God together as outlined here. For those who want to continue, invite them into your house church or to form a house church of their own under an elder’s guidance.

  2. Reflecting on Evangelistic Appointments: For those evangelistic appointments (or spontaneous gospel presentations) you have had, consider the following questions:

    • What were some of the most significant moments from your appointments (for example, as you helped them understand the nature of repentance)? What did you do well? What would you have done differently? Were there any unexpected challenges or questions that arose, and how did you respond? What feedback, if any, did you receive, and how might it shape your next appointment?

    • Did you schedule a second meeting with each person to review pages 1–5 and study pages 6–8 in detail?

    • Have you invited each of them into Christian community (ideally into a house church)?

    • Are you sensing that God may want you to gather the new Christians together into a house church of their own? If so, how do you plan to proceed?

4. Coaching Christians (10–15 minutes)

  1. Scheduling Coaching Appointments: Identify at least three people for whom you want to serve as their ministry coach. For each person, specify where and when you will go through this ministry coaching framework #’s 1–6) with them at least twice a month.

    • Person #1:

    • Person #2:

    • Person #3:

    • (Add more as needed)

  2. Reflecting on Coaching Appointments: For those coaching appointments you have had, reflect on the following:

    • What challenges are you facing in your coaching relationships?

    • How effectively did you help them plan and reflect on their relationship with God (category #1)?

    • How effectively did you help them plan and reflect on their relationships in their church and family (category #2)?

    • How effectively did you help them plan and reflect on their evangelistic activities (category #3)?

    • How effectively did you help them plan and reflect on their coaching (discipleship) activities (category #4)?

    • Do you have your next meeting scheduled with each of those people?

5. Leading Christians to Start, Strengthen, and Multiply Churches (10–15 minutes)

Even if you’re not the designated “point” leader, use these questions to think through how you can help start, strengthen, and multiply house churches:

1. Vision

  • What vision has God given you to start, strengthen, or multiply a house church?

  • Who will you invite into casting that vision (coaches, core friends) and how will you pray together for unity and guidance?

2. Recruiting

  • Whom in your sphere (friends, relatives, associates, neighbors) has God laid on your heart to invite into your gathering?

  • Which specific next step will you take this week—through a meal or over coffee—to cast that vision?

  • How will you track invitations, responses, and follow‑ups to ensure no one slips through the cracks?

3. Hosting

  • What practical arrangements are needed—space, seating, refreshments, childcare, accessibility—to launch your first meeting?

  • Who can partner with you to share hosting duties (setup, cleanup, logistics) so hospitality doesn’t fall on one person?

  • How will you design each gathering (welcome, breaking bread, teaching and discussion, singing, personal ministry, and prayer) to encourage order and participation?

4. Serving

  • What local need (meal ministry, neighborhood cleanup, elder care) can your new group address together?

  • Who in the group will lead or co‑lead that service project, and what timeline will you set?

5. Multiplying

  • Who shows gifting and passion in your group to lead within your new group? How can you help them lead to a greater extent in your existing church (such as preparing the meals, explaining the Lord’s Supper, or leading a prayer session)?

  • Who might be able to lead or help start a new church in the months to come? How will you coach them to prepare them to launch their own gathering?

6. Evaluating

  • What’s working well? Identify recent wins—new attendees, spiritual breakthroughs, teamwork—and celebrate those with thanksgiving.

  • What’s challenging? Name awkward moments or other obstacles that need solving.

  • What’s next? Agree on one or two action items from the list above before your next session.

Use these prompts each session to cast vision for multiplication—asking not only “How can I lead?” but “How can I help others lead and multiply?”

6. Praying Together (10–15 minutes)

Spend time in prayer: (1) for your own spiritual growth and for one another (including that God would grant you wisdom and boldness), (2) for the non-Christians you are reaching with the gospel, and (3) for the Christians you are coaching.