A "10th Anniversary Updated Edition" of TransforMissional Coaching is now available! Click on the links for the Kindle and Paperback versions for more information.
How would you like to be able to come alongside and empower anyone, anywhere, anytime about anything? In the context of our greatly changing world, ministry experts and veteran practioners Dr. Steve Ogne and Dr. Tim Roehl have coined the phrase " transformissional " to define the unique type of inspired coaching they offer to spiritual leaders in need of fresh direction. "The path that the Lord of the Harvest has designed sometimes takes us beyond our comfort zone and off the map of our experience," they write. " We'll help you understand how coaching helps leaders get traction and make progress in personal growth and ministry productivity. We'll also help you become an effective coach so no matter where you find yourself--from church buildings to coffee shops to places you've never gone before--you can come alongside to help others live out their call and make a difference in their world."
"There are many gems in this book for those who coach pastors, church planters or missionaries. The strength of this book comes from years of coming alongside missional leaders. I have been on the receiving end of Steve Ogne's coaching ability and I know from experience how astute he is at drawing out the strength of the one he is coaching." - Neil Cole , director of Church Multiplication Associates and author of Organic Church
"Missional life and leadership remain docile concepts until someone is moved to action. Deconstructing failure without a way forward is nothing but hot air. Transformissional coaching is the difference. Author Steve Ogne isn't only a proven coach to coaches. He's my coach and has learned the secret of enlarging one's vision while centering leaders in reality . . . the reality of a world desperate for a new kind of leader and new kind of church." - Hugh Halter , coauthor of The Tangible Kingdom and director of Missio"Some books are written from an author's knowledge, and others come from the author's life calling, giftedness, experience and soul. This fits the latter. I've watched Tim and Steve live their book, and it is a delight to see how it reads like coaching on paper, about coaching, from two coaches. If you read TransforMissional Coaching in a quiet place, you can almost hear their voices encouraging you. It doesn't get any more real than this." - Brad Smith , president, Bakke Graduate University "There are few men that I consider both experts and friends. Steve Ogne and Tim Roehl fit that bill, and they are worth heeding. I was blessed with good mentors-but TransforMissional Coaching will help me (and you) be intentional, biblical, and strategic in our coaching relationships." - Ed Stetzer , Author, Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College
I've been interested in reading up on coaching and this book is an uneven offering. The authors write from the perspective of coaching church planters and often write as if the reader is also going to be coaching leaders in such a capacity. At the same time, knowing there is a limited audience for such books, the writing also tries to work for those coaching other sorts of leaders. So if you are someone like me, who works with a leadership team in some ministry, people who have fulltime jobs (or in my case in campus ministry, are full times students) and who volunteer, this book does have good insights to offer. But it could have been much more focused.
Also, the writing style is very text-bookish with lots of lists and highlighted points. Given, this made it very easy to skim and also makes it easy to return to as a resource. At the same time, I found myself reading the highlighted points, maybe the next sentence and moving on.
It was also funny to read a book that clearly was trying to be cutting edge in...2007. At one point the authors talk about making notes on their "Treos" and I have no idea what that is. And they talk about "postmodern" a lot but don't really define it too much other than to compare it with "modern" which they also don't define. Well, they do contrast seeker-sensitive churches with missional churches and write as if pastors sitting in coffee-shops rather than church offices are somehow breaking new ground. I guess since I'm writing this in a coffee shop, a donut-shop that serves coffee to be exact, makes me postmodern? Anyway, the point is, the book is already a bit dated.
All that said, this book is helpful and I am glad I read it. I can see myself returning to it in the future for insights on coaching my leadership team.
This book might more appropriately be titled "TransforMissional Leadership." It is telling that neither author lists a credential in coaching and, in fact, present more of a mentoring or consulting relationship in most of what they write here. That is not to say there is not value to reading this book. From a strictly coaching perspective their emphasis on listening and good questions is most helpful.
For those interested in developing leaders in ministry, this book is for you. These two church planting coaches team up to give both a philosophical approach and a practical usage of coaching leaders.