Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders : A Practical Guide for Those Who Lead and Shepherd Small Group Leaders

This tested and proven resource has been revised and expanded to include new chapters on shepherding, training, and conducting assimilation events. It is a "go-to" resource for small group coaches who want to lead and shepherd with excellence.

Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders
Copyright © 2006 by Willow Creek Association
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Donahue, Bill.
Coaching life-changing small group leaders : a practical guide for those who lead and shepherd small group leaders / Bill Donahue and Greg
Bowman.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-25179-8
ISBN-10: 0-310-25179-6
1. Christian leadership. 2. Small groups. 3. Church group work. 4. Personal coaching. I. Bowman, Greg. II. Title.
BV652.1.D66 2006
253'.7 — dc22 2005031941
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Part One
A Vision for
Coaching
What is coaching? Why is it so essential to have people
in the church who are willing to
guide and encourage leaders? What does it look like when someone takes on this role and
invests in the life of a leader?
In order to become and build effective coaches in the church, first we need to embrace
a vision for the practice of coaching. It is often a misunderstood role, mistaken by some
to mean “boss” or “fault-finder.” But that’s not coaching, at least not when the spiritual
growth of leaders and church members is at stake. It is different from mere oversight or
supervision. Coaching is personal, developmental, and supportive. Coaches bring out the
best in leaders. So let’s take a few moments to get a clearer picture of what is means to
coach leaders in the church.
John Donahue, Bill’s dad, was in his forties when he became the head swimming
coach of George Washington High School in Philadelphia. For fifteen years, the
teams he coached remained undefeated in league competition. Think about that
for a moment — fifteen undefeated seasons in a row. Obviously he had everything
needed to establish such a winning tradition: years of swimming experience
on a nationally ranked college team, the fastest swimmers in the league, and the
greatest training facilities in the city of Philadelphia. With all of that, one would
expect him to win. Except he didn’t have all of these advantages — actually, he
had none of them.
John was an unlikely swimming coach, and Washington High was an unlikely
place for a swimming dynasty to take root. The team practiced only three days
a week at a rented facility, because that was all the school budget allowed.
The swim team also had the same challenge every scholastic sports program
faced — constant turnover. A successful tradition was hard to establish as experienced
swimmers graduated and were replaced by a cohort of skinny, wideeyed
freshmen who thought the “backstroke” was a massage technique and the
“butterfly” a transformed caterpillar.
New challengers also threatened the tradition of winning. The teams Washington
defeated one year often hired new coaches the next, who were eager to
make their mark. These former college swimmers came to coaching armed with
the latest training techniques and filled with the energy Donahue had twenty
years earlier. The competition had studied his poolside techniques and practice
regimen for one purpose only — to be the first team to defeat Washington High
School in a dual meet. But for fifteen years, no one ever did.
Standing 6' 2" and weighing 265 pounds, Donahue was hardly the prototype
for a championship swimming coach. He was a heavyweight wrestler
in college, and prior to that, he was in the US Navy, where he re-fitted airplane
engines on the USS Hornet. Throughout his entire life, he never swam
competitively. What generated this success in swimming and in other sports
he coached? I believe there were several likely factors — factors that apply to
sports, business, ministry, or any endeavor that requires the development and
support of people.
Consistency: I believe that consistent coaching ensured the same discipline,
values, winning attitude, and solid work ethic throughout those fifteen
years. Donahue developed a rapport with swimmers and an enduring reputation
of almost legendary stature. Students called him John “the Duke”
Donahue, after screen actor John “the Duke” Wayne. New swimmers on the
team gazed at him with awe and respect (as one might do to Penn State football
icon Joe Paterno, or former Indiana basketball legend Bobby Knight).
Love: Though he could be hard on swimmers in practice, demanding their
best and pushing them to their limits, Donahue also had a tender side. The
team knew from the stories that circulated around school that he would do
anything for swimmers or their families in times of need.
There were the cold, rainy winter nights that the Duke took stranded
swimmers home from practice. Or the times when a few dollars for lunch
money helped a struggling student make it through the week. He balanced
a tough, courageous personality with a tender, loving heart. I think that is
why his swimmers were willing to work so hard for him. He loved them,
and they knew it.
Courage: Years before working at Washington, Donahue coached at a troubled
inner-city school in Philadelphia. A large, brawny student — known
fondly as the “Caveman” — jumped the Duke one day in the lunchroom,
knocking him to the ground. Unfortunately, this colossal tyrant had no idea
that the guy he just attacked had recently completed four years in the navy
during World War II, followed by three years of wrestling in the heavyweight
class at Temple University. In a few moments, the Caveman was tied
up in knots, a pain-filled pile of twisted limbs in the arms of the Duke.
Students would later speak of the incident with awe. When word of the
event traveled to Donahue’

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Excerpted from Coaching Life-Changing Small Group Leaders: A Practical Guide for Those Who Lead and Shepherd Small Group Leaders by Bill Donahue, Greg Bowman, Donahue
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