Gold Expedition: Kingdom Edition
Last week the book entitled Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching by Tom Camacho was introduced as a summer reading in our doctoral program, and this book is a gold mine. For an individual in any leadership or coaching capacity, this book is a must-read. Since this blog is not to provide a summarization of the book, it will highlight some of the key takeaways.
Camacho suggests “thriving kingdom leaders are like pure gold”[1] and “we are called as leaders to mine for the gold in others, cooperate with God as He refines that gold and then help them invest that gold in the kingdom.”[2]
Kingdom Minded Mining
Further intrigued by this concept of mining for gold in leadership/coaching, the decision to do word research on the term to mine for a better understanding was conducted. What was discovered is the definition of the term“to mine is to dig into the earth for the purpose of extracting ores or other valuable minerals.”[3] However, with Camacho’s book Mining for Gold in mind, for kingdom leadership, the definition of “to mine” takes on an entirely new meaning. In this aspect, “to mine” translates to dig into or to excavate the potential of those around us for the purpose of extracting hidden gifts and abilities for the kingdom leadership (kingdom gold). Now, this is a definition in which provides clarity and reinforcement to help others find the gold within in themselves.
The Gold Expedition
Now reflecting on the past 14 years of ministry, the revelation of mining for gold from this book’s 
words reign true. Before taken an official title of ministry leadership, there were always occasions in the secular sector in which the opportunity presented itself to empower others to reach their hidden potential. In fact, one of my favorite mottos from my non-profit creative arts organization is “The world is full of people with talent and potential but, it is to those with an eye and a vision to take that talent and potential from ordinary to extraordinary. That is my mission.” Even now, it is surprising that once I entered into ministry leadership, this motto remained at the center of my core and help an array of leaders currently serving in ministry as children’s pastors, youth pastors, worship leaders, and women ministry leaders.
One young leader stands out in particular while reading this book; her name is Nicole. Nicole entered my life while I was a worship leader at Christian Life Center (CLC) in Fort Lauderdale. She was a very talented singer in a choir of at least 100 people. She was a hidden gem in a sea of people, who stayed in the background, in the crowd and did not see she had more inside of her. She knew she was called to music ministry, but we knew she had so much more. Thus, we began a friendship, walk through life together, and my husband and I would challenge her to look towards the deeper calling God had on her life. Though she would sometimes not see what we saw, we continued to push her with the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Once I began to teach growth groups on Sunday mornings, I would have her and some other young ladies to take turns with prayer, then with take part in teaching lessons while I was away. It was a stretching season for her, and sometimes the season became hard with life and ministry, but we keep steering her back to the focus which was God’s plan for her. As the years have passed, Nicole is now seeing herself as a mentor to other young ladies and guiding them as we guided her. She is an intercessor, worship leader, and mentor. There is still more on the horizon for Nicole, but for now, God is doing a mighty work in and through her life.
Nicole is only one example of many we encountered while at CLC, however, if you glance slowly through the crowd, you may encounter several deposits on gold waiting to be unearthed.
The Mining Prospects
Mining for gold in leadership/coaching is not a simple task; it takes diligence, patience, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, here are four key concepts from Camacho’s book to keep at the forefront of the process.[4]
- Gold is Everywhere. Potential leaders are all around
you, waiting for someone to help them become who God created them to be. - Open Your Eyes to See It. To identify the true potential God has placed in leaders, we need to see them through the eyes of the Spirit
- Learn the Skills to Draw it Out. We must commit ourselves and put in the hard work to learn the skills of Coaching Leadership, increasing our competency in developing leaders.
- Develop Others Continuously. Leader development must remain a high priority for us
The Invitation
The Church is luxuriant ground to excavate a treasure trove of people with the hidden potential for kingdom leadership. Some people know they have a leadership calling and the desire to lead but are either hesitant due to fear unsure of how to walk in that calling. Some people are
unaware that they possess leadership abilities, yet other leaders see the potential within them. Some have been leaders before and have chosen to retreat to the background. However, “God is inviting us to join Him in this exciting and important effort” [5] to build kingdom leaders. “He wants to use us to raise up leaders in our local context. He does the work. He is the Refiner of gold and silver. We are simply invited to cooperate with Him in this critical kingdom task”.[6]
[1] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching (UK: IVP, 2019), 3.
[2] Ibid. 5
[3] Gold Mining Terms Glossary – Gold Bug Park, https://www.goldbugpark.org/visitor-info/gold-mining-terms-glossary/ (accessed June 20, 2019).
[4] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching (UK: IVP, 2019), 5-6.
[5] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching (UK: IVP, 2019), 4.
[6] Ibid.
About the Author
Shermika Harvey
2 responses to “Gold Expedition: Kingdom Edition”
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Thank you Shermika for sharing on this great book on coaching and gold mining in leadership. It is true this is a great book that one would be referring to every now and then as far as leadership is a concern. It is also true that searching for gold is not an easy job hence it is a challenge to discover the gold in people for better leadership. But Camacho speaks of the guidance of the Holy Spirit in coaching and discovering the hidden treasure in people who are good leaders through coaching.
Shermika, identifying potential in others and allowing oneself to be used of God to develop such potential is a key hallmark of a good leader. You have highlighted a key insight that Camacho also highlights on the need for the leaders to open their eyes to see the gold in others and allow God to refine this gold in the leaders you identify. It is key to rely on the Holy spirit to effectively mine the gold and allow Him to refine this gold to produce thriving leaders.