We Need Barnabas!
I enjoyed reading Tom Comacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders. [1] However Dr. Clark challenged to not hold back anymore, “to have more confidence with my anointing and prophetic gifting, for some reason I seem to hold back” I gave him some lame excuses and blamed some things on Covid and how I don’t want to be relational or go into discussions that lead to division. After I replied and through reflecting, I should have just said to Dr. Clark, thank you pointing this out to me, I will work on this. So here is my voice through my learning and experience.
I found his book easy to read and sound. Camacho reminds me of my spiritual father and many pastors of his generation. I can see how Comacho’s work on the Redemptive gifts heavily influenced his writing of Mining for Gold. In my previous Foursquare training, I would classify this book as #4, how an Exhorter gifting of the Redemptive Gifts (Romans 12) ministry or coaching style would like.
Over the past couple years we have seen Enneagram personality test become very popular. Many Christian leaders and universities have adopted the Enneagram personality traits for leadership. In Tom Comacho’s Mining for Gold’ book we see he uses research on the Redemptive gifts, especially in coaching with the Exhorter gifting. As we learn through the Redemptive Gifts most coaches, counselors or Exhorter gifts, or the gift of encouragement like Barnabas in the Bible. However, I don’t get the impression that Tom is an Exhorter Gift, I would tend to lean towards him being a ruler gift or gift #6 in Romans 12. The Redemptive Gifts also knows as the Identity Gifts, or Motivational Gifts. The Redemptive Gifts come from the Father, Spiritual Gifts come from the Holy Spirit, and Ministry Gifts come from Jesus Christ. Here is the list from Romans 12:
- Prophet
- Servant
- Teacher
- Exhorter
- Giver
- Ruler
- Mercy
Comacho’s book is a good practical book for discipleship/coaching. It is practical, simple, and applicable as most preaching and teaching should be. You see his military training throughout this book of keeping it simple and clear. I also appreciate that you see Tom’s love for people come out in this book. I appreciate this about Tom and most senior pastors who have the heart for people. Heart is something that cannot be developed. You either have a heart for people or you don’t. Otherwise you will always be trying to impress people with knowledge and skills. Where coaching will be rooted in ego and self, rather than developing Kingdom Leaders which is the main point of his book.
I will take some of his work and add it to my NPO and probably preach a couple of sermons as his work is biblically sound. For example on pg. 92 Tom gives us the example of what does a thriving leader look like. Tom gives us 5 principles of what a thriving leaving looks like. Simple, clear, and direct Tom is clear and orderly in his communication. Here is his 5 principals.
- They Flourish
- They are Planted
- They do God’s Work
- They bear fruit throughout their lives
- They are continually renewed
I believe because of Tom’s training and gifting, Tom could have been more academic, but kept his writing clear and simple. As a pastor and being mentored by a person similar to Tom, Comacho kept Mining for Gold simple and applicable for the most impact as possible. What I appreciate most, is that Tom refers to the work of the Holy Spirit rather than man’s work in others. I believe this to be core in discipleship/coaching. I believe this has been a great mistake in ministry the last 30 years where we have tried to make everyone like the head pastor, instead of helping people understand their Identity and gifting from their Heavenly Father. I have come to learn that many leaders, pastors, professors, have no idea who they are in Christ. They have no idea how to lead their ministry, because they have no clue who they are in Christ. Often, we look to what the world has to offer, instead to the Kingdom of Heaven. Because of this, many bring false teachings into the Church and unfortunately mislead others. In II Peter 2 I believe Peter would take a stand against many worldly teachings that our in the church today.
We can use many pages from Tom’s book for sermons, teaching, discipleship, and coaching. But I believe what is most important and in jeopardy in the Western Church, is a failure of pastoring, mentoring, coaching, or simply just loving people. I have come to realize over the years we are failing in discipleship and pastoral ministry. We see the drive of many churches and denominations is money. We also see how dopamine effects many pastors and senior pastors for the need for more, while 80% of Christians are ready to give up on the Western Church.[2] In Churches over 3,500 people they lose 1/3 of the congregation each year. We see the need for more is hurting the church rather than helping the church grow in Christ.[3]
I believe we see Tom’s Apostolic gifting as a spiritual father/coach giving us a template so that the work of the ministry can continue. Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge, Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God. I also will forget your children. We see that many Christians, organizations are struggling because they have forgotten the Way. They have looked and adopted many practices that our not biblical. As leaders who represent His Son Jesus Christ, we need to repent of behavior in the Church.
In conclusion, Tom did a wonderful job of taking God’s truth and reframing it for the next generation. Mining for Gold actually reveals the condition of our own hearts towards others. Do we see the Gold in others or the negative? From Psalm 119:165 we see that when we are offended or bothered by another person our heart is in the wrong place. Therefore, Mining for Gold could almost be renamed, do I have Gold or Coal in my own heart? Let us take time to truly love people again.
[1] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching, First published (Nottingham: IVP, 2019).
[2] Daniel Z. Lieberman, and Michael E. Long. The Molecule of the More: How a single Chemical in Your brain Drives Love, Sex, and Creativity-and Will Determine the Fate of the Human Race. Reprint edition. (BenBella Books, 2019).
[3] Breaking Through: Threshold concepts as a key to understanding: Robert Coven:TEDxCaryAcademy.YouTube. (2018, November 28).
About the Author
Greg McMullen
Pastor Greg resides in Lake Stevens WA and pastors a small rural church in the Machias area . The Well Church has a large food ministry in which many different cultures come each week to gather food and counsel. The Church has a small school that is bearing good fruit. Pastor Greg has a large family of 10 children and enjoys fishing and hiking.5 responses to “We Need Barnabas!”
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Greg,
I always appreciate your Biblical wisdom. You bring good perspective to this coaching and discipleship. that the church engages in. I had a pastor/mentor tell me to always remember who’s I am (Child of God) and then the who I am (Follower of Jesus who does….) will be much clearer. I wonder, how as church leaders we can lead a generation to reflect on who’s they are, so that they can discover who they are and who they are called to be…
Sara,
Thank you. It is difficult for many organizations and churches as finances are so needed for the work of the Gospel. Many families and communities suffer because the church suffers and cannot function as it should in their community.
For example, parents in our community our asking the schools to do more, the school district is asking for the church for help. Every week I get emails asking for help in the local schools, hospitals, nursing homes. I have come to believe that Spiritual Warfare in America is where the local pastor/church sufferers financially and the pastor/leaders are overburdened with creative ways to generate money.
The pastor and leaders do not have time to truly disciple and rest. The cycle continues and each generations get further away and yet more desperate for help. We have become a society driven by our desires/wants and ignoring our needs and responsibilities. Each generation suffers a little more.
Even for me personally every time I have tried to slow down, I have almost bankrupted my church and family. It is a hard cycle in our society to try and correct and lead people into repentance. We are definitely a performance driven society and reward giving it all.
Bless you and thank you for sharing.
Greg,
Awesome post. I’m glad you didn’t hold back!
As FYI – I was reading Walter Brueggemann this morning and he writes that the Church in America has been ‘enculturated with society’ and hence has little to no prophetic voice. This fits in with your statement that many have ‘adopted practices’ that are not biblical.
I wanted to ask how you are able to reconcile what Jesus can do in people’s hearts vs coaching. Any thoughts?
Audrey,
Funny you should ask this. I recently had some coaching done and I had to wait on responding to the coaches question as I needed time to reflect and pray on this matter.
It has been an adjustment for going from a larger prophetic ministry to a rural pastoring position. I now use my gift mix to help me minister to the broken.
Knowing your identity gift, helps you understand you’re calling. My spiritual father trained and equipped pastors and leaders in Foursquare. Daniel Brown is another good resource.
I do not lean towards coaching, because I am not an Exhorter gifting. In the Identity Gifts, I am gift #1 or a Prophet gifting like Peter in the Bible. The Prophet gifting’s are very driven, the first to respond to the Spirit of God. They tend the make a trail for others.
I used the Identity Gifts to help me raise spiritual sons/daughters in the faith and to help them understand how God created them so their lives/ministries reflect their identity gift.
I tend to focus on fathering, rather than coaching. This is because of my 5-fold gifting as a pastor. As a pastor/shepherd gifting I tend to walk with people.
The Ox represents the pastor, the pastor usually carries the burdens of the people (food ministry).
Because of Identity Gift of being a Prophet, I am called to the broken, hurting, and called to restore/repair. This is why we are called the Well Church.
Through the Spiritual gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, I have the gift of faith, gift of miracles, gift of healing.
I have struggled with adjusting to a different style of ministry at The Well Church. But I am starting to come back into that “flow” where I am partnering with what the Holy Spirit is doing. It has taken some time, I will admit I have wanted to go back to more of an urban style of ministry, but I am starting to see great fruit happening in the people.
You are very refreshing Audrey, thank you for always sharing your living water in you with us.
God Bless!
Therefore, Mining for Gold could almost be renamed, do I have Gold or Coal in my own heart? Let us take time to truly love people again.
I love this…. setting the framework for internally changing the dialog of mindset is always life changing. Do you want to give life, or pollute them?
When you are sharing the good news…. you are giving life. Don’t hold back friend!