{"id":34941,"date":"2024-01-16T22:38:09","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T06:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=34941"},"modified":"2024-01-16T22:38:09","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T06:38:09","slug":"this-book-is-a-set-up-for-a-sequel-and-im-ready-for-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/this-book-is-a-set-up-for-a-sequel-and-im-ready-for-it\/","title":{"rendered":"This book is a set up for a sequel and I’m ready for it"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was somewhat disappointed with Tom Camacho\u2019s book. Perhaps I assumed too much from the title and the foreword. It\u2019s not that the book was poorly written or that the subject matter was irrelevant; it appeared to promise one thing and deliver another.<\/span><\/p>\n

The title says \u201cDeveloping Kingdom leaders through coaching\u201d. That is an audacious statement. I was expecting to read about the practics of coaching leaders, focusing on \u201chow to\u201d. My anticipation of reading came in large part because I am planning on developing a coaching course as a result of the doctoral program. While I enjoyed reading the \u201ctheory\u201d and \u201cbiblical principles\u201d of coaching, I was continually asking the question \u201cso what\u201d throughout. I disagreed with nothing and often said \u201cyes,\u201d but my frustration remained.<\/span><\/p>\n

The simple analogy of \u201cmining for gold\u201d was compelling. The frequent stories, whether historical or personal to the author, brought practical application to the points made, yet I found myself wanting more.<\/span><\/p>\n

When I first attended Bible Seminary, I chose between a \u201cpractical-based college\u201d or an \u201cacademic, theology-based college\u201d. I decided on the Academic College because, as a pastor\u2019s son, I was raised in the know-how of ministry, yet I yearned for deeper theological study. In the case of \u201cMining for Gold\u201d, I found the situation reversed. In this case, I am familiar with the theology of coaching, but I longed for a shortcut into practical planning and even syllabus-type support mechanisms for coaching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is clear from the book is that coaching is about listening to the Holy Spirit and following His guidance. While it is refreshing as a Pentecostal to hear such an emphasis on the Holy Spirit, I am still at an \u201cacademic loss\u201d regarding how to put together a coaching program. Again, I reiterate that this is not the author\u2019s responsibility or problem. It is mine. Perhaps the book could have been called \u201cMining for Gold: The Theology and Theory of Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching.\u201d Admittedly, it\u2019s a mouthful and may not grab the attention of potential readers browsing the Christian bookshelves in the Christian bookshop.<\/span><\/p>\n

The author\u2019s compelling and convincing story entitled \u2018Losing Focus\u2019 at the end of the book brought clarity and insight into the coach\u2019s role. While the author\u2019s intention was, as clearly labelled, to stay focused, I applied the story to the importance of self-leadership and self-discipline for the coach. In the book\u2019s foreword, John Wright delivers excellent insight into the difference between a coach and a mentor (p8). A mentor has to be further ahead of the mentee, whereas a coach simply needs to have the skills to help a person reach their own goals.<\/span> I found this comparison incredibly helpful. In my younger years, I rejected the idea of coaching because the coaches had not \u201cdone what I was doing.\u201d I\u2019m sorry if this seems arrogant. It was not my intention to be so, only that I had been taught that you can\u2019t be led by someone who hasn\u2019t walked and led where you are. It isn\u2019t brilliant, I know, and I now have a life coach, which has been very helpful. But the combination of the author\u2019s final story on \u201cfocus\u201d with the contrasts of coach and mentor can only be as beneficial as the individual being coached taking charge of themselves. As the \u2018losing focus\u2019 story highlights, what\u2019s the point of knowing and having all the skills when you lose sight of the most important aspect, leading your own life? Too many leaders have led others but lost their way. The devastating impact of that is beyond compare.<\/span><\/p>\n

Camacho\u2019s six principles<\/span> of mining for Gold\/Coaching leadership (p97-98) provide a helpful source outline for a coaching program. Building a syllabus around the principles offers endless opportunities for a dedicated coach to create a coaching program that targets the \u201csweet spot\u201d of every person.<\/span><\/p>\n

Initially, I challenged the author\u2019s statement about responsibility in coaching. He says, \u201cIn coaching leadership, we don\u2019t bear the weight of someone\u2019s growth. We simply draw out what\u2019s inside them. We don\u2019t own their outcomes or manage their behaviour (p36).\u201d<\/span> 2 Timothy 2:2 says, \u201cAnd the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.\u201d<\/span> Further, Jesus connects a leader\u2019s \u201cfruit\u201d to their effectiveness (see Matthew 7:15-20). There is a biblical link between leadership and the discipleship of others, but is fruit something we are responsible for or merely the byproduct of the opportunities we create for others to be discipled \/ coached? I believe the latter and agree with the author\u2019s freeing statement. Camacho adds, \u201cCoaching leadership feels more like a shepherd leading sheep than a CEO building a corporation.\u201d To this, I wholeheartedly agree.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m thankful for the book and enjoyed the opportunity to read it. But my hope is that Tom will write a sequel. He has the penmanship and experience to do so. Now we know the theory and theology of \u201cMining for God\u201d, how do we put it into practice with others? I would buy the sequel!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/b>:<\/span><\/p>\n

Camacho, Tom. Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders through Coaching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

London: IVP, 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

The New International Version Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011.<\/span><\/p>\n

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I was somewhat disappointed with Tom Camacho\u2019s book. Perhaps I assumed too much from the title and the foreword. It\u2019s not that the book was poorly written or that the subject matter was irrelevant; it appeared to promise one thing and deliver another. The title says \u201cDeveloping Kingdom leaders through coaching\u201d. That is an audacious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":191,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2996],"class_list":["post-34941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-dlgp03-camacho","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34941"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34941\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34942,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34941\/revisions\/34942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}