We often think a good way to change ourselves or someone with whom we work is getting more training. Reality is, training rarely works.
TRAINING DOES NOT CHANGE PEOPLE…
…LEARNING CHANGES PEOPLE.
Training might help; it might actually interfere with real change. A recent read of the Dick Freed chapter in the Mission Nexus book titled Essentials for Equipping and Growth of Global Workers explained the puzzle for me. People learn, grow, and
change when they’re ready to. (Insert your favorite “light bulb” joke here)
When might YOU, or a ministry co-worker, be open to a change? Adapting for our purpose: The Five Moments of Learning Need by Gottfredson and Mosher, consider:
1. When learning to do something for the first time
2. When needing to understand something new just encountered in your ministry
3. When needing to connect a long-ago class from Concordia to the present reality
4. When a ministry relationship or program blows up
5. When realizing your real-life environment has changed so much that something learned long ago no longer works.
THEN—is a great time for a Coach! Growth happens most powerfully in relationships.
A Texas District Coach can walk with you through the process…pray…discover together God’s providing and guiding hand.
Counseling Care (Jim Otte: jotte@txlcms.org).
By John Messmann