This month, Journey Pastoral Coaching turns not five years old, but five years strong.  It’s hard to believe, but as of this month, Journey celebrates FIVE years of ministry to U40 ministers across America and overseas. We truly thank God for all He has done, not just in giving us these five years, but in giving us a thriving five years: God has done and is doing great things in and through Journey. 

Five years ago, some told us JPC wouldn’tlast because it couldn’tlast. They cited three primary reasons:

1. OUR NO COST COACHING MODEL. Journey charges $0 for coaching. Our members don’t PAY for coaching; they EARN it by investing in our coaching community. To make this financially feasible, we depend 100% on the financial support of churches and individuals who want to invest in young ministers through Journey. 

2.  THE WEIGHT OF COACHING. Some told us it was impossible to carry the time and emotional demands of full-time coaching:  Walking with ministers all day day and most evenings would prove to be too much they said. “Do you really think you can carry that kind of a load?” they asked. 

3.  THE GENERATIONAL DIVIDE.  Some assured us that young ministers today don’t want mentorship, don’t want to walk with older ministers share life in ministry with them.  “This is a generation that wants nothing to do with older ministers,” we were told. 

Well, five years later, we’re still standing. And, by the grace of God, we’re standing, walking, and running stronger than ever. So much so, that it calls to mind a favorite song of praise: 

“Bless the Lord oh my soul, Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before, Oh my soul

I’ll worship Your Holy name

“You’re rich in love, And You’re slow to anger

Your name is great And Your heart is kind

For all Your goodness I will keep on singing

“Ten thousand reasons For my heart to find.”

We won’t share 10,000 reasons to praise God for all He is doing in and through JPC, but we will offer these ten reasons with you, ten “foundation stones” that have served us well these five years and promise to serve us well in the years ahead.  

1.  OUTSTANDING MEMBERS

We are privileged to coach an outstanding group of U40 ministers: church planters; college campus pastors; counselors; lead pastors; missionaries; pastoral coaches; rehabilitation ministers; staff pastors; teachers; and writers – male and female. Our members serve in twenty states and four nations. These are highly motivated ministers of the Gospel, yes, but first and foremost, they are serious disciples of Jesus Christ:  their public ministry for the Lord flows out of their private ministry to the Lord. There is always a waiting list of quality ministers asking to join. 

2.  NO COST COACHING

In a church world where money more and more drives ministry, we’ve been able to see Journey’s mission drive Journey’s ministry. Through our Journey Partners, God continues to provide the finances we need every step along the way of this faith walk. Thank you, Francis and Edith Schaeffer for this principle of placing our trust to provide in the One who calls us to go in His name. We’ll share more about this in just a moment. 

3.  A COACHING COMMUNITY

Journey is not just a regular conversation with the Journey coach; it is a coaching community in which every member invests in the community and in each other. Not a week passes that a member fails to tell me about invaluable coaching and support he or she receives from fellow Journey members. Look at this recent note:  

“I just wanted to let you know I had a really great phone call with _____ today. I also wanted to say that there has not been one guy in Journey that I would not dream of being able to have as staff someday. Every phone call I have had has been with sincere quality men of God and that’s a testament to you as well and all the work love and prayer you pour into us.”

Many contact us, asking to join Journey, but change their minds when they learn that our members EARN coaching by investing in each other. They want the benefit of coaching (and God bless them for that), but without the biblical principle of shared journey. Journey doesn’t offer that because to do so would be to cheat these ministers of what they need most. The secret weapon of Journey’s five-year success is this element of walking in community. Hands down. In this way, we walk the principal taught by Francis and Edith Schaeffer in their world-changing student ministry, L’Abri:  Father, send to us those who belong with us; keep away those who do not. In this way, God has not just formed a coaching ministry, but a coaching community. 

4.  CROSS COACHING  

People often ask what makes Journey Pastoral Coaching unique. The answer is “Cross Coaching.” Like the post and the beam of the Cross of Jesus, Journey members walk together in coaching that is both vertical and horizontal, linked and locked together by the unchanging nail of the Gospel.  Members not only walk with a more experienced minister of the Gospel (the “vertical” aspect of coaching), but they walk with peers, ministers of the same age and life experience (the “horizontal” aspect). This horizontal beam of coaching is built of two materials – peer coaching calls and our private messaging platform. Through these, members invest in each other: resourcing, encouraging, counseling, praying, and celebrating. The vertical and the horizontal aspects work together as we keep the coaching focus on the Gospel and growing in it.  This is Journey’s Cross Coaching model. 

5.  CONNECTIONS  

The number one killer of all ministers of all ages is isolation. It’s especially true of younger ministers. Many have come to Journey precisely because of isolation; they have come because they could not find connections near them – not an older coach-mentor or a peer to walk with them. Some have reached out repeatedly (including the senior pastors they serve under) but have found no one willing to share their journey. But at Journey, they’ve made friends to last a lifetime, deep and lasting connections.  No, not because they are weak and “needy” but because they are building their lives according to the design of God for all ministers, including you. The Twelve Apostles, Barnabas, Paul, Timothy, Titus, . . . even Jesus Himself shared the journey of life in ministry with others. Connections. At Journey, no one wears a red cape or sports a big red “S” on their chest, one that says, “I am self-sufficient,” or “Just me and Jesus is enough.” We recognize our God-given need to share our individual journeys with others.  And we joyfully run to do just that, iron sharpening iron. 

6.  THE INDIVIDUAL STORIES

The individual stories we could tell – each one amazing and moving. Personal and ministry growth. Successfully walking the transitions of life in ministry. Growth in faith and faithfulness. Spiritual growth and character maturity. Marriages healed and sorrows soothed. Knowledge and wisdom uncovered. Epiphanies of discovery and tough decisions confidently made. Answers to seemingly unanswerable questions. A hope and a future. Recovery, and yes, even redemptions of a sort: those who didn’t give up on themselves, on ministry, or even on God. They have survived and now they thrive.  

7.  RESOURCING

Resourcing – both internal and external – remain a critical part of JPC’s ministry. 

INTERNAL: Our members submit at least one resource each month to our coaching community: books, blogs, podcasts, conferences, apps, training systems, etc. on everything pertaining to life in ministry. The wealth of information, knowledge, and wisdom shared is priceless. Through our monthly “Insight Question,” members coach the Journey coach, helping him understand what is happening in their lives, the church world, and the ministry. This is invaluable information, knowledge and wisdom that shows up again in coaching calls as the Journey coach invests in Journey members.

EXTERNAL: Pastors, churches, and ministry groups often call requesting resources; we’re happy to help. Our monthly Insight Question – answered by members and often by non-members, often serves as the substance of our bi-weekly blogging, articles that shine the light on issues of importance to the church now and in the future.  Here are a few examples of the research-based blogs we’ve published: 

• How Connected Do Young Ministers Feel With Denominational Leaders?

• The End of the Church: Why the Church Faces a Leadership Crisis in the Next 20 Years.

• The Most Important Lesson We’ve Learned Since Seminary

• Young Ministers Tell Journey Why They Tend to Isolate

• Young Ministers and Their Greatest Stressors – Internal and External

• Young Ministers Predict the Future of the Church in America

• Church Makeover: Changes Young Ministers Would Make In the Church 

8.  THE EXTRAS. . . All at no cost to our members . . . 

• The Journey Cohort: a year-long training in coaching philosophy and practice; 
• Journey Retreats:  two separate weeks of retreats in Orlando each January; 
• Journey Getaways: individuals, couples, and families, come and stay with us in Orlando for a few days of refreshing and re-creation.  

• Journey webinars:  special guests walk us through ministry issues. Recent topics include personal finances, leading church boards, women in ministry, and the missional church. 
• Special calls: JPC members have big issues come up between call appointments. We are happy to take the time to help them take on the special challenges that they face. 
• Members often ask for help with ministry projects, everything from ministry planning to missions, preaching to building discipleship ministries, educational pursuits to reviewing their professional writing, even ministry involving French language and culture.

9.  RESTORING A BIBLICAL MODEL OF MINISTRY 

In a Church world obsessed with celebrity leaders and attractional church models, Jesus stands as an out-of-step minister of the Gospel. As Gordon MacDonald writes, “With a world of millions to reach, Jesus budgeted the majority of his time to be with just twelve simple men” He talked to thousands, but He walked with just twelve. And the longer Jesus was in ministry, the less He talked to the many, the more He walked with the few. It all flowed from His walk with His Father: His public ministry was simply the flow of His walk with God – His contemplative, praying, reflecting, studying, waiting, resting life in the Father. He wasn’t all that concerned with branding, hits, likes and crowd size. Journey is adding its voice to the current movement of ministers who are helping to guide the church back to New Testament missional communities, people who do faith and life together rather than simply attend Sunday meetings together. Journey is helping young ministers as they process what this means and what it looks like in their own lives, locales and ministries. The dreams that God is giving them are deep, strong, and exciting. I look forward to what the future holds!

10.  THE PEBBLE IN THE POND

Not only is God Journey to help build our own ministers for a lifetime of healthy and effective ministry, but five years later, God is giving us opportunities outside of Journey to help other ministries and ministers implement the biblical model – the model Jesus used – of sharing the journey of life in ministry.  Here are a few examples:  

• Our Discipleship Checkup tool is now used by ministries across America and even overseas;

• At their request, we serve as consultants to local churches, state organizations, and even regional and national ministries, helping them develop coaching ministries for their ministers – coaching ministries based on the Journey model;

• Our blog posts on issues of importance to young ministers and the church are very well received and spark many coaching conversations outside of Journey;

• Many ministers of all ages are thanking us for our recent book, “When the Call Comes: A Funeral Guide for Pastors,” 

SO WHAT ABOUT THE THREE REASONS WHY JPC COULDN’T LAST?

THE GENERATIONAL DIVIDE.  

Journey has never failed to have a waiting list of ministers asking to join.  In the past, we’ve simply had to put them all on a waiting list. Enough said: the demand is great, the supply in limited. However, in 2019 we were able to go six more members beyond our limit with the introduction of what we call “Flex Membership.”  Unlike most Journey members, Flex Members do not have a set bi-weekly call appointment, but must be flexible in scheduling, taking an opening when a scheduled caller has to cancel. Opportunities can be last minute, but our Flex Members are serious about growing as ministers of the Gospel; they are willing to be flexible in scheduling calls (They participate as full members otherwise). We continue to discover new ways like this to grow with our coaching community. 

There are a limitless number of non-member U40 ministers who contact us for counsel.  We wrote our recently-released book, “When the Call Comes,” at the request of young ministers who have asked for our help in walking with those who mourn.  JPC has found no generational divide when it comes to U40 ministers seeking coaches and mentors in their lives.  

THE WEIGHT OF COACHING

As to the weight of coaching, yes, the load can be heavy:  any ministry is hard work – spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically.  By the grace of God, our members carry their own burdens every day. And by the grace of God, we at Journey are able to join their journey and help them develop the internal core needed to not just survive those burdens but to thrive as ministers of the Gospel. God’s strength flows through the JPC coach to our members – AND through our members back to the Journey coach. Not to be ignored is the way our members share the coaching load. Not to be ignored is our daily walk with God – just as is true in your life.

JOURNEY’S NO COST COACHING MODEL

Yes, our financial model is unique. And to be honest, it is our greatest challenge.  We’ve always been amazed at the overwhelmingly, ecstatically positive response everyone gives to Journey.  Almost everyone loves what Journey does, but not everyone loves it enough to support it.  Journey could “go business” and charge our members, but consider this:  

In the next 20 years, the average ordained minister will be 67.5 years of age – retirement.  Average age.  Why?  A primary reason: younger ministers aren’t lasting.

What is the future of the church when its leaders are so rapidly aging? What is the future of the church when the young ministers it is depending on can’t afford to remain in ministry?  

Most U40 ministers are saddled with large student loan debt incurred as they sought training for ministry.  Most U40 ministers serve in low-paying positions – many are bi-vocational, and, as a recent survey shows, a large percentage of them do not have health insurance provided for them. Finally, U40 ministers are just starting out in life – getting married, starting families, trying to get established. At Journey, we’ve made a commitment to support the U40 generation every way we can as they step up to lead the church of Jesus Christ.  And given our experience over these past five years, we’re very encouraged about the future health and effectiveness of the church’s leaders. 

BUILDING TO LAST

As JPC turns not five years old, but five years strong, we celebrate more than the years – we celebrate the people, ministries, and miracles that are the real story of Journey.  And we celebrate the Lord who called us to give ourselves to this ministry. To Him be glory in and through the church forever!  Amen!

Here’s to the next five years!  Here’s to the work of helping ministers build to last!  

Special Note: We invite you to consider purchasing our recently released book, “When the Call Comes,” written to help ministers as they walk with those who mourn. Unexpected, or after an extended illness, there is no pastoral responsibility, or privilege, that compares with shepherding people as they say their final goodbyes and mourn their loss. “When the Call Comes” helps pastors serve those who mourn, from the initial call to the end of the funeral.  We address issues like:

“What is the purpose of a funeral and how do I conduct one?”

“What is my role as a pastor, walking families through grief?”

“What should I say when I meet with the family?”

“What do I do in the case of a difficult death: suicide, violence, or infant death?”

“Why do we conduct funeral and graveside services?”

“What do I do when ‘the call’ comes?”

You can read the preface to the book by clicking on this link or you can purchase your copy by clicking here.

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NOTE: Journey Pastoral Coaching exists to provide pastoral coaching to Millennial ministers.

Saddled with large student debt, just beginning to set up homes and start families, and serving in low paying first and second positions, Millennials are those who most desire but can least afford to pay for pastoral coaching.

So we offer it to them at NO COST: Our members do not PAY for coaching; they EARN it by investing in each other.

We are able to do so thanks to the faithful and generous support of individuals and churches like yours who want to see young leaders not only enter the ministry, but remain in the ministry. If you or your church would like to help Millennial ministers in 20 US states and 5 nations build strong for a lifetime in ministry, please click here to contact us by email or to support Journey monthly or with your one-time gift. Thank you.

We also invite you to click and subscribe to our twice-monthly blogs at journeypastoralcoaching.com

“In the early years when I was becoming a pastor, I needed a pastor.” 

 Eugene H. Peterson, The Pastor: A Memoir