The Coach's Character Compass

🙌 Coaching with Integrity

Yeah, so we looked at the styles... and now it’s time to talk about something even deeper: the character of the coach.

🎯 Objectives

• Explore key character traits of a godly coach

• Understand how virtue guides behavior and decision-making

• Commit to spiritual formation as the foundation for coaching

⚖️ Why Character Matters

Skill without character can harm.

We’ve seen this firsthand. You can lead a church, grow a ministry, get people into Bible study and singing worship songs...

“If we’re not walking with God in our connection life, in our marriage, our family—what are we doing?”

It becomes more of a performance than a ministry.

A coach must lead others from the fullness of their walk with God, not just from professional skill.

🧭 The Character Compass

There are four key traits of integrity in ministry coaching:

1. Humility – I am not the fixer

2. Compassion – I care without control

3. Integrity – I honor truth and trust

4. Courage – I speak when called

Each one reflects the posture of a surrendered, Spirit-led leader.

1️⃣ Humility: A Posture of Dependence

“Apart from me, you can do nothing.” – John 15:5

Humility credits God as the source of transformation.

A good coach constantly says:

“What is God telling us?”
“How is God helping us?”
“All praise and glory to Him.”

Not:

“Look what I did for you.”

There’s a danger in building a brand around a name or program and forgetting the true source of healing and growth:

“Sometimes we create a ministry kingdom, but forget that it’s God’s kingdom.”

2️⃣ Compassion: A Posture of Presence

See the image of God in every person you encounter.

Jesus hurt for people—His compassion came from deep within.

“It’s like something in your gut turning over—you feel it.”

A coach with compassion brings gentleness, empathy, and holy care into every relationship.

“I feel for every relationship God puts in my life.”

This is the heart of Christ in coaching.

3️⃣ Integrity: A Posture of Trust

“I honor truth and trust.”

True integrity means:

• Keeping confidences

• Speaking honestly

• Remaining consistent—even when no one is watching

The world of secular coaching often lacks a solid foundation in truth. It’s about personal definitions and shifting morals.

“In a lot of secular coaching and counseling, there’s no real truth... whatever you think is true, is true.”

But a godly coach anchors in biblical truth. We don’t just float with culture—we stand on the Word of God.

🕊️ Coaching with Integrity

“Integrity is about sticking with what you believe is true—especially when no one is watching.”

4️⃣ Courage: A Posture of Bold Love

• Confronts when needed

• Doesn’t shy away from the hard truth

• Speaks in love, not fear

“If you don’t model courage, how will your client learn it?”

Sometimes a coach must lovingly challenge the client—especially when something is harmful, sinful, or dangerous.

“Otherwise, we shrink back and let the client run everything—just like secular coaching.”

This is more than methodology—it’s moral clarity. It stands for truth.

🕯️ Example: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“If you were coaching Hitler, you’d confront him.”

Bonhoeffer was a minister who stood up against Nazi Germany. He modeled the courage to speak truth to power—no matter the cost.

🧱 How to Cultivate Character

🔁 Spiritual Practices

• Daily Scripture reading

• Prayer and ongoing dependency on God

• Confession and repentance

• Belonging to a faith community

• Fellowship with others in the faith (e.g., a soul circle or church group)

“You can’t pour into others what you don’t have yourself.”

🌱 The Philosophy of Character Growth

“Your whole life has been a cultivation process of your character.”

From childhood through adulthood, your character is shaped by:

• Experiences (both good and bad)

• Personal sin and repentance

• Moments of suffering and surrender

• The truth of God’s Word

• The movement of the Holy Spirit

• The resistance of spiritual warfare

• The faith community and spiritual disciplines

When you welcome Scripture, prayer, church, and the Holy Spirit into this process, you’re not just growing, you're being formed into Christlikeness.

⚖️ Integrity = Wholeness

“Integrity is sticking with what you say is true.”

• It’s not perfection, but consistency

• Your kids will notice when you don’t practice what you preach

• Others will trust you when your life aligns with your words

As you grow closer to Christ:

• You’ll be convicted when you drift

• You’ll confess and adjust when needed

• You’ll model integrity through daily obedience

🔚 Final Thought

“The closer you get to God, the more He shapes you.”

As a ministry coach, your most powerful tool isn’t your skill—
It’s your godly character.

Let your life preach before your words do. 💬

💠 Final Charge: Be the Coach Before You Coach

❤️ It Starts With Relationship

“The relationship with God is the heart of this whole picture.”

You can:

• Give it lip service — or

• Lean in — through daily Scripture, prayer, and worship

“I learned to play the guitar by playing every single day. There are things you can do every day to grow as a coach.”

⚽ “Be” Before You “Do”

“Be the coach before you coach.”

• Just like a football coach knows how to be football, not just talk about it

• You must live the life before you guide others in it

• Your life is the first coaching tool

“Coach yourself.”

“Follow me, as I follow Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1

🎯 Be the Person, Not Just the Professional

“We want to be real.”

• Not just learning techniques or memorizing good questions

• But becoming a person of integrity and presence

• So that everything you do in coaching is authentic, not scripted

“When it’s real, it becomes effective.”

🌱 Live It, Don’t Just Teach It

• Listen before you speak

• Understand before you instruct

• Help others discern God’s leading—not just follow your advice

• Let it become a natural part of who you are

“I try not to tell everyone around me what to do with their lives. I try to help them figure out what God wants them to do.”

🏁 Final Words

“This is where we say goodbye.”

This course brought together life experiences, spiritual insights, and the Ministry Science of coaching. Now, it’s your turn.

🙌 Final Charge:

• Do it in your family

• Do it with your friends

• Do it in your Bible study

• Practice what you've learned

“And the God of peace will be with you.”
Amen. Amen. Amen.