Writers never want to “bury the headline.”  My headline today is personal good news. I recently stepped out of retirement to become a part-time missionary serving global leaders in Africa.

In this article I want to share the WHAT, HOW, WHY, and WHO of my new part-time ministry.  This is an important step. It will channel my passion and energy for the foreseeable future.

WHAT:  Professional coaching 

Even with a variety of jobs, my goal over the past 40 years has never wavered. I chose my vocational life-verse early in my ministry:  “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the Body of Christ.” Eph. 4:12

I gained new tools to “equip the saints” in 2016. After a rigorous training and credentialing process, I became a professional leadership coach. The International Coach Federation defines coaching this way:  

Coaching is partnering with coachee(s) in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

My understanding of coaching focuses on the same goal but within a Christian worldview:

Coaching is an ongoing intentional conversation that empowers a person or team  to fully live out God’s calling.

Since 2016 I have been preparing for this WHAT of my retirement years: coaching leaders.  I now also know the HOW, WHY, and WHO and want to share them with you.

HOW:  God opened the door.

I retired at the end of December 2017. In April 2018, Marilyn and I spent four weeks in Zambia. A missionary friend invited me to teach a preaching course at his theological seminary.  We had a wonderful month connecting with many motivated future pastors. We also explored a region in Africa completely new to us. 

Then in February/March of this year I spent another month in Africa. I returned to Zambia for a second-year teaching preaching, but also spent a week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Through lectures and workshops, I shared how coaching empowers Christian leaders to “fully live out God’s calling.”

Through these two trips in 12 months, God helped me see my retirement calling—my future coaching focus should be African leaders.   

WHY: The Global South is where the action is today!

Here is the foundational truth of our era: the center of global Christianity is quickly shifting away from North America and Europe. The future of Christianity is the “Global South” (Africa, Asia and South America). Numerically, more Christians have been living in the global south since 1980! This trend has only accelerated in the 21st century.

Example:  Ethiopia, where Marilyn and I served as missionaries from 2010-2014, will—if current population and church growth rates continue—become the third largest Christian nation in the world by 2050.

My goal is to encourage, equip, and empower African leaders who share a common challenge: meeting the ever-expanding needs of their fast-growing churches to share the gospel, make disciples, and impact their societies for Christ.

The need for high-capacity African leaders of all ages is never greater than it is today! I want to help leaders gain deeper clarity about their challenges and opportunities; develop a God-given vision; and then take achievable action steps to achieve that vision.

My goal is building trusting relationships with church, denominational and NGO executives, as well as 20-something emerging leaders. I want to help them explore, envision, and then implement transformational change.

I also train new and mature pastors and other leaders in practical coaching skills.  As they coach and mentor their people, they discover entire organizations becoming more effective and resilient. Equipping leaders in how to invest in other leaders becomes a powerful win/win!  (It is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action!)

WHO:  The Outreach Foundation

I had WHAT—Serve Christian leaders through coaching; HOW—Focus on African leaders; and WHY—Advance global Christianity. 

Now I finally needed “WHO.”  I needed a partner to support my ministry to African leaders in three ways: 

• Focus—Help me spend one month each year in Africa, while coaching leaders via phone and online the rest of the year.
• Finances—Offer a donor conduit to cover my expenses. I’m glad to volunteer my time but need to break even! I cannot fund my travel expenses and related overhead costs on my pension.
• Encouragement—Support me with shared values and vision to serve the global church and its leaders.

In June The Outreach Foundation invited me to become their first-ever Mission Associate. They created a new designation just for me as a part-time, non-salaried missionary.

The Outreach Foundation is a Presbyterian-based mission agency supporting missionaries around the world, but especially focused on Africa. I have high regard for its leaders and organizational integrity—it’s a joy and privilege to join them!

Please read this letter introducing me as a new Mission Associate from the Rev. Dr. Rob Weingartner, Executive Director of the Outreach Foundation

FINAL THOUGHTS

During my four years teaching at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, I had the awesome daily privilege of shaping the best and brightest students from across all Ethiopian denominations.  I knew investing in these high-potential men and women would return immense dividends to an entire nation!

Now God has given me a similar opportunity. I want to invest my energy in the men and women leading some of the fastest-growing churches in the world.  What better legacy could anyone imagine?  

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