New Resource!

Discover the essentials of the
Appreciative Way in this fast
read format book by Rob and
Kim Voyle.

>> View Contents

Introducing Yes!³

Yes!³ is designed to help you
grow an appreciative culture
within your congregation.

Yes!³ equips you to teach
the Appreciative Way
and help parishioners create
a purpose centered life
in which they can say:

  Yes! To God
  Yes! To Their Neighbor
  Yes! To Them Self

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Congregational Coaching

Our good friend and colleague Bishop Ed Leidel describes his development work with small congregations as congregational coaching which he defines as:

Congregational Coaching is finding God's synergy
in the midst of community.

Since we couldn't describe our work with congregations any better we decided to use his explanation. Ed goes on to describe his understanding of congregational coaching as an incarnational approach of entering into and joining with the congregation to discover the guidance, collegiality, and encouragement of the Holy Spirit. This contrasts the classical idea of a consultant as the expert advisor or authority who tells and directs people what to do.

Congregational Coaching	Congregational Advising
Collegial	Hierarchical
Relational	Directional
Behind-the-scenes	Up-front focus of attention
Initiative is with congregation	Initiative is with the advisor
Hands-on helping process	Distant micro-managing
Discovers gifts	Critiques failures
Encourages	Directs
Synergetic	"Shifts the chairs"
Transformational	Transitional
Utilizes congregational leaders' innate gifts and resources	Dependent on gifts and resources of the advisor
Encourages mutual interdependence	Creates cycles of dependence and isolating independence
Generates hope	Generates need for supervision

Adapted from Bishop El Leidel

One Size Doesn't Fit All

Because this appreciative approach to congregational coaching is incarnational it allows each congregation to develop unique responses to their local community needs.

Rather than imposing external ideas and programs the appreciative approach allows transformational solutions to arise from within the community. As such they are owned by the community and have their own internal motivation and are more likely to be locally relevant and sustainable.

Our Congregational Coaching Services

If you have questions about what would work best for you and your congregation send Rob an email and request a free consultation to explore what strategy would be of benefit to your community.

>> View the Types of Consulting Services we Provide

>> Email Rob Voyle for a Free Consultation

What Clients Say

The Rev. Robert Voyle was invaluable to making our search process a success. He led the committee members in Appreciative Inquiry exercises to build up the relationships of the team members and to begin to articulate some common understandings of the core values of our diocese.

Rob coached us to keep a clear perspective of what we had discerned as the skills and gifts necessary for our next bishop and to let this guide our work. He was also at the other end of the telephone or email when specific issues came up that would be helped by his experience and knowledge.

Joanna Shreve, Co-Chair Diocese of El Camino Real Bishop Search Committee

Rob will enhance your ability to delight in yourself, your neighbor and God through his insightful, practical, loving, professionally grounded, appreciative and often mischievous coaching and teaching skills; and that will make you a better leader and citizen in God's creation.
Ed Leidel, Episcopal Bishop and Congregational Coach in the Canadian Diocese of Huron

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