StrengthsFinder Coaching
Gateway Leadership Initiative
Believes in the value of strengths-based leadership. We have contracted with a Gallup-Certified StrengthsFinder Coach to help you better understand your strengths and build a team with the necessary characteristics to effectively lead your church.
- They must demonstrate a history of faithful service in the local Church (at least 12 months).
- They should be willing to perform Sacerdotal Duties (teaching/communion/
baptism/weddings/funerals/counseling as requested or assigned by local leadership).
The call to Church leadership can be daunting. Gallup StrengthsFinder is an powerful tool that exposes *in tangible ways* our God-given design.
To get started you will need to know your own Top 5 Strengths results as well as those of each of your team members. If you or your team have not taken the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment you can purchase the book from Amazon. Each book comes with a unique access code to take the assessment. If you do not need to purchase the book, you can purchase the code by itself at the Gallups Strengths Center. Once your team has taken the assessment, your StrengthsFinder Coach will be able to help you understand the make up of your team.
Darah Coy
Course Instructor
Darah Coy’s heart for ministry and missions began at the age of 12. She’ll never forget that first border crossing into a 3rd world country.
The sudden stillness was deafening as a bus full of (previously rowdy) Jr-Highers faced the reality of “a bigger world out there” that needed to know God. Later in life, after attending an intensive leadership and discipleship school, the Lord led Darah to live in Haiti, launching their church’s first International Discipleship School focused on mobilizing locals for church planting.
Darah’s experience also includes 5 years vocational ministry where she operated as the Hiring Manager for one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America. Of the numerous development tools utilized by their staff, it was StrengthsFinder that stood out amongst the rest. Darah quickly saw how teams operating in their Strengths led to improved communication, greater satisfaction and higher performance.
The value of StrengthsFinder being so undeniable, Darah decided to become a Gallup-Certified Coach herself. StrengthsFinder and the church-planting community create the perfect pair. Biblically sound and proven church planting strategies executed in a fashion that aligns with individuals’ God-given design allows for maximum impact.
Darah’s commitment to her clients is to speak truth into their lives; influencing leaders and teams into the fullness of their potential and calling. Darah’s signature talent themes are Communication, Connectedness, Woo, Activator and Belief. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications and now resides in San Diego with her husband. Together, they build their businesses from home, oversee a Microsite for entrepreneurs and business leaders as well as lead short-term trips to Haiti.
Coaching Options
Leadership Team Overview | 2 Sessions
Purpose: Not all church planting teams will be able to have their StrengthsFinder Coach come to them to conduct a workshop. In this case, Leadership Overview is available. Your StrengthsFinder Coach will come alongside you in a process of self-discovery as well as providing an overview of your team’s strengths-based dynamics in order to equip you to understand the root of the challenges you face as well as how to overcome those challenges from a strengths-based perspective.
Description: Your StrengthsFinder Coach will gather, map and analyze your team’s strengths before coaching with you, the church planter. She will learn from you the challenges you face as well as your areas of greatest frustration. You will be provided introductory strengths-based activities and tools for you to facilitate or incorporate into how you lead your team.
**It is recommended for church planter to have completed an individual session first, but not required.**
Small Team (2-5 people) | General Introduction
Purpose: Informal “round table” training and discussion. Team strengths are gathered, mapped out and analyzed prior to training. Brief intro to and history of StrengthsFinder. Basic understanding of each individuals strengths, initial insights gleaned into team dynamics and brief touching upon how to apply strengths together as a team through discussion and extracted examples.
Individual | 1 Hour Session
Purpose: With a focus on self-development, you and your teammates will improve faster in the areas you are already strong, compared with areas you are weak. In an individual coaching session, you will learn to maximize your contribution to the team, allowing you to be a more valuable asset either as a leader or in a support role.
Description: You will be taken through an introduction to and history of StrengthsFinder, foundational understanding of your talent themes, as well as discussion and activities aimed at empowering you to A) identify your proven areas of strength and weakness, B) take ownership of your strengths and C) understand how to apply your strengths to your spheres of influence.
Leader Consultation | Month Consultation
Description: Your StrengthsFinder Coach will gather, map and analyze your team’s strengths before coaching with you, the church planter. She will learn from you the challenges you face as well as your areas of greatest frustration. You will be provided introductory strengths-based activities and tools for you to facilitate or incorporate into how you lead your team. In addition to scheduled one-on-one sessions, your StrengthsFinder Coach will be available by email for consultation on the real life challenges you face day-to-day in your church planting journey. **Most effective if done over the course of a month and when church planter has already done at least 1 individual session. If an individual session has not been completed prior to this month package, your first session will be focused on understanding your own talent themes.
Up to 4 one-hour sessions plus email communications between sessions**
Purpose: Not all church planting teams will be able to have their StrengthsFinder Coach come to them to conduct a workshop. In this case, Leader Consultation is available. Your StrengthsFinder Coach will come alongside you in the process of self-discovery as well as focused insight into your team’s strengths and dynamics, equipping you to understand the root of the challenges you are facing as well as how to overcome those challenges from a strengths-based perspective.
In person full and 1/2 day workshops for teams are available. Materials and travel expenses are not included in the pricing.
Purpose: Take huge strides in empowering your church planting team to move toward becoming an interdependent team – one that relies on each other to get work done, with each individual doing what he/she does best. Team members are equipped, through interactive coaching, to use common language to describe each other’s talents, strengths, weaknesses, performance goals and expectations, leading to greater engagement in the work you’ve been called to do. Ultimate outcome: increased effectiveness in communication, higher engagement, greater productivity, improved performance and, ultimately, more powerful Kingdom impact as a church planting team.
Team | Full Day Workshop (8 Hours)
Description: (Combination of Intro & Deeper in One Session)
Team | Intro 1/2 Day Workshop (4 Hours)
Description: Team strengths are gathered, mapped out and analyzed prior to training. Intro to and history of StrengthsFinder. Gain foundational understanding of each individual’s strengths, empowerment to take ownership of strengths, initial insights into team dynamics and how to apply strengths together as a team through learning, examples and relevant case studies.
Team | Deeper 1/2 Day Workshop (4 Hours)
Description: More in-depth focus on the team’s ability to achieve excellence based off their collective strengths. Explore “the shadow side” of strengths in order to uncover root causes of frustrations, blind spots and team hindrances to performance.
Pre-Screen | 30 min interview/30 min consult
Description: Your StrengthsFinder Coach will interview team member candidates utilizing Strengths focused questions. Team member candidates will be given an opportunity for self-reflection and consideration of their potential value if they were to be added to the team. Your StrengthsFinder Coach will glean how the candidate would affect the team dynamic; what their greatest contribution would be as well as potential challenges to be expected. Your StrengthsFinder Coach will then consult you, the church planter, based on the interview, providing insight into effective team development (areas of team strength, concerns, etc.) in light of your strengths, the strengths of your team as well as mission at hand.
Purpose: Provide a strong start to effective team development when hiring new staff or adding to your leadership or launch team. Assists in your equipping of how to approach and eventually manage your team from a strengths-based perspective. You will gain a greater awareness of your team candidates, allowing for increased effectiveness in team placement and further development.
Complete the form below to request a free consultation call and to receive information on package pricing.
Please note that international consultations will be scheduled by email and held using an internet meeting platform. (google hangout, skype, etc.)