Jumping back into content today, I want to dive back into the Catalyst’s journey and start the discussion of Phase 2. Phase 2 is a process of development. It’s labeled as “coach” though because its focused on development external to the catalyst (meaning the catalyst isn’t directly developed or developing something but is instead helping someone else through that process). As such, it’s all about coaching. Keith Webb defines coaching as “a series of intentional conversations that empower a person to fully live out their calling” (from: https://keithwebb.com/what-really-means-to-be-coach/) and that’s what this phase of catalytic work is all about. It’s understanding and knowing where the movement champion is in their development alongside of knowing what the movement leader needs. It is also a willingness to stay back and coach the movement leader rather than directly lead. It’s also developing an understanding that you _aren’t_fully equipped for every challenge faced by movement leaders but that you can connect them to additional resources whenever necessary. Ultimately catalysts successfully move through this stage where they are able to help movement leaders sustain movement locally for the long haul.
For easier processing, I’ve divided this phase into 3 key stages: mission (where it all starts), movement (where it hopefully ends up) and sustainability (what it needs to keep going in perpetuity). In reality the stages will bleed into each other but it’s important to know and consider what is necessary in each.
Coaching Movement Leaders for Mission
Coaching for mission starts with modeling and training. Then it will move to more formal coaching methods. It’s being able to model and train in the basics like:
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Abundant gospel sowing techniques and contextualization
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How to disciple in contextual ways
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Finding and discipling people of peace
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Gaining access to communities
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Starting, maintaining and multiplying discovery groups
This is one reason why it is so important for catalysts to be movement practitioners themselves. It builds the base through which they are able to coach movement leaders to engage in these activities.
Coaching Movement Leaders for Movement
Coaching for movement is all about understanding the ins and outs of movement. I like to call it “understanding movement dynamics.” Dynamics is a word that refers to continuous activity or change and I think that that is a great way to consider movement. Movements have so many different moving parts and are constantly evolving and changing that it is an incredibly dynamic environment. This also means it is a complex one to understand, in part because every one is different in some capacity. This is actually where we are going next in these newsletters so stay tuned for that. In short though it includes:
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Understanding the general characteristics
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Understanding the general sociology
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Understanding necessary activities
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Auditing replication and tracking the work
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Etc
Coaching Movement Leaders for Sustainability
Coaching movement for sustainability has three core parts: developing leaders, developing the organization and meeting the needs within the movement. Developing leaders is the first that a catalyst needs to be ready to address. It will actually in many ways run in tandem with coaching for movement. Leadership development needs to happen early and often because the movement leader will have a limited capacity; this is often one of the initial walls they hit in movement growth. Developing the organization comes next. It involves building simple, contextual organizational structures that serve the movement and allow it to go further. The last part is the hardest in many situations and that’s coaching the movement leader to develop the means to meet emerging needs within the movement. This includes things like salary or stipends for key full-time leaders, buildings or land needs and utility needs (like transport, phone and internet service, etc). The larger a movement grows, the more defined and important these things become.
Stay tuned as we dive more deeply into these things! The plan is to look at movement dynamics next!