By Romney Ruder, Lifeline President
In all aspects of life, if you want to be successful it is going to take hard work, dedication, commitment, and perseverance. Though ultimately, there is only so far that we can go on our own, we then need to identify a good coach that can help us keep going. A coach provides a game plan. They see what we cannot see on our own. They help us build teamwork. They are aware of the potential pitfalls and have the knowledge to navigate when these issues are reached. Most importantly, a good coach can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether through experience or wisdom, the coach understands what it will take to be successful.
Our lives in ministry are no different. With God’s grace, we learn to live into the great commission. This implies that we are open with our faith and look to build discipleship relationships. For some, just this practice pulls us well outside our comfort zone. While for others, the practice of the great commission pushes us into next steps of our lives in Christ. This can be living deeper into some of the other examples of ministry that Christ and/or the early church lived into. It can also mean subscribing to some of Christ’s deeper teaching like we find in Matthew 25.
What makes the Lifeline Global curriculum such a powerful tool is that our material provides everything needed for both the coach and the participant. So often we hear of people who are afraid to get engaged in ministry to the incarcerated because they are nervous about teaching. Others fear not having anything in common to talk about with incarcerated men and women. Some even think that they need a Master of Divinity or Theology degree to have an impact in our classes.
Yet nothing could be farther from the truth. The Lifeline Global curriculum was designed from a coach’s perspective. Our classes work best when facilitated rather than taught. That make it easy to get engaged with incarcerated students. Both Malachi Dad’s and Hannah’s Gift are laid out so that a person leading the discussion can open to page one and read from the lesson. Throughout the text and training, there are prompts for the facilitator so they know where to take the conversation next. The training utilizes a group dynamic and encourages all participants to share.
For those needing more instruction, we have a How-to guide available on our website. It is a verbal coaching developed to assist the facilitator. Finally, for those who want even more training, we have a separate curriculum called Equip Leaders which provides an in-depth overview of all facilitation. For those who want hands on training, we can accomplish this in person or over Zoom.
LGM is more than just a ministry resource for those working with the incarcerated. Our success is rooted in being Good Coaches for all we work with. Our desire is to ensure the success of your ministry!
