New Church Ministry Coaches

A Ministry of Encouragement: Following the Biblical Model of Barnabas

• Barnabas, known formerly as the coaching program, is a ministry of compassion, love and encouragement.
• The Barnabas program is based on the theological understanding that every believer already has an encourager – the Holy Spirit. Jesus explained the Holy Spirit’s role in a believer’s life: . . the counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom God will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Christian leaders are not a substitute for the Holy Spirit.
• A Barnabas has the ability to inspire, encourage and strengthen Church Planters to be accountable to God, their families and the church.
• The Barnabas Ministry started in 2001 after New Church Ministry received a grant of $1.5 million from the Lilly Endowment. The main goal for this grant is to sustain excellence for New Church Pastors during their first five years of ministry.
• To achieve this, New Church Ministry designed a ministry plan that included coaching for New Church Pastors, scholarships for continuing education and peer groups for New Church Pastors in their first two years.
• In 2007, Lilly Endowment graciously gave us another grant of $835,000. The Barnabases (coaches) bring regular contact from the “outside world” that remind New Church Pastors of their original intents and help them focus on the goals for their lives and ministry.
• The Barnabas Ministry works because it challenges our pastors to discover, affirm, and grow their gifts, those which God has given them.

Contact us for more information at ncm@churchextension.org