Executive Coaching for Pastors
Leadership is lonely. It doesn't have to be.
You carry heavy burdens, from complex strategic decisions to sensitive personnel issues, often without an objective sounding board. This coaching partnership goes beyond advice. It's a confidential space where we install the proven frameworks you need to gain mental clarity, navigate difficult conversations with confidence, and lead for the long haul.
| Duration | 4-month coaching seasons |
| Frequency | 75-minute phone calls, twice per month |
| Support | Unlimited email, text, and call support between sessions |
| Investment | $4,000 USD / $5,000 CAD per season |
More than advice.
A thinking partner.
This isn't consulting where someone tells you what to do. Coaching helps you discover your own clarity, allowing you to move from where you are to where you want to be. We'll work through your real challenges together: staff dynamics, board relationships, vision casting, and personal sustainability.
The foundations and frameworks you build here will outlast any single season of ministry. You will leave each session with concrete next steps.
- Confidential space to process difficult decisions and leadership challenges
- Proven ministry frameworks based on your needs: meeting templates, feedback tools, hiring guides, etc.
- Accountability to follow through on what matters most
Assessment Certifications
What You'll Experience
Coaching outcomes
Mental clarity on priorities
Know exactly what deserves your attention and what doesn't. Stop feeling pulled in every direction.
Confidence in difficult conversations
Navigate staff issues, board dynamics, and congregation expectations with less anxiety.
A sustainable pace
Build rhythms that let you lead for the long haul without burning out.
Strategic focus
Move from reactive firefighting to proactive leadership. Work on the church, not just in it.
A trusted thinking partner
Someone who understands church leadership and can tell you what you need to hear.
Growing a church is exciting.
Multiplication is hard.
Clearway helps pastors and church teams build foundations and frameworks for sustained, healthy growth.
START COACHING"Chris is often one of my first calls for counsel on leadership, organizational strategy, and career decisions. His personal experience and balanced questions guide our discussions, helping me walk boldly towards healthy personal and organizational decisions."
Common Questions
Executive coaching FAQ
What is executive coaching for pastors?
Executive coaching is a confidential, one-on-one partnership with a trained coach who helps you think through leadership challenges, make better decisions, and develop sustainable rhythms. Unlike consulting, coaching helps you discover your own clarity rather than giving you a prescribed solution. We focus on building the foundational systems that empower you, the leader, for the long term.
What is the difference between getting advice and getting a framework?
Advice addresses a single symptom (e.g., how to handle a staffing crisis). A framework installs a permanent, reproducible system (e.g., a documented hiring and performance review process). Clearway coaching focuses on building the foundations and leadership frameworks that allow you to solve new problems quickly and confidently, long after our engagement ends. You gain a proven methodology, not just a one-time answer.
How is this different from mentoring or counseling?
Mentoring shares wisdom from experience. Counseling addresses past wounds. Coaching is future-focused, helping you move from where you are to where you want to be. It combines accountability, practical tools, and strategic thinking tailored to your specific context. We prioritize actionable clarity over just discussion.
How often do coaching sessions happen?
Coaching happens in 4-month seasons with 75-minute phone calls twice per month. Between calls, you have unlimited access via email, text, or phone when something urgent comes up. I am in your corner as a thinking partner throughout the entire season.
What happens after the first season?
If we both find value in continuing, we'll start another 4-month season. After the initial season, we strongly recommend bringing a second person into the calls—typically your Executive Pastor or a high-capacity leader. This helps the Clearway foundations and frameworks take root beyond just you, creating an internal champion who can reinforce what you're building together.
How do you handle confidential and sensitive issues?
Confidentiality is the bedrock of executive coaching. What is discussed in our sessions stays strictly between us. As your coach, I offer an objective, third-party perspective on sensitive staff, board, or personal challenges without the risk of judgment or internal politics. Our partnership operates with absolute discretion and trust.
Team Workshops
Facilitated sessions that surface tensions, build trust, and get everyone moving in the same direction.
360 Reviews
See what you can't see. Multi-rater feedback with a debrief and action plan to grow where it matters most.
Strategic Planning
Plans that actually get executed. We help you build a roadmap your team will follow, not one that sits in a drawer.
Fractional Leadership
For growing churches who need executive leadership but aren't ready for the full-time cost.