Reuniting the divine and the ordinary: reaping the ‘whole life’ benefits of coaching

Abstract

This paper presents the benefits of coaching for clergy in the Church of England; using Constructivist Grounded Theory, underpinned by a critical realist ontology. What emerged from the research was a Benefit Matrix Theory, incorporating 21 distinct benefits of coaching. Represented as a Benefits Wheel, the central proposition of the theory is that coaching benefits are experienced in conjunction with one another, in any combination, to meet the needs of the ‘whole person’. This article focuses on one of the four conceptual findings: Reuniting the Divine and the Ordinary and explores what coaching can achieve by intersecting spiritual, personal and professional aspects of clergy life. The research produced findings of practical use for clergy, coaches, and the wider church, and contributes to coaching theory and practice.

Keywords

• coaching theory
• benefits
• clergy
• church
• grounded theory