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Nashville Path 1 Forum Finds "First fruit" in Montana's Adams-Griffin

(NASHVILLE, Tenn., January 20, 2010/GBOD) — Morie Adams-Griffin, 34, finds much joy as pastor of the "parachute-drop" church that is Living Waters United Methodist Church.

But he knew he needed the kind of help offered at the inaugural Path 1 Coaching Forum. He not only attended that three days of training and fellowship, he became what New Church Strategist Gary Shockley calls "the first fruit."

While he was still in Nashville, Adams-Griffin signed a covenant with Shockley to have one of the Path 1 mentor-coaches, Alabama's Jim Robey, become his coach.

"Starting a new church has been one of the most challenging things I've done in my life," says Adams-Griffin. "A coach can really help with direction, help in keeping focus, keeping me sane and keeping me healthy. I've always known that."

It was just a matter of finding the time and the proper coach, a combination that came together in Nashville at the Path 1 Forum sponsored by the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD), an agency of The United Methodist Church.

"We're in the fourth year of a new church start," says Adams-Griffin, the founding pastor of the church that was "dropped" into Belgrade by Bozeman United Methodist Church.

"They instigated the project with conference leadership. Many of the members from Bozeman became our core group of folks when we started."

Despite the excitement of helping give birth to a new church -- that began with a group of about 30 adults and now has about 80 people attending regularly -- and the support he was getting from his conference and from the Bozeman "parent" church, Adams-Griffin needed something else.

"Coaching was definitely at the top of our (the conference) priority list," he says. "I've felt like I needed a coach. I recognize the importance of coaching."

Adams-Griffin says his conference had been looking for a coach for him. But he believes he struck gold when he walked into a roomful of mentor-coaches (there were 18 running the sessions at the Nashville forum) and sat down at a table where Robey also was seated.

"It just so happens that Jim was one of the first people I met," says Adams-Griffin.

It wasn't long before he not only had a new friend: He was asking him to be his coach. "I said 'what do you think that would look like for you? Do you think it would work?'"

In short order, the contract was signed, setting up times and terms for Robey's input, which includes regular phone calls as well as at least one site visit to Montana to consult with Adams-Griffin and the stakeholders.

Robey, who pastored for 30 years before he turned to a full-time ministry of coaching from his Gulf Shores, Ala., home base, says he was thrilled that Adams-Griffin asked him.

"We were at the table for the Path 1 coaching event, and when he said 'I want you to be my coach.' I was ecstatic. To make that connection was phenomenal.

"This will be my first Path 1 coaching situation.

"One of my passions and my calling is bringing the ministry of coaching more fully into the United Methodist Church. This felt like confirmation of that, because I got to be first."

Robey says coaching is essential to pastors. "It is important to have someone who walks beside you in your ministry."

Adams-Griffin says coaching is "an important emphasis" as churches try to deal with the cultural shifts and "reach out to the younger population and redefine the church."

One of the church's biggest challenges, he says, is getting his generation to attend the churches of their parents and grandparents. "The church is not necessarily the center of our communities anymore," he says.

Reversing that trend is a challenge he thinks Robey can help him handle.

And he hopes to pass it on.

"The event (the coaching forum) was fantastic. I got a lot out of it personally. I'm looking at it on two levels: as one who wants to receive some coaching and as one who wants to become a coach eventually."

As for being Path 1's "first fruit," he just laughs. "I'm always good at being a guinea pig. Why not give this a try?"

The General Board of Discipleship's mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD (www.gbod.org) is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. For more information, call the Media Relations Office toll free at 877-899-2780, ext. 7017.

Tim Ghianni is a Nashville, Tennessee-based freelance writer for the United Methodist General Board of Discipleship.

News Media Contact: Steve Horswill-Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 340-1726 or shorswill-johnston@gbod.org.