Safe, Supported, and Growing: Why Professional Supervision Matters in Ministry? 

For any Christian leader, having a trusted personal mentor, professional supervisor or coach is necessary. Even the most experienced leaders need another person’s insight for support. This also ensures that they are developing and following proper practices. No matter how wise a person is, how much integrity or empathy they have, situations will always require a new perspective. A mentor/supervisor or coach is a comfort in difficult times and lets leaders rest knowing they are not alone in their struggles. There are three significant ways that a great mentor, coach or supervisor can help you: by upholding professional standards and by providing professional support and development. 

The Royal Commission

The Royal Commission: Institutional responses to Child Sex Abuse in Australia recommends a supervisor to support and develop ministry leaders and promote professional standards. For the sake of best practices, many denominations in Australia and New Zealand are choosing to make professional supervision mandatory as part of their ordination licensing requirements. Of course, this is not just about compliance. It is for a leader’s own safety, as well as the safety of the people around them and the community at large. Certain laws are in place not just to keep order, but also to protect us; for example, driving while under the influence of alcohol is illegal, but it’s also just wise. You can read more about Australia’s and New Zealand’s recommendations.

One of the great things about professional supervision and mentoring, is that the competency of investigative inquiry helps us to see ourselves with more honesty and clarity. Every person has their blindspots; areas of the self that they either deliberately overlook or cannot bring themselves to acknowledge, and bury these areas deep in their subconscious. However, these are still essential parts of ourselves that need to be addressed, explored and managed in order to understand ourselves. 

Mentors are Here to Help

A mentor, supervisor or coach is also there to help us process our journey, including difficult times. Under pressure we compromise on our boundaries, and disciplines can slip. Having someone who is trusted in our world who can support and strengthen us in these times can help us avoid disaster, for ourselves and for others. 

As a mentor myself for many years, I have had many clients who say something along the lines of, “Where were you earlier in my career?” or “I wish I had found a mentor years ago.” I felt this myself in my emotional depletion and burnout. I became critical of the core team. In feeling bad about my own productivity, I projected that onto the people closest to me. In turn, my team complained I was not delivering what I promised, and that, because in my withdrawal, I was not being the same person; the same leader, pastor, friend. My team wasn’t getting what they were used to from me, and they were suffering. 

In this time, professional supervision could have helped me to see what was going on in me and what was happening in them. A mentor, supervisor or coach could have helped me understand the roots of the problem I was facing, rather than just the symptoms I was feeling. 

Anyone with a professional mentor, supervisor or coach can understand the benefits of this important relationship. However, it is a relationship that takes effort and intentionality. We must always be asking ourselves, “Are my sessions effective and beneficial for me?” We can become overly familiar with our mentor/supervisor/coach and our sessions can become stagnant. We also need to be sure that we are approaching our sessions with transparency. It is easy to avoid difficult conversations, or hide pieces of ourselves from others. We need to be vulnerable and open to receive the greatest benefit. 

Reflection:

• Do I have a professional supervisor? If not… why not? What is stopping me? 
• How effective is my time with my professional supervisor? 
• Am I holding back any vital pieces of myself from my mentor/supervisor/coach?

What’s next:

Can we help you find a supervisor/mentor/coach? Get it touch! https://vervelead.com/contact/

Next blog- What can I do if I want a supervisor/mentor/coach but I can’t afford one?