Revelation at Epiphany House: When Leaders Learn to Coach
On a clear New Orleans afternoon, fourteen gifted leaders gathered on the front steps of Epiphany House. We were weary from a week of training yet overflowing as we captured a photo that became more than a memory. It was a baptism into a new way of leading—embracing a coaching mindset as the leadership posture for a season that demands curiosity, courage, and co-creation.
I call this “Revelation at Epiphany House” because that’s what it was—an epiphany (from epiphania, meaning “manifestation”) about what leadership must become in this liminal age.
The Story
Under the generous sponsorship of the Louisiana Conference, ministry leaders from Louisiana, Tennessee/Western Kentucky, Mississippi, Rio Texas, and Western Pennsylvania gathered—pastors, district superintendents, denominational staff, and catalytic innovators. Many arrived hungry to cultivate a culture of coaching in their own contexts.
Over four transformative days, we explored not only what coaching skills look like but who the leader must become to embody them. Beyond basic and advanced skills, we practiced tools for coaching groups and teams and concluded with peer-coaching practicums—one of the fastest-growing forms of leadership development in clergy networks today.
We imagined how networks of trained internal coaches might serve as catalysts for deep, sustained change—shifting systems from within. We saw how a coaching culture creates ripple effects: stronger alignment, healthier congregations, resilient leaders, and greater clergy retention.
Coaching Mindset as Future Leadership
What we experienced in New Orleans was not merely a training—it was a paradigm shift. In a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous), leaders can no longer rely on being the oracle or fixer. The leadership that will carry us forward is coaching leadership—curious, open, flexible, and centered on others.
From that posture, essential skills flow naturally:
• Presence — listening with body, mind, and spirit
• Deep listening — hearing beneath the words, sensing what’s unsaid
• Imagination — inviting possibility beyond current constraints
• Action with accountability — helping others move from insight to implementation
When leaders choose curiosity over certainty, exploration over control, and trust over fear, they make space for emergence. To lead into what is not yet visible, we must become learners—waiting, listening, leaning into not-knowing—until discernment reveals the next faithful step.
Gratitude & Invitation
My deep thanks to the Louisiana Conference for their vision and hospitality—and to every participant who leaned into the deeper work.
To you, dear reader: perhaps your own organization longs for fresh leadership. May your next “front-step moment” be a revelation—that the leader the future needs is one who holds a coaching posture in every conversation.
And yes, I’d love to show you that photo—fourteen leaders on the steps of Epiphany House—embodying the future of leadership: together, attentive, and ready for what’s next.
Walking with you,
Vicki