Summary of Services

Letter From Our Executive Director

December 14, 2017

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On behalf of the coaches and consultants of SOLID Pastors, thank you for your interest in our ministry.

In 1999, we starting providing coaching to senior pastors as a way of giving back, offering our time and talent to the Church. It was a natural extension of the for-profit coaching and consulting we were doing, and along the way, we created a unique offering ideally suited for leaders of vocational Christian ministries.

In October, 2017, we sensed that our Lord gave us the “green light” to formalize our offering into a separate Christian non-profit, raise money, and extend our reach. Our Father has provided many Godly men and women to surround us with prayer, encouragement and the resources needed to launch a successful non-profit.

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Advisory Board of SOLIDpastors, we invite you to explore our offerings, and see if Christ may be leading you to engage with us. We want to partner with those that God has prepared to receive our services. If this is you, then we pray you will receive great clarity from our Lord on allowing us to help you grow your ministry and yourself to the next level of excellence, for God’s glory.

Only Because of Christ in Us,

Daniel J. Mueller Executive Director SOLIDpastors.org

Summary of Services

SOLIDpastors is a Christ-centered 501(c)(3) which provides personal and professional coaching as well as consulting services to senior leaders of Christian churches and parachurch ministries. SOLID, inspired by 2 Timothy 2:19, was birthed out of a workplace ministry Bible study in 1989. Since then, SOLID has provided executive leadership coaching to more than 1,200 CEOs and senior executives across the globe. In 1999, SOLID’s founder, Daniel Mueller, started providing coaching to senior pastors as a way of tithing his time and talent. In 2017, we formed a board, filed for non-profit designation, added church-effectiveness software systems to our offering, and began certifying retiring pastors and senior executives as Pastoral Coaches and Consultants.

Focus on Senior Leaders

We believe that senior pastors, executive pastors, and executive directors of Christian ministries are collectively the single greatest underserved group of key influencers in society. The pressure on their performance could not be greater and the stakes could not be higher. They need a safe place to turn for help. One of the key reasons we exist is to provide that support.

Services for Your Team

While our focus is your senior leadership, we also provide a full array of coaching and consulting services for your staff. We accomplish this through our team of certified coaches and consultants, as well as ministry partners.

How We Charge for SOLID Services

All coaching and consulting services are either free or on a sliding scale, and by proposal. We will identify your needs, and put together a recommended scope of work that will often represent a 70 – 90% discount off of the fees we charge in our sister, for-profit company, SOLID Leaders (www.SOLIDleaders.com). We raise money from the Christian executive community to fund our work, and recruit professional coaches and consultants to provide their services at no charge or greatly discounted rates. In exchange, we ask you to support our ministry to whatever degree God leads you to do so.

Certification

We provide Pastoral Coach and Consultant Certification for soon-to-be or currently semi-retired pastors or executives who have the passion, natural aptitude, and time to deliver our coaching and consulting services. This, combined with our recruitment of existing coaches and consultants, rounds out our team of service providers. We require everyone who delivers services to be certified, thereby ensuring top quality coaching and consulting that will meet the needs of your staff and your church.

Software

We offer software for your church which will help you achieve operational excellence. One of our Board members, Joel Trammell, has invested over seven million dollars in developing a software platform that is deployed in the for-profit sector, producing transformational results for organizational leaders. It will do the same for your church, if you are ready for it. And if you are not at the level of operational maturity yet, we can help you get ready. Our team of consultants will determine if it is appropriate for your situation. Go to www.khorus.com for more information on this software.

Ministry Partners

In addition to our services, we have ministry partners who specialize in serving Christian church and parachurch organizations. We have teamed up with some of the best in the business to ensure we can handle any size organizational challenge.

1. COACHING

Coaching Assessments

At the beginning of every coaching or advisory engagement we generally start with a coaching assessment. We provide a wide variety of assessments including:

• Behavioral and personality assessments
• 360-degree electronic assessments
• 360-degree interview-based assessments

Software

We provide software, when appropriate, during our consulting engagements. Please go to www.khorus.com for a full explanation of one of our main offerings.

2. CONSULTING

Consulting Advisors

We provide Consulting Advisors through our organization and network of ministry partners who are subject matter experts in one or more of the following:

Software

We provide software, when appropriate, during our consulting engagements. Please go to www.khorus.com for a full explanation of one of our main offerings.

3. CERTIFICATION

• One day workshops
• On line courses
• Continuing education

SOLID Vision

SOLIDpastors is widely known as a valued partner to the local church, helping transform their leaders and the ministries they run through effective coaching, consulting and certification services.

SOLID Purpose

SOLIDpastors is a non-profit Christian ministry that serves senior pastors, executive pastors, and executive directors of Christian ministries and their staff by providing coaching, consulting, and expert systems that enable these organizational leaders to improve their performance, increase their effectiveness, and transform the organizations they serve.

SOLID Mission

SOLIDpastor’s mission is to serve the Church by making all services easily accessible to heads of any Christian ministry while mobilizing, training, and certifying semi-retired executives and pastors to provide these coaching and consulting services. We aspire to provide thef best methodology for developing in-place vocational Christian ministers and training semi-retired pastors and executives to become effective pastoral coaches. Because of this work, we see dramatic improvements in personal and organizational performance in those receiving our services, and greater meaning and purpose in the lives of those delivering the work, furthering Jesus Christ’s great commission and great commandment.

SOLID Values

SOLID is an acronym based on five Biblical principles, inspired by 2 Timothy 2:19. They represent the five core values of our firm:

Statement of Faith

The Apostles’ Creed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles’_Creed

Note: The word “catholic” is embraced as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “1a. of, relating to, or forming the church universal; 1b. of, relating to, or forming the ancient undivided Christian church or a church claiming historical continuity from it.”

Board of Directors

Following are the bios of our directors.

Joel Trammell has more than 28 years’ executive leadership experience in technology organizations, and is currently CEO of BlackBox, a 3,300-employee global public company. His previous executive roles, in reverse chronology, include CEO of Khorus Software, CEO of CasheIQ, CEO of NetQoS, CEO of HomeSmart, and CEO of UST Computers. He is a board director of SOLIDpastors, Inc.

For more information:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joeltrammell/

Jim Barger has more than 30 years’ executive leadership experience leading development, sales, and marketing organizations for a variety of software companies. His executive roles, in reverse chronology, have included CEO of My Executive Consultant, CEO of Resource IO, Director of Topaz Technologies, CEO of Blue Kiwi, Director of Pervasive Software, and VP Sales of Coppinger. He is a board director of SOLIDpastors, Inc.

For more information:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-barger-423354/

Daniel Mueller has more than 25 years’ executive leadership experience. An early pioneer of the leadership coaching industry, he has coached more than 1,200 CEOs, senior executives, and Christian non-profit leaders. His roles, in reverse chronology, have included CEO of SOLID Leaders, CEO of Solid Foundation International, CEO of MAI, and CEO of Wellness Consultants. He is Founder and Executive Director of SOLIDpastors, Inc.

For more information:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/solidleaders/

Board of Advisors

Following is a list of our Advisory Board members.

ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR

http://twg.austinridge.org/author/dave-brandolini

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

http://horizonjaco.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonblacklive/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbaconnect/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-dreessen-b9045117/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geneglaeser/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/henri-e-haber-b2148a86/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rob-harrell-83398710b/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-hellen-41082950/

Int’l. Head – Trainers of Pastors International Coalition; http://www.topic.us/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ron-olfers-7b41107/

https://www.linkedin.com/pub/rod-olps/4/120/68

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewbrauch/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kim-stilwell-7b709a17/

http://www.legaldirectories.com/Tarbox-John-E-22512-Atty.aspx

Daniel Mueller, Founder and Executive Director of SOLIDpastors, provides coaching and consulting for senior leaders of Christian ministries. He is passionately dedicated to helping senior Christian vocational leaders of all denominations become more effective in every aspect of their personal and professional lives.

Relying on his background and education in organizational design and development, behavioral psychology, and management consulting, Daniel has been successful in helping individuals and organizations improve their performance. Since 1987, he has designed leadership training curriculum for everything from Fortune 500 companies to small church plants. Daniel has delivered tens of thousands of one-on-one and small-group leadership coaching sessions during his 30-year coaching career. He has also provided numerous seminars, workshops, and speeches, and has executed hundreds of consulting engagements for non-profit and for-profit organizations, large and small. Since 2001, he has increasingly focused on giving back to the Christian vocational ministry leadership community. Daniel is passionate about serving (Mark 10:45) by providing his time and resources to senior pastors and executive directors of Christian entities who want to grow themselves and the organizations they lead. Continuing to spend time in the for-profit world, Daniel serves as a leadership coach to CEOs and senior executives.

Daniel was led to Christ and baptized in 1982 by Phil Landrum, Associate Pastor of Southwest Christian Church. Early on, he was discipled to be a Christian workplace minister and “tent maker” by Acie Johnson, founder of Biblical Leadership for Excellence. Daniel has held several leadership roles in the workplace ministry movement and within the local church. Doug Sherman, graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and author of “Your Work Matters to God,” has heavily influenced his approach to workplace ministry, and several decades of attending Bible churches have given him a deep love and respect for the study of scripture.

On February 16, 1996, Daniel had a huge moral and spiritual failure, which led him into recovery from alcoholism. His sobriety date is March 4, 1996. By the grace of God, he has been sober since that time, and continues to actively help others gain and maintain sobriety. He coaches from a place of weakness, not strength, thinking: “If God can put me back together after making such a mess of my life, he can help anyone” He frequently gives his testimony, which is a compelling story of redemption, filled with God’s grace and love. Feel free to ask him to share it with you.

Patty was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and was a resident of Panama City, Panama for more than 25 years. She has a background in international trade, is instrumental in expanding SOLID’s ministry in Latin America, and serves as translator for Daniel’s speeches there. Daniel and Patty have three children, Audry, Valerie, and Sharon.

Following are endorsements. Please let us know if you would like to talk to any one of these and we will be happy to make an introduction.

“My work with SOLIDpastors has been instrumental in helping me effectively negotiate the increasing complexity of a multi-site/multi-staff church. SOLIDpastors helped me maximize my personal strengths and their value to our organization, while developing new competencies. The monthly coaching calls were instrumental in creating accountability and focus. I highly recommend SOLIDpastors to you and the key leadership in your church.”

Larry Coulter, Senior Pastor

“I had the pleasure of working with a coach from SOLIDpastors as my Senior Pastor Coach for one year. This coach served as a professional advisor and sounding board, assisting me in my work as a senior pastor and was significantly and overwhelmingly positive. My coach was insightful, articulate, trustworthy, and brought a sense of personal ownership to our conversations.  I give the highest personal endorsement to my coach from SOLIDpastors.”

Ronnie Norman, Senior Pastor

“It is difficult to express in words the help and encouragement that I received from my coach at SOLIDpastors. He helped in all the critical needs of a growing the church: vision, team building, mentoring, and personnel transitions. He cut years off my learning curve. It was wonderful to feel confident during the risky implementations of our vision, knowing I had the years of his expertise guiding our decision process. I am grateful for the wisdom and the encouragement I received from him. My coach was more than an advisor; he became a friend.”

Matt Cassidy, Senior Pastor

“Pastors these days have too few trusted resources they can turn to at key crossroads. I needed an unbiased, trusted advisor outside of my board, church staff, even my circle of buddies. My coach thoroughly understood my world, and its accompanying pressures. He helped me unearth the right goals both for my personal growth, and my leadership of the church, and walked alongside me as I implemented some challenging initiatives. I highly recommend SOLIDpastors to any senior leader in a ministry environment.”

Ted Beasley, Former Senior Pastor

“I have been a pastor for thirty years and I regularly attend conferences and have participated in a few different coaching groups and have learned a lot from it, but all my training combined didn’t help me as much as one hour with a leadership coach with SOLIDpastors! I have benefited most from my coach’s personal approach. He doesn’t just give general advice, but tailors his help to my specific needs. In just four months I have found deep SOLID resources which have allowed me to take my church to the next level.”

Craig Walker, Senior Pastor

“I am writing to express my sincere appreciation for the great work SOLIDpastors provided our church. Without your involvement, expertise, and passion for service, we would not be in the wonderful position we are today. Thank you for the leadership coaching you provided for our senior pastor, and the facilitation you provided at our annual Board of Elders strategy session retreat. Through your encouragement and involvement, we now have on board an executive minister, staff changes and new hires are now beginning to take place, and we are getting the right people on board for further growth opportunities.”

Galen Cobb, Vice Chairman, Board of Elders

“I have greatly enjoyed my time with my coach with SOLIDpastors over the past two years. He is skilled at getting to the point that’s most important, helping me see what my priorities should be, and speaking to me in a way that is fresh and bold, and revealing things others are reticent to share with me. Most of my time as a pastor has rightly been about helping others. It’s nice to have someone come alongside and help me.”

Rob Harrell, Senior Pastor

“In August, 2015, I transitioned to be full time Executive Director of a Christian ministry and a coach from SOLIDpastors provided leadership coaching for me in this role. I am forever grateful to my coach for his assistance. His insight and the tools he brings to ministry leaders can accelerate and guide them on their path to success and tremendous accomplishments.”

Neil Kenagy, Executive Director – Christian Non-Profit

“The question is, do you want to get better at what you do in life and work? If so, then you need SOLIDpastors on your team. Helping you be better at all you do is their passion. What I enjoy most is the back and forth of discovery I have with my coach each month. He listens well and probes even better. It doesn’t matter if you are at the top of your game or just starting out, my coach always seems able to meet me where I am at. Many benefit from a coach’s influence but everyone truly needs a faithful encourager to help you move from good to great. My coach is both!”

Rich Carney, Executive Director – Christian Non-Profit

APPENDIX 1: COMPETENCY MODEL

We use a competency model for identifying organizational and/or individual effectiveness. We have identified five categories of competency required for maximum performance: Core Character, Execution, Relationship, Management, and Leadership. Following is a summary.

Core Character

Topics in the Core Character category include: 1. Care and consideration; 2. Courage; 3. Dependability and reliability; 4. Integrity and ethics; 5. Loyalty and trustworthiness; 6. Positivity; 7. Rigorous honesty; 8. Self-awareness; 9. Servant leadership; 10. Tenacity and persistence.

Execution

Topics in the Execution category include: 1. Creating innovation; 2. Driving action; 3. Driving results; 4. Focusing attention; 5. Leveraging intelligence; 6. Managing meetings; 7. Managing time and priorities; 8. Organizing self and others; 9. Running the Church; 10. Solving problems.

Relationship

Topics in the Relationship category include: 1. Adapting behavior; 2. Building relationships; 3. Building teams; 4. Communicating information; 5. Leveraging networks; 6. Listening to others; 7. Managing conflict; 8. Negotiating outcomes; 9. Projecting presence; 10. Reading body language.

Management

Topics in the Management category include: 1. Board management; 2. Capital campaign management; 3. Change management; 4. Financial management; 5. Organizational design; 6. Organizational development; 7. Operations management; 8. Performance management; 9. Project management; 10. Staff management.

Leadership

Topics in the Leadership category include: 1. Casting vision; 2. Organizational change; 3. Demonstrating courage; 4. Employing diplomacy; 5. Exercising sound judgement; 6. Influencing others; 7. Inspiring others; 8. Leading strategy; 9. Mentoring leaders; 10. Studying leadership.

APPENDIX 2: REASONS TO ENGAGE A COACH

Following are frequently given reasons why others have engaged a SOLIDpastors Coach:

Professional

• Assimilate new pastor / church leader
• Better manage / interface with Board of Elders
• Grow leadership skills
• Gain insight into strengths and weaknesses
• Build stronger team
• Refine preaching and speaking skills
• Train new or difficult-to-manage staff

We carefully screen our coaches and consultants to ensure they are in their sweet spot of service delivery, as defined by the intersection of four indices: The natural direction of their career, their greatest strengths, proven abilities and greatest passions. See associated diagram.

APPENDIX 3: HOW COACHING WORKS

A SOLIDpastors Certified Coach meets with you and conducts a two-way interview to determine your suitability and readiness to engage in coaching, which is:

• Completely confidential.
• Custom-tailored to your unique, individual needs. This process is designed from scratch for each participant.
• One-on-one, with a dedicated coach who is trained and certified by SOLID.
• One or two sessions per month, via phone or video or in person, to be determined in collaboration with your coach.
• Topics discussed are totally up to you and can address any aspect of your personal or professional life.

APPENDIX 4: COACHING PROCESS

Phase 1: Orientation to Coaching

During the first month or two of coaching, you will be oriented to SOLID’s coaching process. You naturally have many questions about what it means to have a coach. During Phase 1, you will experience first-hand SOLID’s coaching methodology. Just like a personal trainer at a gym, your coach will address your unique set of needs. There is no curriculum. You and your coach will discuss the most pressing challenges facing you in any aspect of your personal or professional life. Consider this a safe, confidential relationship with a trusted advisor. Your coach fills the following roles:

• Brainstorming partner to solve current problems, challenges, or obstacles in the way of you attaining your goals.
• Safe sounding board for your ideas, able to give you feedback from another leader’s perspective.
• Accountability partner to help you get unstuck, see blind spots and/or overcome procrastination; then, to get into action.
• Trusted advisor who will give you a truly objective, neutral third-party perspective.
• Educator, sharing with you “best practices” to enhance your skills and abilities.
• Counselor, who relies on and references biblical wisdom when advising on any personal and professional aspects of your life.

Phase 2: Assessment of Strengths and Weaknesses

After you have completed several coaching sessions and are grounded in the coaching process, you and your coach will discuss options for completing various types of assessments. We use these to better assess your strengths and challenges within your overall skills and abilities to help you uncover any blind spots you may have.

At SOLID, we use seven major ways to assess you and your needs:

• Your own self-assessment.
• Your coach’s assessment of you.
• Previous assessments you have completed that you can provide to your coach.
• Electronic online assessments.
• Electronic 360-degree assessments.
• Live, interview-based 360-degree assessments.
• Other oral and written assessments.

Your coach will explain these options and you will choose the kind and number of assessments you want to complete. It is entirely up to you. While there may be several assessments initially, other assessments may be administered throughout the life of the engagement, as you and your coach discover areas which you would like to better assess.

Phase 3: Goals

Eventually, we will want to develop what we call a Leadership Development Plan. It is comprised of your coaching goals, and is usually based on the results of Phase 2: Assessments. This plan outlines the specific leadership development goals you are trying to achieve, and helps keep the coaching on track, with clear behavioral measurements that will let you and your coach know to what degree progress is being made.

Phase 4: Coaching

Coaching starts from the very first session. However, in Phase 4, the coaching is more focused on a handful of areas that have been identified as the most useful to address. We initially focus on three things as we help you to attain your goals:

• Leveraging your three key areas of strength.
• Overcoming your three key areas of weakness.
• Developing your staff.

For More Information For more information, please contact Daniel Mueller at: C. 832.732.9395 Daniel@solidleaders.com