What is supervision?
Professional supervision provides a supportive space for personal learning and character development.
Our congregations and communities deserve the best of what we can offer. Through supervision, leaders are encouraged to grow into the best versions of themselves, so that they can serve their people with excellence and care.
Supervision is usually a requirement for professionals who have demanding, people-orientated roles, including counsellors, pastors, and social workers.
How are coaching and supervision different?
Supervision and coaching have much in common. At the heart of both is a cycle of action and reflection; both modes aim to help leaders reflect on themselves and their activities so that they can grow and develop.
However, there are a couple of key differences.
Supervision is workplace-orientated, helping clients to keep their work ethical, professional, and safe. Coaching, on the other hand, is more flexible and driven by what the client wants to achieve.
Supervision tends to be backward-looking; exploring situations that have occurred in order to make sense of them. In contrast, coaching is forward-looking, and this orientation means goal setting and accountability play greater roles.
The supervision I offer is one informed by sound missiology.
My own experience of supervision when in pastoral ministry often felt like a fireside chat. Now, while we all can do with one of those now and then, I offer church leaders more than just a listening, empathetic ear. Though I care deeply about the church and have spent close to two decades in various forms of ministry, I am, at heart, a missionary, not a pastor.
Leaders who work with me have the opportunity to regularly reflect on the role of local mission and discipleship—not just in their churches but in their own lives. This focus, of course, does not exclude other areas that are causing stress or concern.
Sounding good?
If you're looking for a supervisor who will gently help you challenge the missional status quo of your church, I’d love to journey with you.
"Working with Nathan has been a humongous help to my ministry and personal growth. I really value how he listens and helps me find clarity when my thoughts feel cluttered. I always leave our sessions feeling truly understood. Having a clear plan of action and the accountability he provides at each meeting has been exactly what I’ve needed to stay on track and move forward with confidence."
Bianca Shepherd, Nativity Church, Blenheim
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"Nathan is very good at helping you drill down into the specifics of what you are dealing with and keeping you on track until you have some tangible steps to address those issues. He summarises well what we are working on and keeps a log of what’s next. In all this, he has a relaxed but professional manner, engaging with the issues I face while keeping me focused and on track."
Rev. Glen Ashworth, Nativity Church, Blenheim
“Nathan’s ability to cut through the noise of ministry and offer wisdom on both a professional and personal level has been invaluable to me. His years of ministry experience, combined with his gift for listening deeply, communicating clearly, and reflecting back what I am thinking and feeling, have been a real gift in my development as a pastor.
For me, Nathan has been a safe pair of ears, a genuine heart for Christ’s Church and its leaders, and a trusted companion on the journey of becoming more fully who Jesus is calling me to be — in ministry and in all of life.
Rev. Dave Tabrum, Discipleship and Formations Pastor, St Francis Community Church, Hamilton