The Enneagram for Churches and Clergy

by Rhonda Abbott Blevins

Pastor Sam didn’t get it at first.

When he took a new call as a church pastor, he was filled with tremendous enthusiasm and endless ideas for helping the church thrive. But to every “Yes!” he offered, he was countered with a belligerent “No!” from a staff member who had been there longer than he had. “What if?” Sam would say. “It will never work,” his staff member would insist. This drove Sam crazy for months. Sam started calling his colleague “Mr. No,” as he complained about his colleague’s “oil” to his “water.”

Then one day, Sam realized what was happening. “He’s a Six!”

Because Sam had long been a casual student of the Enneagram, he knew his own tendencies well as an Enneagram type Seven. Like most Sevens, Sam had endless ideas, enthusiasm, creativity, and curiosity—mostly positive traits. And like most Sevens, Sam was great at launching new endeavors and less great at maintaining them. Sam almost always overestimated the upside of a new venture, and consistently underestimated the downside.

Sam’s colleague, as an Enneagram Type Six, was naturally given to worst-case scenario thinking. He could anticipate problems before they ever manifested.

No wonder, then, that Sam’s many “What if’s?” were consistently met with his colleague’s, “It will never work.”

When Sam realized that his “Seven-ness” was interacting with his coworker’s “Six-ness,” Sam changed his approach. Instead of getting annoyed every time his colleague told him his idea wouldn’t work, Sam decided to honor his staff member’s “Six-ness.” Sam began to value the Six’s superpower of seeing the downside of Sam’s (sometimes hair-brained) ideas. Sam changed his approach. He became less attached to his (sometimes hair-brained) ideas until Sam heard from his colleague about the downside of said ideas. Instead of being blind-sided by the “It will never work” replies, Sam now asks his coworker upfront, “Here’s this idea; please send me an email detailing all the worst-case scenarios you can imagine.” Sam can now read and consider the downsides of any given idea. He may choose to proceed anyway, always careful to thank his colleague for the input, naming the value of having someone who can think deeply about foreseeable pitfalls.

The story above offers a snapshot into how the Enneagram can be a powerful tool for pastors, ministry leaders, and church staff teams who want to take steps toward greater self-knowledge and more effective team communications. Pastors, age-group ministers, chaplains, and denominational leaders can benefit from Enneagram-informed coaching. An Enneagram coach can guide church leaders toward self-discovery, helping them achieve personal and professional goals.

Another way to engage wisdom from the Enneagram in a church setting is to offer an Enneagram workshop, team training, a staff development day, or retreat. The Enneagram might be the perfect learning experience! Lay leadership teams will enjoy learning this content and can discover greater capacity for working together. Some teams talk about insights from Enneagram team encounters for months and even years!

How does it work? The process begins with our certified Enneagram trainer leading your team members through an Enneagram type discovery process which includes an introduction into the nine Enneagram types. The trainer then takes teams deeper into discovering communication styles for each type, introducing an effective tool for giving and receiving feedback. Denominational leaders might consider offering an Enneagram workshop for clergy as a part of their continuing education requirements.

Whether you want to engage the Enneagram for individual coaching or you’re considering hosting a workshop, training, or retreat, you’ll discover that insights from the Enneagram can empower individuals and groups to grow in the way of compassion, empathy, and more effective communications.

In the words of Pastor Sam, “what if” you contacted Pinnacle’s certified Enneagram trainer today for coaching or team training? What could possibly go wrong?

Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott Blevins (7w8) is a certified Enneagram trainer and the pastor of Chapel by the Sea in Clearwater Beach, Florida. She is the coordinator of Pinnacle’s Ascend Enneagram which offers Enneagram training, workshop, retreats and coaching for clergy and congregations.