Last week Danette and Felix both talked about being in the twilight of their careers. Danette talked about the next 5 years. I'm in a similar place, anticipating maybe 5-7 more years of work with the PCUSA and I'm considering how coaching will fit into my current professional work and alo in my post-retirement work. Right now coaching is a great fit for the cohorts and networks we are forming around the peacemaking priorities for our congregations: racism, poverty, violence, climate justice and migration. Most of my coaching work is with cohorts and their members, and that is pretty much all I have capacity to do. I am interested though in building the foundation for a possible coaching business in retirement. That is what most of these past few PCC courses have sparked and led me to think about. It seems like the front-loaded aspects of setting up a coaching business could be a foundation I am laying now for future coaching years. Obstacles I face include my work load and many commitments and obligations. Taking the PCC course is probably all I can do presently, but when the course is over, with the help of a coach, I may be able to put some of the building blocks of a future coaching business in place. Carving out time and engaging the assistance of a coach would be helpful in accomplishing my coaching goals.

What's your dream for your coaching ministry? Be as detailed as possible.

Our PCC class is giving me permission to create my dream for coaching, and I want to take my time forming that dream. I continue to believe that my niche group might be students approaching graduation from seminary, or first time pastors. To test that out I plan to talk with deans and presidents at seminaries in my region and beyond, to get a sense of whether I might make myself available to students for coaching as I continue to gather hours. I can also see how coaching could be a benefit to the clergy of my conference and this too would give me the opportunity to test my ideal coaching demographic. My thoughts are evolving.



What limitations might you need to let go to live your dream?

If coaching is going to occupy center space in my vocational life, that would require a major change in my plans for the future. At present my congregation is taking a leadership role in our region on the issue of creation care, and I'm not prepared to relinquish that work. So my plan is to work patiently at accumulating coaching hours, while participating in coaching workshops and book groups, and along the way to develop a sense of timing about shifting from my current work to a greater focus on coaching.



What are the possible obstacles you might face?

In the long term, the main obstacles might be financial. I'm not sure how able I will be to invest in the development of a coaching practice, which might mean, for example, that my niche group will be pastors within a 200 mile radius of where I live. This imposed limitation would give me a clear focus (one based on geography rather than age or years of experience), and would help me to develop my work based on an existing network of colleagues and denominational connections, rather than reliance on an extensive marketing program involving social media, etc.



How will you overcome your obstacles and challenges?

I think I address this in the answer to the previous question, but I would add these words: By being creative! Working with limitations can be fertile ground for creativity, and it may be that full time coaching is not my goal. I also exhibit my art work and I'd like to see how that part of my life could become a vibrant conversation partner with the part of my life that is drawn to coaching.

What's your dream for your coaching ministry? Be as detailed as possible.



I want to coach Ministry Leaders, Church Teams, Family/Intergenerational Conversations, and Youth/Young Adults. I'd like to raise up healthy people who aren't afraid to let their past refine them versus define them.



What limitations might you need to let go to live your dream?



Time. I can only put so much of myself into so many directions.



What are the possible obstacles you might face?



I enjoy being useful to God however He wants, so I'm following His plan versus trying to out strategize Him.



How will you overcome your obstacles and challenges?



Letting myself be challenged to plan, but also letting myself take it all to God first.

I started coaching because I wanted to help churches implement changes that will help them adapt to the modern era. I find myself as a facilitator of the future where I want to walk along churches and pastors to evoke a new mindset as to how we approach ministry. There are many opportunities for us to grow and meet the needs of the world and the individuals within and outside of our community.



I overcome challenges by facing them. Many challenges will be individuals who are set in their ways so, I anticipate education to my perception to be necessary for growth.