Chi Alpha defines coaching as partnering with missionaries in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and ministry potential. Chi Alpha coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and ministry and believe every missionary is creative, resourceful, and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:
This process helps missionaries who engage in a coaching relationship gain fresh perspectives on personal challenges, develop enhanced thinking and decision-making skills, gain greater interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence to carry out their responsibilities.
Seven Benefits of Christ-Centered Coaching
Creswell, Jane. Christ-Centered Coaching: 7 Benefits for Ministry Leaders (St Louis: Chalice Press, 2006).
The 503 Coaching Change, Transition, and Transformation class has been very instrumental in providing foundational information and guidance in how to ask good questions to both staff and students when they find themselves at a crossroads. I have found that most of our students are in this phase of change, transitioning, and asking questions that influence their future. This class has equipped myself to meet our students where they are and to coach them to where they want to be. Through the use of coaching, students and staff have found more ownership, peace, and excitement in their decisions.
– Karissa Miller
Coaching has been an awesome tool to use with our student leaders. Since adding coaching to our discipleship plan I have witnessed our students be able to maneuver through some tough road blocks such has family issues, dating relationships, self esteem and even spiritual doubts and come through the other side with clarity and confidence to move forward in their life in a healthy way. Our ministry is stronger because we are raising up critical thinkers and self aware leaders who in return are passing on the coaching model to the students they are mentoring. “Ask Powerful questions!” Has become a catch phrase among our leaders and staff and I believe we are all better for it.
– Kendra Kertson
The coaching training I have received has been an incredible blessing to me and my ministry. I find myself better equipped to lead our students to their own revelations about who God is in their life. It’s been incredible to help students come to an understanding of how they can practically walk out a Godly life, through the method of asking powerful questions rather than just making statements and telling them what I think. I found that when they are guided to an answer rather than given one they have had a much greater rate of follow through in applying it to their life.
– Derek Lynn, former campus missionary associate at New Mexico State University
This past year God has been showing me my need to hone my discipleship skills as I continue to meet with students whose problems I often feel ill-equipped to handle. A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure and opportunity to take the Intro to Coaching class, and I learned many things and skills to help me as I continue to disciple students and maybe even coach!
I have already switched my discipleship style to focus on listening 80% of the time and speaking to only ask good questions or give short thoughts. I have seen the fruit of the coaching method as students have begun challenging themselves and thinking of their own ways to grow deeper in Christ and actually do it! I’m thankful for this coaching class and can’t wait to learn more!
– Daniela Shoulderblade, CMIT at San Diego State University
Coaching has enabled me to help missionaries I serve become better problem seers and solvers. Coaching helps them to explore their own road blocks, options and potential consequences to the challenges they encounter in ministry, and life, instead of just doing “what someone else told them to do.” In doing so, they own the results and become better equipped to handle future obstacles. The energy to “work the problem” is stronger because it comes from within and not from the outside.
– Steve Brannan, campus pastor at The Ohio State University and the University of Cincinnati
Coaching with Joy wrapped up in one word is “refreshing.” The amount of clarity and the mobilization toward action that I received from each coaching session gave definition to the ideas, thoughts and issues brewing in my head. I found myself taking a concern, idea, or new enterprise and writing it down in my notebook for my next coaching session. No longer was it mine to figure out by myself; I had a coach who could facilitate the thinking process with exceptional questions that would pull out of me the things I knew that I didn’t know I knew. Coaching worked for the practical issues, like running a household, to the deep philosophical conundrums such as finding my voice as a writer. Joy has a deep desire to see the Kingdom of God advanced through you. She is encouraging, life-giving, and the best advocate you have ever known (besides Jesus, of course).
– Coaching client
Paul Austin, Chi Alpha’s national pioneering director, has been coaching pioneers and Chi Alpha leaders since 2012. His expertise in pioneering and broad experience working with leaders on all sizes and types of campuses gives him a unique background when wrestling with implementing growth and change in a ministry.
Delyn Cole followed Jesus’ call to disciple students and helped her husband Curtis pioneer Chi Alpha at the University of Oregon in 1988 and at the University of Montana–Western in 1991. All along the way Delyn developed a heart for strategically investing in the lives of others. As Chi Alpha’s coaching and support raising training director, she works alongside Chi Alpha’s certified coaches and support raising trainers to raise up fully funded, effective, and healthy missionaries. Delyns holds Associate Certified Coach Credentials with the International Coach Federation.
Jerry currently serves as a field specialist focused on Chi Alpha’s local church initiative. He has served Jesus as a world missionary in Mexico and Spain, was the former director of XAi (formerly ISFM), and a campus pastor of a growing church in Oregon. His passion has always been to encourage growth in leaders to become the best they can be. Coaching serves that passion. He holds Associate Certified Coach Credentials with the International Coach Federation.
Kendra is a passionate teacher, coach trainer, and ministry leader. She has been a missionary with Chi Alpha for 10 years, she and her husband did their internship at Stanford University in 2012 and from there pioneered a campus ministry at San Diego State. Through Kendra’s experience as a campus director, leading a staff team, and starting an internship she found the use of coaching to be a transformative tool in all aspects of ministry. In 2022 Kendra joined the national Chi Alpha coaching team and is currently working as a coach training specialist; she holds credentials with AGCC, level 3 and The International Coach Federation. When she is not coaching she is enjoying being a mother to her 3 girls and running her small urban backyard farm.
Mike Olejarz has served as a missionary with Chi Alpha Campus Ministries since 1982. He has worked in our mission organization as a campus missionary, CMIT director, district and regional director, national leader (on two occasions) and coach. He currently serves as a field specialist based in Charlottesville, VA.