What is the difference between a minister, a regular Life Coach, Christian Life Coach, and a Recovery Life Coach?

A Minister guides an individual or group to adhere to a particular set of beliefs, values and principles and practices.  Ministers are usually the figurehead of a particular religion or spiritual path.

A regular Life Coach guides individuals to find their own personal answers to Life and Career issues. Coaching is a partnership--an alliance, not a legal or business partnership, nor a medical relationship as with a mental health provider. The International Coach Federation defines Coaching as, “ A partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” Coaching is about working from the “inside-out” to help people move forward in their lives. Coaches use powerful questions and tools to help their clients gain clarity and find their own answers.  We create a space for vulnerability and structure that helps people to feel held accountable to go out and create the future that they are being called to fulfill.

A Christian Life Coach has the belief that God holds the answers to life’s challenges and that He has a specific plan and purpose for every believer.  A Christian Life Coach helps people find God’s path and direction, and to find the answers to Life and Spiritual questions through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He or she also holds the client accountable so that the client can put into action spiritual and life practices, beliefs and values. The Christian Life Coach helps others to unlock the power of God in their lives, overcome barriers and find God's plan for their lives.

A Christian Life Coach is a trained Professional who supports individuals and groups to explore and enhance their connection to God. They rely on faith more fully and integrate Christian principles into their everyday lives. Christian coaches may work with believers and non-believers to find a more satisfying and fulfilling life.

A Recovery Life Coach is a term used to describe a professional who specializes in strengths-based coaching, supporting those typically recovering from addictions and substance use. Ashley & Associates Coaching & Consulting specializes in Infidelity Recovery Coaching for those affected by infidelity of various kinds to apply our recovery tools to the pain, confusion, anger and heartbreak from affairs and betrayal. Recovery Coaches may partner with mental health professionals, pastors, family members, and the like to coordinate care. They have first-hand experience in getting “sober” so they know what it takes. The strategies we employ come from walking in your shoes so we know how to guide you through the maze and pitfalls of codependency and infidelity.  

How would Christian Life Coaching benefit me?

• Help people define and explore their unique relationship with God and His purpose for them.

• Practically apply their faith and trust in God in everyday situations

• Help and support others in times of Crisis, Change and Transition

• Help your clients deepen their intimacy with God and learn to listen to His voice

• Assist your Client with overcoming their Barriers, Fears and Insecurities

• Help others to find their unique motivation and move forward in their lives

How would Infidelity Recovery Coaching benefit me? 

-Find healing and recovery tools from trained professionals who work at Emergency Marital Seminar for Affair Recovery in Austin

-Infidelity Recovery Coaches have strategies they employ which come from walking in your shoes so they know how to guide you through the maze and pitfalls of codependency and infidelity.  

"What is a Christian life coach, and is the concept biblical?"

Christian life coaching is a relatively new field still working out its professional identity. As such, there is no formal definition as to what a Christian life coach does. However, life coaches in general are marketed somewhat akin to personal trainers. A person with a specific goal or who is going through a particular change in life may employ a life coach to help guide and encourage him through the transition, just as a personal trainer may help a client with a fitness goal. Life coaches can also help clients who feel stuck and in need of new direction. They might specialize in business and in helping clients adopt new work techniques. They may specialize in relational difficulties and help clients overcome personal quirks. Or they might specialize in health and help clients learn new living habits. In essence, a life coach is someone who walks alongside a person for a season of life and coaches him through it. A "Christian life coach" would be a Christian who is employed as a life coach or one who includes Christian spirituality in coaching.

Some of the concepts behind Christian life coaching are biblical. We are called to "encourage one another and build each other up" (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We see Paul exhorting believers to live holy lives. We are told to "carry each other’s burdens" (Galatians 6:2). The concept of mentorship or discipleship is sprinkled throughout Scripture. Clearly, Christians should be living in community, and we all need help sometimes in meeting certain goals. Inasmuch as a life coach assists with these things, there is nothing explicitly unbiblical about it. 

Some difficulties arise because life coaching is not a well-defined profession. Presumably, Christian life coaches have training that others in the Body of Christ do not. They should have honed skills to promote growth and an understanding of practical steps to personal change. Finding a mature believer to be a mentor might prove just as helpful as employing a life coach. The other difficulty with life coaching can be its focus on self-improvement. We are called to live holy lives and to engage in the process of sanctification. But we must remember that change does not ultimately occur because of good coaching techniques or strong willpower. It occurs because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. 

The decision to employ a Christian life coach depends on circumstances, personal preference, and God’s leading at the time. God may choose to stimulate sanctification through a life coach, or He may prefer to challenge the church to more actively engage in helping others along the way. No matter the choice, it is important to remember that "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).