by Dr. Marian Kubes, PCC, CMC, CCNI Christian Life Coach Training Program in Slovakia
Looking back
Let me start on a personal note. I am often asked the question: How did you get into Christian coaching? Thinking about the answer increasingly brings me to amazement. To the amazement of God’s wisdom and His tenderness, with which he enters our lives.
It was sometime in early 2014 when I was approached by a colleague with a request to offer pro bono coaching sessions in favour of an organization helping Christian marriages, which she founded. I had been a business consultant and coach for 20 years at the time and I was hoping for a more relaxed lifestyle. In addition, my wife and I have been helping Christian marriages in crises for many years as a ministry to our Christian community. I was definitely not looking for another commitment.
I was surprised to hear what I replied: “I’d rather teach other people to coach so they can work with married couples. This is how this service gets wherever the couples need it“. This sounded like a commitment.
I had only three or four months to write the first Christian coaching programme in Slovakia. I ordered all the books on Christian coaching available on the market at that time and the first group of 12 participants completed a six-day program in the fall of 2014.
The Community
Since then, to this day, 36 participants, lay people, and clergy participated in this programme every year – so far almost 300 graduates. Until covid, all programs were in a classroom setting and students working together for several months created a small community with a strong bond that wanted to meet and grow further. The growing community has an opportunity to meet at a variety of regular large-scale events: Spiritual retreats for Christian coaches, National conferences (the fourth to be held this September), advanced programs, monthly webinars, and others.
The community is eager to learn. Most of them do coaching pro bono or use a coaching approach in their helping professions.
Looking ahead
CCNI has become an important source of development for the Christian coaching community in Slovakia. The upgraded program has been accredited by CCNI and opens the possibility for our coaches to obtain individual credentials. Cooperation with CCNI has also resulted in specific programs. Dr. Michael Marx has already done two webinars (2021 and 2022) and this year a Summer School, which will also be led by M. Marx, will be launched.
God knows my strengths; he knows that I love teaching and experimenting and visioning. Also, he knows my weaknesses. He has prepared his version of my retirement years. Now I understand why I said what I said to my colleague eight years ago. And I remain in amazement and gratitude.
Dr. Marián Kubeš has a background in psychology, human resources training and development, and organizational development consultancy. He is an ICF credentialed coach (PCC) and mentor coach (CMC). Together with his wife, he started a ministry for Christian couples in crises in 2003. In 2014 he authored the first Christian Life Coach training program in Slovakia which has been recently accredited by CCNI. Besides teaching, writing, coaching and counseling he enjoys time with his six children and fourteen grandchildren. He can be reached at krestanskykouc@gmail.com
One Response
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I am writing to you to request whether we can recommend your services at our up and coming EurECA conference.
We are an association of Christian educators across Europe and we meet once a year for a conference that we put together around a certain topic. We are inter-denominational, but most people in our network are from a Protestant background and usually in a leadership role within education.
We are offering some counselling services for the first time at one of our conferences. The reason for this is that this year has strong therapeutic / counselling aspects; also one of our excursion destinations is Auschwitz.
My role this year is to co-ordinate counselling team, of which I’m also part of. I am a teacher of Maths and English, as well as trained in Christian counselling and prayer ministry through Ellel Ministries.
We do not wish to get into very deep counselling during the conference due to time constraints and yet at the same time we’d like to give people the opportunity to talk about issues that come up and might be triggered by the content of the conference. Therefore we would aim to keep things simple and prayerfully ‘close off’ anything that arises, but at the same time recommend a list of places they could turn to for further help.
I have found your details on the OSCAR website and I would like to ask, whether we can put your details down as part of this list and if yes, whether we should keep the same wording as advertised on this website or whether you wish to change it.
There are some key questions:
Do you also offer your services for free or a reduced rate – we also get some teachers from poorer countries like Eastern Europe (including Ukraine). Do you offer your services online as well?
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.
Many blessings,
~ Markus Wagner ~