The Academy of Artful Leadership helps gifted leaders continue to grow through hosted conversations around key themes in ministry, peer learning, and individual coaching. The outcome is greater clarity and calculated movement toward transformational congregational leadership.
The Academy utilizes a “coach approach” process, which means that instead of relying on instruction from a teacher or prescriptions from a consultant, a coach helps to mine the expertise and internal wisdom of congregational leaders. This “coach approach” process helps leaders discern the God-sized things that need to happen, develop a plan to get there, and celebrate with them when they do.
Debbie Carl served congregations in Arkansas, Virginia, and East Kilbride, Scotland. Debbie comes from a family of Presbyterian clergy. After 30 years of ministry she retired and began a journey toward becoming a life-coach. She graduated from Invite Change and became Certified as a Professional Coach and accredited through the International Coaching Federation. She is married to Noël Roegiest and lives in the Netherlands. She has two grown children, Lindsay and William. She has co-authored a whimsical children’s book about overcoming fear with her son. Debbie is a graduate of the University of Tulsa, BA in Religion and Communications; Union Presbyterian Seminary, VA, M.Div.; Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, D.Min.; Invite Change, Certified Professional Coach.
Debbie loves running, hiking, walking (having walked the Camino de Santiago twice), cycling, adventurous traveling, spending time with friends and family, Celtic spirituality, laughing, and experiencing God’s blessings in worship and service. She is passionate about coaching and compares it to walking the Camino—it is a journey.
Rev. Chris Holmes, PCC, has been coaching church leaders across many denominations since 2008, with over 1000 hours coaching laity, clergy, denominational leaders and bishops. In the United Methodist Church he leads the coaching team working with new district superintendents and directors of connectional ministry, as well as several conference leadership cabinets.
Chris authored, along with George Howard, the Coach Approach Skill Training (CAST) for ministry, which is an approved training program of the International Coach Federation. CAST has now trained over 1000 church leaders in the basic and advanced skills of coaching for ministry. He also is co-creator and faculty for Auburn Seminary’s coach training and author of The Art of Coaching Clergy, as well as many articles on coaching.
As a founding member of the Maryland Chapter of the International Coach Federation, Chris served as President from 2012-2014. Prior to coaching, he pastored churches for 26 years and served as District Superintendent of the Annapolis District in the Baltimore-Washington Conference. Chris and Margaret have been married for over 35 years, have three grown children. Chris is an accomplished watercolor artist.
Contact Lynda Otte
Holmes Coaching Group
614-245-8813
lynda@holmescoaching.com