Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Growing Spiritual Transformational Leaders



New Coordinator for Pathways of Spiritual Leadership


By Kevin Witt, Director of Growing Spiritual Transformational Leaders

We are excited to welcome Kim Shockley as the new Coordinator for Pathways of Spiritual Leadership. Kim will work closely with Kevin Witt, the Growing Spiritual Transformational Leaders Team, Young People’s Ministry Team, and other groups focused on Spiritual leadership formation. Kim will help create very intentional pathways and processes among laity and clergy across the age span. Kim will, also, play a major role in developing expanded spiritual leadership training and action opportunities related to the Young Clergy Initiative grant recently awarded to the Susquehanna Conference.

Kim comes with many gifts for this calling and role. Her background includes both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Christian Education. She has designed and implemented new Christian Education and Youth Ministries in multiple congregational settings, including new church starts.

Kim served in the Florida Annual Conference as the Orlando Area Congregational Excellence specialist. She was Team Leader for a research project called Toward Vitality. Most recently, the Western North Carolina Annual Conference called upon her to serve as the Church Vitality Strategist for the Catawba Valley District. Kim, also, brings extensive experience as a leadership coach for pastors and lay leadership teams. This calling led her to seek advanced training as a certified coach who is now working to complete the final steps toward advanced professional certification.

As a ministry coach, facilitator and consultant, Kim’s specialties include working with church leaders to discern clarity of focus and values, in order to accomplish important ministry goals. She loves working with teams and groups who want to know how to take an inspired idea and bring it to fruition through actionable steps. By facilitating dynamic Christian conversation, she draws from the participants the best options for accomplishing God’s desires for local mission and ministry.

Kim is married to Gary Shockley and together they wrote Imagining Church: Seeing Hope in a World of Change for Alban Institute in 2009. In 2013 Kim and Paul Nixon published The Surprise Factor for Abingdon Press. The book highlights ten strategies for leading fruitful and vital congregations.

Please, join me in warmly welcoming Kim Shockley as our new Coordinator for Pathways of Spiritual Leadership.

Kevin Witt