Active Status Question and Answer Event - Monday, January 30 
12noon-1pm Pacific / 1-2pm Mountain / 2-3pm Central / 3-4pm Eastern
Greetings, coaching friends, and happy Epiphany. When we use this word, Epiphany, it tends to conjure up images of a light bulb turning on or being able to see something that was once hidden from view. And this is a perfect entree into our video update for today. Some of you may have been hearing the term Active Status being used related to our coaching ministry, and maybe you've been unclear about what this means for you as a coach in the ELCA.
Today we want to start the conversation and hopefully bring clarity about what this initiative entails. To frame this, let's start by talking about three different ways coaching is engaged. Like a different lens we look through, coaching is employed on the national level, the synodical level, and the congregational or individual leader level in the ELCA.
It's important to know that the active status protocol we are introducing is the cumulative result of the conversations we have had with several entities from each of these realms, including representatives from the International Coaching Federation, leadership from the Churchwide office, synod staff, and individual coaches within the ELCA, and of course, our ELCA coaching leadership team.
Along with these three expressions, we also know that coaching can occur formally, meaning there is some sort of contract and compensation involved, or informally, meaning you are using the posture of a coach in your work and life, but it does not include any sort of covenant or specific compensation.
And with this framing, please hear clearly, as our data collection tool reveals, we celebrate all of these ways coaching is happening across our denomination, and each of these ways is valued and supports important growth and transformation in our church and the world.
So, who is active status for? Just as we mentioned before, it depends on the lens through which you are looking.
First of all, the active status protocol is important if you want to have your name and bio listed on our national coaching website. Later this year, we will be relaunching our Meet the Coaches page, which will enable individuals to view coaching bios and connect directly with one of our coaches. Meeting the active status qualifications will enable you to submit your bio for publication on our site. Likewise, if you will have a contract through our national office in 2023 or beyond, these are the benchmarks you will need to meet in order to have a coaching contract issued.
Now for the second lens. Some synods may choose to adopt these same standards and expectations for their synod coaching teams, and that's great. Other synods, however, may not, and that's okay, too. Remember, synods have autonomy to construct their own processes for coaching. The framework we have built at the national level is meant to be flexible, so it can be shaped and molded to meet the specific needs in the contexts of each of our 65 synods.
And now for the third lens, the local or individual level. We believe focusing on a consistent, proven, clearly-articulated set of priorities and standards will help create an atmosphere of coaching excellence for both our coaches and the leaders we accompany. In addition, we trust providing these benchmark qualifications creates consistency in expectations and information, and provides an important framework for all of us as we develop cultures and pathways of coaching.
The specific details of this active status protocol can be found on this website. It is important to remember that this is a living document, meaning we expect changes to happen, and the most up-to-date version will always be on our website. And we will continue to unpack aspects of this in future videos as well as in live question and answer events that we will be hosting.
I now want to weave everything we've talked about back to the concept of Epiphany. When the Magi, people from the Gentile world, went to see Jesus, this was a realization that the good news of Jesus belongs to everyone, not just a select few. Similarly, I want us to remember that the gift of coaching is something that we intend for everyone to have access to.
And with this in mind, and please hear this clearly, active status is not meant to bring the impression that some of us are in and others are out. Rather, it is a vehicle for us to use in order to live more fully into the standards and expectations of the coaching industry, as well as to determine who in our coaching realm is using this skill in a more formal way in mission and ministry.
That's it in a nutshell, friends. As always, please know that each of you are valued, no matter how you are engaging coaching. And know you are changing the world one coaching conversation at a time.