For the right type of person, becoming a Christian life coach sounds like the perfect job.
Stay true to your faith, help others grow closer to God, and of course, earn an honest living.
All with the flexibility of working from home (or anywhere in the world with an internet connection — making it a perfect job for travel-lovers).
But how do you start? What qualifications are needed? And how do you find clients?
In this guide, we’ll look at how to become a Christian life coach online, step-by-step.
But first, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page with what a Christian life coach actually is.
Table of Contents
What is a Christian life coach?
Every Christian experiences times when they feel like they aren’t on the right path. Maybe their professional trajectory isn’t moving in the right direction. Maybe they’re unsure of what the next steps in their personal life should be.
During these times, it is worth considering the benefits of working with a Christian life coach.
But what is that, exactly?
A Christian life coach utilizes Christian and biblical teachings to help guide their clients towards the path God wants for them. They also provide spiritual guidance to those who feel stuck.
People who reach out to Christian life coaches often are looking for the spiritual component that they can’t get with a traditional life coach.
They may be on the right professional path but feel unfulfilled in their personal life. Or vice versa. Similarly, they may feel like they’re doing well, but aren’t sure if this is the life God actually wants for them.
The job of the Christian life coach is to help them figure out if where they want to go aligns with where they need to go. Then, they implement a plan to help them get there. You basically get paid to chat and help your clients achieve their goals, with faith at the forefront.
What’s the difference between a Christian life coach and a regular life coach?
Unlike traditional life coaches — who focus solely on secular goals and interests — Christian life coaches focus on the larger picture of life.
The Bible teaches Christians that life on Earth isn’t the ultimate endgame. After death, our true eternal life begins, and it’ll be shaped by our actions on earth.
The Bible clearly states the parameters Christ’s followers are to stay inside of to get the most out of this life and the next. Christian life coaches make sure their clients don’t venture off path. They also help them to find their spiritual purpose, develop spiritual gifts, and also learn how to hear God’s word.
Because life coaches understand that God’s will for his children involves more than just personal and professional success, they use the Bible as a guide to form a life plan with the bigger eternal picture in mind.
Can you be a Christian life coach from anywhere?
In this day and age, remote work is more popular than ever. Christian life coaching is an incredibly flexible field that can be done from nearly anywhere in the world.
At least, anywhere that has adequate wifi and phone services. You can coach over the internet via video chats, phone calls, or even through pre-recorded video lessons.
With that kind of freedom, the avenues to start and operate your business are nearly endless.
Of course, you can also coach in person. In fact, some clients and coaches prefer the more intimate setting. It helps to relieve some of the pressure and helps to manage one’s anxiety.
Ultimately, it depends on your personal goals for your business.
And if traveling while working isn’t your thing, you can always get a job with a local firm.
How much do Christian life coaches make?
Christian life coach salaries vary greatly because there is no industry standard. As an independent coach, you set your own rates.
Aim Higher, a web resource that aims to help desired life coaches to achieve their goals, sets the salary range between $26,892 and $214,238.
That’s quite the range. But even those that earn near the lower end of the spectrum may find that the flexibility makes the low pay worth it. This is especially true if it’s just an extra side hustle, or if you live in a country with a low cost of living.
That said, there are things you can do to set yourself up for financial success. Earning a certification and clocking the mandated number of coaching hours will almost guarantee that you’ll be able to charge more for your services.
Not to mention, since Independent Coach Federation (ICF)-approved certifications require so many hours of instruction and volunteer work, it’s likely the experience you’ll get from the course will allow you to increase your prices.
What qualifications do you need to become a life coach?
As with traditional coaching, it’s possible to become a Christian life coach without any official certification. It’s one of those jobs that you can appoint yourself.
Many coaches start their business after completing independent instructions, whether that means watching YouTube videos or reading other supplemental material.
Because life coaches differ from counselors or therapists, there’s no traditional schooling involved. And even though many Christian life coaches do have some form of educational background, it’s not necessarily required.
With that said, obtaining ICF-approved certification will lend credibility to your title and go a long way with establishing trust between you and the client.
It’s fair to assume that coaches pulling in six figures have at least an ICF certification, which is the only accredited coaching agency that holds up worldwide.
Lastly, Christian life coaches also need to have a stable biblical foundation.
As stated above, professional development is important. And Christian life coaches can help in that area. But they do so from a Biblical perspective. They focus on spiritual development — which can relate to all other aspects of life — but requires a solid understanding of what the Bible teaches.
How to become a Christian life coach online
So now that you know a little bit about what a Christian coach does, let’s talk about how to become one.
- Choose a niche
The life coach umbrella is broad and there are many areas that you can choose to focus on. These include areas like personal health, finances, professional development, interpersonal relationships, and personal faith.
By focusing on one niche, you can provide your client with a more streamlined approach for success. However, many Christian life coaches offer advice on more than one niche. And if you feel equipped to handle it, that’s definitely a path you can take.
Once you’ve decided which area to focus on, it’s time to formulate a game plan. Remember, you can’t help clients achieve their goals unless you put yourself in the position to accomplish your own. - Go through training
A good place to start is training. Specifically, ICF-approved training. There are several programs that are ICF-approved — like Aim Higher and the Christian Coach Institute — and to decide which is best for you, you can check out their free content.
Now, you don’t have to get ICF-trained, but it will lend legitimacy to your coaching business.
If you go that route, be prepared to endure a rigorous training course and to clock in long hours.
There are currently three tiers of coaching status available.
The lowest tier is Associate Certified Coach. It requires aspiring coaches to undergo 60 hours of training and 100 hours of hands-on coaching.
The second tier is the Professional Certified coach. This level requires 25 hours of teaching and 500 hours of practice.
Lastly, the highest tier is Master Professional coach. It requires 200 hours of instruction and 2,500 hours of coaching practice. - Market your Christian life coaching business
A business that no one knows about is a failed business, so it’s crucial that you market your business well. The goal is to advertise your services and alert people that you exist in this space.
Thanks to the internet, there are many ways to alert people of your coaching services. And one of those ways should be starting a website.
With a website, you’ll be able to list your services, background, certifications, and testimonials of past clients. The website also serves as a portal for your clients to contact you for consultations and to book appointments.
If you’re tech-challenged, you’ll be happy to know that setting up a basic website is much easier nowadays. And you can find hundreds of step-by-step video guides on Youtube.
Social media is also a great place to advertise. Consider setting up a Twitter or Instagram account where you post tips that align with your brand. You can communicate with potential clients right on social media, or direct them to your website.
You can also create mock video lessons to show potential clients what it’s like to work with you.
Lastly, word of mouth will forever be the greatest way to attract clients.
Just think of the last time someone recommended a product or service to you. Odds are it ended up being a great experience. This is because nobody goes out of their way to recommend subpar products.
So if you have even a handful of clients who’ve been satisfied with your coaching, their support could go a long way. (And if you haven’t, why not help a friend in exchange for free marketing?)
Not to mention, people naturally trust familiar people over strangers. So if you have people in your corner, make sure that they’re willing to shout it to the rooftops.
Mitch is your typical nomadic backpacker. Or at least, he was. But after stopping in Colombia to take “one week” of salsa lessons, his life took a sharp left turn. He met a cute Colombian girl in dance class, fell in love, and got married. Over half a decade has passed since he left his career to travel the world as a digital nomad, and he’s never looked back.
Nowadays, he’s the blogger behind Project Untethered — where he runs an awesome email newsletter and Youtube channel teaching adventure-craved wanderlusters how to escape the rat race, earn money from anywhere, and build an “untethered life”.
His advice has been featured in Forbes, USA Today, Yahoo, MSN, Reader’s Digest, Condé Nast Traveler, and more.
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