Thank you for your interest in pursuing a credential with the International Christian Coaching Institute (ICCI). Please complete all requested information in all sections or mark "N/A" if not applicable. You may save your work and resume the process at a later time, but please note that uploads will not be saved.

ICCI will not disclose the confidential information given in this application to a third party without your express, written consent. Please allow 1-3 weeks for processing.

Demographics

This information will update your profile information.

Education/Training in Christian Life Coaching

• I Agree

I received my health and life coaching certification with the Health Coach Institute. I went on to gain my mastery-level Transformational Life coach certification as well.

• BHC-Credits.pdf
• TCM-Credits.pdf

Mentoring in Christian Life Coaching

• I Agree

Field Experience in Christian Life Coaching

• I Agree

I completed over 40 hours under the supervision of Health Coach Institute. I have worked at maintaining at minimum 3 clients a week over the past six months. My website is www.karenkaysmith.com and my company name is Embrace Life and Health Coaching.

Other Professional Credentialing or Certification

• TCM-Credits1.pdf
• BHC-Credits1.pdf

Spiritual Orientation and Practice

Please define/describe your thoughts and beliefs on the following questions.

Jesus Christ is the son of the Almighty God. He came to earth as a human, lived a perfect, sinless life, and died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins. He arose three days later and now sits at the right hand of God. That's the gospel in a nutshell. But Jesus, to me, is my Savior. Because of him, I am confident that one day, I will join him in the heavens. Jesus is my strength in my weakness. I have overcome many challenges in my life. I know what it is like to be at the end of myself and wonder how I survived. I know it was His strength in me. Jesus is my comforter. Through the loss of my parents and, most recently, my spouse, Jesus has been my comforter. Tenderly holding me in his arms, tending to me like a shepherd. I know that as I held my babies and sang over them when they were tired and cranky, Jesus has been holding me and singing songs of comfort and peace over me. While my faith may have wavered as I traversed the valley of shadow and death, Jesus was my only hope. I would look back and see His faithfulness in the past, and this would propel me forward when I felt no hope. He has been my faithful confidante and friend.

A person must recognize that they are a sinner. They have done things that have displeased God or not done things they know they should have done. They have sinned. Their hearts must be ready to repent, to admit they are wrong and living a life that is not following God. They must admit that Jesus came to earth as God's only son as a sacrifice for them. Our sin and a Holy God cannot be together. So Jesus came to pave the way so that our lives could be made clean and we could have fellowship with the Holy of Holies. Jesus provides a way for us to have a relationship with a God that is bigger and greater and lovelier than one can ever imagine. They must understand the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Then, they must be ready to turn from their old way of living to a life that seeks God. A person cannot earn their salvation. It is a gift from God.

The Bible is the inerrant, inspired word of God. It is true. God gave the words to men to write down so we may know the truth. The Bible has 66 books divided into two sections, the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, we read stories such as the creation of the world, the flood and Noah who built an ark to save humanity from destruction, we see prophets foretell the coming of Jesus, we experience the psalms of David where David pours his heart out to God. We read a lot of history in the Old Testament as well. And then, as we make our way into the New Testament, we find the gospels, which tell the story of Jesus. They tell us about his life, his actions, his death, his resurrection, his parables, his teaching, and his love for mankind. We go on to read about a new way to live after the death of Jesus. We begin to understand that our job is to love God and love others as we have been loved. We read about the church and what it is to be part of a community of believers. We end the New Testament with the understanding that Jesus will return. There is a future beyond this earth. While I don't claim to understand everything about the symbolism in the book of Revelations, I am confident that there will be a new heaven and a new earth; I will have a new body, a perfect, flawless body, and I will spend the remainder of eternity with God.

The Holy Spirit was sent to indwell inside me. Jesus says I must go so that I can send you another comforter. The Holy Spirit is part of the triune God. God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit. Three in one.

I was raised in church all my life. I became a perfect check box girl. I walked down the aisle and was baptized as a young child. However, I remember no meaning attached to that event. As a 14-year-old, I encountered the death of a close family member. I was paralyzed by the idea that I might not be going to heaven. I struggled immensely with doubting my salvation experience. Finally, after months of struggling in the comfort of my own room, I asked God to allow that moment to be a defining moment. Whether I saw saved before or not no longer mattered. From this point forward, I could say I was His child. I admitted, believed, and confessed. And that is the night I believe I found Jesus as my personal Savior. However, that was not the end of my struggling. For the two years following, any time the word baptism was brought up, my stomach turned to knots, my heart raced, and my mind fluttered from one thought to another. After two years of this struggle, I finally decided I would have to admit my imperfection to others and follow Jesus' example of baptism. This has seemed to be a trend in my life. Surrender does not come easy. However, after a struggle, my heart always surrenders to him. I served on church staff as children's pastor and leader of women's ministry. Eventually, I came home to nurture my own children and later became my husband's caregiver after his diagnosis of Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis. As I have encountered the loss of both my parents and my husband, grief has been ever-present in my life. For four months following my husband's death, I did not feel God. I would claim His promise that He was near the brokenhearted, but I felt abandoned. As I inched my way forward, my heart can now worship God again. My faith has never left, but it is now a fire inside of me again. I am a living testimony of Jesus in me.

I pray in each of my coaching sessions. I always lead my clients back to Jesus and God's word. My faith is a testimony to my clients. I build His hope in them, and I show them that there is hope for their situations. God is the foundation of my ministry.

ICCI Applicant Attestation

Note: The following statements require your attestation (affirming each one to be true to the best of your knowledge). Please be sure to respond to each and every section regarding yourself and your Life Coaching practice or ministry.

The foundation to all work and identity as a Christian Life Coach is a living, vibrant, and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The following statements require your attestation (affirming each one to be true to the best of your knowledge). Please be sure to review each and every section that directly pertains to you and your professional life coaching, and/or ministerial work. The information it contains is important and will be referenced in the Application Form. Depending on your responses, additional information may be required in order to process your Application. 

SECTION A: Christian Personal Testimony

SECTION B: Christian Coaching Testimony (Required)

The practice of Christian Life Coaching genuinely incorporates scriptural truths, biblical principles and guidance, and a Christian value system into one’s coaching/ministerial practice, theoretical orientation, and professional life. ICCI is dedicated to credentialing Christian Life Coaches, not simply people and lay helpers who happen to be Christian, but do not incorporate their faith into practice. Please respond to the following items by checking the appropriate box: (Required)

SECTION C: Ethical Integrity (Required)

Each applicant must demonstrate and maintain ethical integrity in all Life Coaching, ministerial, and professionally related activities. Please note that a Yes answer to any of the following questions will not necessarily disqualify you for the credential you are seeking. If the case has been properly remedied and/or disposed of, and you are under no current ethical complaint or investigation, then the application process can proceed. Please respond to the following items by checking the appropriate box:

• I Agree

ICCI Applicant Agreement

CERTIFICATION

Applicants certify all information in the Application Packet is true and complete, and understand they have the burden of producing all information necessary for ICCI to fairly and fully evaluate their qualifications, background, ethics, and Christian character in order to be considered for one of the ICCI credentials. They agree to inform ICCI of any changes in this information. Misstatements or omissions from the Application may be cause for denial of appointment or reappointment of the credential. Applicants further agree that any subsequent adverse information about them and/or their practice may be cause for disciplinary action – including the possibility of having the credential suspended or revoked.

AUTHORIZATION

Applicants authorize and give the ICCI consent to contact and, without restriction, discuss any issues pertaining to their character and qualifications with individuals submitting recommendation forms or providing mentoring services. Consent is given for the release of all information, records, and documents, by whatever means the ICCI chooses to collect this data, and to assist them in the good-faith evaluation of their Application. If a question arises in the future about their character and qualifications to the credential, they agree to assist the ICCI in its efforts to resolve any questions it may have.

INDEMNIFICATION

Applicants release from any and all liability ICCI, Hope Together Network, LLC, Hope for the Heart, JAWS, LLC, and any individual officers, directors, employees, or agents of these organizations for any and all acts done in good faith and without malice or intent to harm in connection with the evaluation of their Application for an ICCI credential.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION

If a dispute arises between the applicant and ICCI regarding the application or any future matter, applicants agree to engage in dispute resolution that (1) first attempts direct negotiation; (2) then attempts mediation with a mediator acceptable to both parties; (3) then uses arbitration and binding arbitration to resolve the matter, which mediation/arbitration shall take place in Dallas, Texas.

CREDENTIAL RESOLUTION

Applicants resolve to support the mission and goals of the ICCI and further agree to abide by and fully adhere to the ICCI Doctrinal Statement. They have not hidden, nor omitted any necessary information related to receiving the credential. If they qualify, they will hold their ICCI credential in the highest regard, honor the calling of God in Christian Life Coaching, and maintain both excellence and an ethical stance as a servant-leader in the field. Furthermore, they will strive to avoid all behavior that compromises the name of Christ, the cause of Christian Life Coaching, and the purposes of the ICCI.

Applicants acknowledge they have read, discussed as needed, and fully understand this Agreement. They acknowledge that by signing the formal Application Form, they do hereby agree with all consent and authorization statements that are described herein.

• I Agree

Credential Requirements

Basic Requirements

Continuing Education Requirements

All ICCI credential holders are required to obtain 15 CONTACT HOURS of Continuing Education on an annual basis and these hours must incorporate biblical principles and coaching skills with theory, knowledge, and practice.

Continuing Education is a term that applies to obtaining contact hours across a broad range of post-secondary (beyond high school) learning activities and programs. Some examples include degree credit courses, non-degree career training, self-directed learning, experiential learning, seminars, symposiums, workshops, conference presentations, and classroom lectures. The method and format of delivery may be face-to-face, distance/online learning, printed texts/workbooks, the use of videotaped materials, etc.

ICCI approved Continuing Education and competency activities can occur in the following categories:

Category #1: Continuing Education activities that the credential holder ENGAGES in as a RECIPIENT

NOTE: A minimum of ten (10) contact hours of the required total number of hours must be from Category #1

• Formally organized learning (college/university courses, workshops, seminars, professional or ministerial conferences, presentations, home study, etc.). The delivery of content may be either face-to-face or electronic (e.g., CD, DVD, computer, Web-based, etc.)
• Training experiences at churches or other Christian organizations that resulted in a certificate of completion or other verifiable documentation of participation
• Publications (e.g., journals, magazines, etc.) that have a CE component and a process providing verification of completion
• Coaching supervision and/or consultation that is received and documented

Category #2: Continuing Education activities that the credential holder PROVIDES as a FACILITATOR

• Facilitating, training or presenting at an organized conference/seminar/class that incorporates biblical principles and life coaching skills with theory, knowledge, and practice (the same presentation may only be used once in a renewal period)
• Teaching a post-secondary class that incorporates biblical principles and life coaching skills with theory, knowledge, and practice (the same course may only be used once in a renewal period)
• Producing new training materials and/or curriculum that incorporates biblical principles and coaching skills with theory, knowledge, and practice
• Publishing (a book, book chapter, journal/magazine article, etc.)

Acceptable Forms of Documentation for Continuing Education activities:

• Certificates of Completion
• CE letters or other forms documenting participation
• Official transcripts and/or diplomas
• Reprints of published articles, book chapters, training materials, etc.
• Proof of presentations that were given and/or courses that were taught
• Formal letters from supervisors and/or consultants

• I Agree

References

Processing your application begins when all references are received. Please alert your references to watch for emails from ICCI requesting their reference for your credential approval. White-listing our email address ([email protected]) will ensure emails arrive in inboxes rather than spam/junk folders

Sign and Send

• I Agree

I affirm and attest by my electronic signature below that I have answered all questions in this Application truthfully and have done so to the best of my knowledge and with full disclosure. I further authorize ICCI to verify this information and understand that in the process of verification, these facts might become known to third parties. I expressively waive any claim to confidentiality of the material enclosed in this Application except where otherwise noted.