Coaching

We believe that coaching is essential when it comes to sending out church planters.

A great COACH?

Comes alongside? as one who wants the best for both the person and their project.

Observes carefully? and helps identify outcomes.

Asks questions wisely? listening more than telling.

Clarifies options and resources? helping think beyond first visible impressions to other viable options.

Holds accountable and cares for the heart? so leaders can grow personally, be more effective and make their maximum impact for the Kingdom. (Tim Roehl)

Below is a list of profiles for NCD coaches:

Rev. Eric Bryant
Director of New Church Development
ebryant@kyumc.org
(502) 425-3884

Rev. Eric Bryant serves as director of New Church Development. He entered pastoral ministry in 1991 and became an ordained elder in the Kentucky Annual Conference in 1999.

Eric has served congregations in a variety of settings, including as a church planter for nine years.  Before becoming director of New Church Development in July 2017, Eric served as senior pastor at St. Matthews UMC in Louisville, which became a multisite church during his tenure.  Eric has also served as the chair for the New Church Development team in Kentucky.

Eric has a passion to reach the lost for Jesus Christ and to see the church renew, grow and become all God desires it to be.

Eric and his wife, Kathy, have three grown children.  With his free time, Eric enjoys being outside – more specifically, golfing, running and kayaking! He loves spending time with his wife and family and is anticipating the arrival of his first grandchild this spring.

Rev. Eliseo A. Mejia-Leiva
emejia-levia@kyumc.org

Rev. Dr. Eliseo Mejia-Leiva serves as associate director of Hispanic, multiethnic, and international church-planting ministries with New Church Development. He is also senior pastor of Paris First UMC. He previously served as senior pastor of Mosaic UMC, a multicultural and multiethnic merged congregation in Louisville.

Rev. Mejia-Leiva has served as president of the National Association of Hispanic UMC Leaders and was the founder and director of HILT (Hispanic International Leadership Training). He is a native of El Salvador and is fluent in both English and Spanish. In Guatemala, under his guidance, Jeriel church became the first transcultural missionary-sending church.

Rev. Mejia-Leiva has a passion for equipping new and seasoned leaders in the USA and internationally. He has been able to implement new designs in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, where he planted three congregations. He has used the “incubator model” to since 2000 to train and launch new church planters in Kentucky.

He holds master’s degrees from Central American Theological Seminary and Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctor of ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Cathy, have three children, Elias Eliseo, Catherine Ellie, and Almita Grace Mejia. 

Dr. Iosmar Alvarez
palvarez@fuentedeavivamiento.org

Dr. Iosmar Alvarez a native from Cuba. Who came to the United States in 2001. God began to work in his life in supernatural ways as He began to serve as Local Pastor in Kentucky Conference in 2002. A Veterinarian Doctor of profession, who is an Ordained Elder of the Kentucky Annual Conference; passionately serving God by planting worshiping congregations and making disciples. In the last 10 years have planted three Hispanic Churches, and is launching 3 more this 2014 in Kentucky.

Pastor Iosmar Alvarez's educational theological journey began graduating from Garret Theological Seminary, with the Course Studies Program, 2010. In December 2011, finished his Master in Divinity from United Theological Seminary, Dayton Ohio. In addition, he earned another Master degree in Christian Leadership in 2012 from Lindsey Wilson Collage and won the Harry Denman Evangelism Award in 2013. Today, Dr Alvarez is working on his second Doctorate degree at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Currently Dr. Alvarez serves as Senior Pastor for Fuente De Avivamiento/Spring of Revival with 400+ members and 70 home churches. Dr Alvarez has the honor to train leaders nationwide on how to plant churches and develop church?s cultures and processes to make disciples as a certified coach for SLI and Path1. Dr. Alvarez pastors these wonderful churches along with his wife Zulayne Alvarez, who supports and helps him in carrying the vision to the future generations

Rev. David Calhoun
calhound@lindsey.edu

Dr. M. David Calhoun is Assistant Professor of Religion at Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, Kentucky. He served as Adjunct Professor in the graduate program in Christian Ministries from 2009-2011 and joined the college as a full-time faculty member in the Fall of 2011. Dr. Calhoun pioneered and developed the course work for the Missional Leadership emphasis within the Christian Ministries program at Lindsey Wilson.
In 2003 Dr. Calhoun completed studies in the prestigious Beeson Pastors Program at Asbury Theological Seminary and graduated from ATS with the Doctor of Ministry degree in 2006. He also received his Masters of Divinity degree from the seminary in 1988. In 2008 Asbury honored Dr. Calhoun with the seminary's Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award. In addition Dr. Calhoun holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Religion from Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Dr. Calhoun is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and served as a pastor in the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church from June, 1985 to June of 2015. In addition to being the founding pastor of Hope Springs Community Church in Lexington in 2000, Dr. Calhoun served United Methodist congregations in Liberty, Louisville, and Russell Springs, Kentucky.

Dr. Calhoun is married to Kimberly Gipson Calhoun, who is in her sixteenth year as a fourth grade teacher at the Lexington Christian Academy. They have one daughter, Jana Cooper (married to Dustin), who teaches second grade at Martin Luther King, Jr. elementary school in Hopkinsville, KY and two daughters that are both students at Lindsey Wilson College, Abby(Class of 2016) and Sarah (Class of 2019) . David and Kim are also blessed with two grandsons, Elijah Cooper (5) and Michael Cooper (1).

Department of Christian Ministries
Assistant Professor of Religion
DMin, Asbury Theological Seminary
MDiv, Asbury Theological Seminary
BA, Kentucky Wesleyan College
calhound@lindsey.edu
Hodge 107
(270) 384-7460

Other contacts include your District Superintendent and the NCD representative from your district.