From CLASS to Coaching: Saddleback Member Helps Others Share Their Story of Faith

As the world came to a halt at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, Saddleback member Michaela decided she would use the pandemic as a time to grow deeper in her faith. She started by taking all four Saddleback Classes.

“As I went, I got more of a sense of the mission of the church itself,” she said.

During Class 401, Michaela realized there were so many opportunities to serve others while living life on mission instead of simply waiting for the pandemic to end. After giving it some thought, she signed up to volunteer at one of Saddleback’s grocery distribution events and served on the prayer and evangelism team.

“I had about four people come to the Lord [that day],” she said. “I realized there are a lot of opportunities I have in my life and in my walk that I could be using to share the gospel.”

After hearing how Michaela helped multiple people start a relationship with Jesus her first time serving, a Saddleback staff member asked her if she would be interested in helping graduates of Class 401 learn how to share their story of faith with others. She enthusiastically agreed and became a Mission Coach.

So far, Michaela has guided eight women through the process of reflecting on how God has worked in their lives. They start this process by focusing on how to tell their own stories to people they meet each day in order to lead them to Jesus.

“I think if they felt like they had [their story] together and ready, they would use it more,” she explained. “So this thing that we do in Mission Coaching is getting them prepared on all levels. And then they’re not like ‘Should I talk to that person?’ They’re just like, ‘I’m on it, let me go talk to them.”’

This confidence in sharing their own stories translates to a stronger witness while reaching others.

“It’s a tremendous role,” she said, “because you get to have a part in somebody else’s testimony and somebody else’s experience bringing others to the Lord.”

At the heart of Mission Coaching is the desire to help others learn how to reach people effectively. Having spent many years as a teacher, Michaela feels uniquely shaped for her new role. She said she knows that God is using her gifts and skills to reach others for him.

“We really are responsible for witnessing, and if we can make our witnessing stronger and better, that really reaches somebody else.”