Your Path ~ Your Way
Rev. Shelley Stanley Smith, Leadership & Ministry Coach
Rev. Shelley S. Smith, MDiv, PCC, CMC
Leadership & Ministry Coach | Trainer | Consultatnt
Rev. Shelley S. Smith is a leadership and ministry coach, mentor, and spiritual guide who partners with individuals and organizations to discern purpose, strengthen leadership, and move forward with clarity and confidence. As an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Mentor Coach (CMC), Shelley brings a rare blend of professional rigor and deep spiritual grounding to her work.
Shelley holds a Master of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary in St. David’s, Pennsylvania, and is a retired pastor in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. She was appointed to extension ministry as a Leadership and Life Coach Chaplain, endorsed by the denomination’s General Board of Higher Education and Ministry. Her approach integrates pastoral wisdom with evidence-based coaching practices, supporting transformation that is both deeply meaningful and practically effective.
Through The Emerging Path Coaching, LLC, Shelley offers coaching for individuals, groups, and teams. She is especially committed to supporting clergy and congregational leaders across denominations as they develop strategic direction, strengthen leadership capacity, and navigate conflict with skill and integrity. In addition, she serves as a coach trainer with Loaves & Fishes, a Presbyterian ICF-accredited program, and mentors both aspiring and credentialed coaches in mastering ICF core competencies for certification and continued professional growth.
Shelley also collaborates with seminaries and ministry organizations to design and deliver leadership development experiences, including coaching cohorts, executive formation programs, and congregational mission initiatives. Her work weaves together strategic insight, spiritual reflection, and practical action—equipping leaders to serve with authenticity, resilience, and impact.
Her pastoral leadership includes serving as Senior Pastor of First United Church of National Park, New Jersey, and the historic Ferry Avenue United Methodist Church in Camden, New Jersey. She continues to serve the Greater New Jersey Conference in key leadership roles, including Annual Conference Secretary.
A note tucked inside one of her kitchen cabinets holds words that continue to shape her calling:
“God can dream a bigger dream than I can dream for myself.”
For Shelley, coaching is a sacred partnership—creating space for people to discover that dream and find the clarity, courage, and commitment to live it.
Q&A
What Is Coaching?
Coaching is a Professional-Client(s) relationship with a certified coach that is designed to facilitate the creation/development of personal or professional goals and to develop and carry out a strategy/plan for achieving those goals.
The coaching relationship between the coach and the client(s) is founded upon mutual trust and respect. The central focus of the coaching relationship is the well-being of the client(s).
The coach supports the client(s) in reaching the desired outcome of the client(s) and in exploring new ways to view situations, individuals, and possibilities and in developing new approaches, plans, strategies, and actions.
Coaching can provide new understanding about how an individuals, groups, or teams own actions play a part in situations the individual wishes to change.
- Coaching conversations are confidential, and the coach will not voluntarily divulge information about a coaching relationship without the written or verbal permission of the client(s). The coach follows the International Coach Federation (ICF) Code of Ethics.