Your Path ~ Your Way

Rev. Shelley S. Smith is a leadership and ministry coach, mentor, and spiritual guide who is passionate about helping individuals and organizations discern their purpose, strengthen their leadership, and move forward with clarity and confidence. As an International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and Certified Mentor Coach (CMC), Shelley brings both professional excellence and deep spiritual grounding to her work.

She earned her Master of Divinity from Palmer Theological Seminary in St. David’s, Pennsylvania, and is a retired pastor of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church where 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 ministry blends pastoral wisdom with evidence-based coaching practices to support transformation that is both practical and deeply meaningful.

Through The Emerging Path Coaching, LLC, Shelley provides coaching for individuals, groups, and teams. She is especially committed to supporting clergy and congregational leaders across denominations as they develop strategies for ministry, strengthen leadership capacity, and navigate conflict constructively. In addition, she trains coaches through Loaves & Fishes, a Presbyterian ICF-accredited program and mentors aspiring and credentialed coaches in mastering ICF core competencies for certification and professional growth.

Shelley also collaborates with seminaries and ministry organizations to offer professional and missional development coaching, innovative leadership cohorts, executive development experiences, and congregational mission initiatives. Her approach integrates strategic insight, spiritual reflection, and practical action, equipping leaders to serve with authenticity and effectiveness.

Her pastoral experience 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 conference in key leadership roles, including Annual Conference Secretary.

Beyond her professional life, Shelley treasures time with family, enjoys travel, delights in classic films, practices yoga, and explores genealogy.

A note inside one of her kitchen cabinets are words offered by O. Winfrey when she needed it most, that offers a daily reminder that shapes her work and her calling:
“God can dream a bigger dream than I can dream for myself.”
For Shelley, coaching is a sacred partnership that helps people discover that dream—and find the inspiration, motivation, and courage to live it.

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. 

1. 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.