What people are saying…
…about my church coaching
…about my individual coaching
Jesse Adams, Owner of Jesse’s Computer Service
“Marjaana is a phenomenal coach. I had an issue with my business and needed some guidance. I reached out to Marjaana, and she coached me through my situation. During our session, she listened attentively and asked powerful questions that clarified what I actually needed. By the end of our session, I had a clear plan, and that plan worked. It was a joy and privilege to have Marjaana as a coach!”
Leo, Student
I just graduated from high school and am taking a gap year due to cognitive issues. I needed help with setting up and adhering to a daily schedule. Marjaana helped me dig deeper into why I had failed to initiate things and what I needed to do differently to build back confidence and take charge of my life. Marjaana also helped me get back to sports after some health issues.
James Baumgartner, the Pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Chugiak AK
Marjaana was a steady voice of encouragement, blessing us with her wisdom and expertise throughout the process. No regrets; our church life has been impacted for the better.
Lay Leaders of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Chugiak AK
Marjaana was thoroughly knowledgeable, organized, and supportive without being the least bit intrusive. Her consults kept us focused and prayerfully motivated.
The NCD presentation was straightforward, factual, and supported with appropriate scripture context. The NCD congregational surveys and questionnaires were easily managed and effective.
The NCD process was definitive in helping our congregation identify our small group shortcoming. Discussions within our church were actively supported by members with experience in small groups from other congregations.
We believe we have created a stronger sense of community and connections in the process. It also led to a marked improvement in our collective ministry, with primary leadership coming from individuals in the congregation.
Kathy Ristine, Lay Leader at Light of Christ, Federal Way WA
“Working with Marjaana was a fabulous experience. She is a strong leader and has excellent listening skills. She has a beautiful way of listening and restating what was said in an even more powerful way. Such a great experience!”
Rev. Jonathan M. Dinger. NCD Coach. NOW District Regional VP, LCMS
“For over 30 years, Natural Church Development has proven to be a valuable tool as congregations look for ways to grow in biblical health. All over the world and in many languages, NCD has impacted the mission of the Church by encouraging health and vitality.
I'm delighted that we are so blessed in the Pacific Northwest to have Mrs. Marjaana Kuivalainen willing and able to serve congregations in this valuable endeavor. Using the tools and processes of NCD, which has millions of pieces of data in support of its results, she is proving to be skillful, passionate, and biblically faithful as she comes alongside pastors and lay leaders to promote and sustain church health in local congregations.
As an NCD coach for the past 25 years, I rejoice that congregations can reach out to Marjaana and be blessed by her work and partnership. This is a process and a person in which the investment pales in comparison to the potential results!”
Julia Sinclair, Lay Deaconess, All Saints Lutheran Church, Bellevue WA
My church All Saints Lutheran is one of the few LCMS churches in King County that is growing. In 2019 we had to prepare ourselves to call a new pastor and our interim pastor had our church take the NCD survey. Using the NCD survey was the first step in growing and focusing our ministry impact within and around the church community. In the process, also the overall health of our church improved. All Saints took the NCD survey again in January of 2023. It showed remarkable growth in most areas.
My dear friend Marjaana Kuivalainen is an NCD coach helping churches and people discover their God-given resources and live out their faith. I warmly recommend using her services to help your church grow in God’s mission!
Pastor David Reinke, Northwest District Transitional Interim Coordinator, LCMS
“Dear Friends, It’s my privilege to recommend Marjaana Kuivalainen of MK Organic Coaching to congregations interested in significant and measurable spiritual growth. (Who wouldn’t want that?!)
There are two things impressive here; first Marjaana and secondly the program she uses. I’ve known Marjaana for several years now because she was an energetic, capable and willing lay leader at All Saints Lutheran Church in Bellevue Washington where I served as a Transitional Interim Pastor. She continues to be a strong leader and resource to the current pastor. Her Master’s degree in Social Work gives her an important academic perspective, and her strengths are encouragement, initiative, faithfulness and tenacity. Compared to other coaches, I notice two things about Marjaana: she’s a great listener and she’s good at providing ideas and initiatives that might not have existed before. She’s just a joy to work with!!
Regarding the Natural Church Development resource, it’s amazing! I’ve used it now in seven congregations, and although there are other church health measurements, this is the most widely used and the best. Because it’s been used in countries all over the world, we can now say this is the most widely used measurement of church health in the history of Christianity! The measurements are based on reliable research and the results are just fun to work with. For congregational leaders, this is an enjoyable and engaging experience. With Marjaana’s support, Light of Christ in Federal Way achieved one of the highest overall scores in the history of the Northwest District! You can see why I would be encouraging you to work with her!
Thank you for reading this, and please feel free to contact me any time at 206-850-1540. May God bless your ministry!”