John Coats is a Senior Trainer and was involved in More To Life from its inception in 1981 until 1995. He was a management consultant as well as an Episcopal clergyman, serving parishes in Texas and California. In 2017, he returned to More To Life. John is a published author, and currently is a regular contributor and editor for Consequence Magazine.
First, the philosophical/ontological answer: Being a trainer for More To Life is a commitment to open the self to connection, to be for the other, to see self and other as far more than the false selves through which we’ve all learned to present ourselves to the world. And it is a commitment to be awake to the Other—call it God, Life, Universe, or whatever you will—to be constantly asking the question, What is it/It trying to tell me?
Here’s the existential answer: I had the privilege of being part of More To Life from its inception in 1981 until 1995, during which time I led hundreds of basic and advanced courses in the U.S., Great Britain, and South Africa. From 1995 until 2003, I used many of the same tools in my work as a management consultant. I saw lives change, relationships heal, and I saw crippling, near life-defining resentments finally let go to be replaced with a sense of being alive. All that in a weekend.
I am married to Pam and live in Houston, Texas.
Bachelor of Arts, Political Science and History
Master of Divinity Degree, Theology and Biblical Studies
Master of Fine Arts, Creative Writing
Houston, TX United States