PEVA Coaching Network Coaches

Transforming good church leaders into great ones

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Coaches are available free of charge!

The PEVA Coaching Network uses International Coaching Federation (ICF) trained and certified coaches from the Presbytery to develop greater vitality, effectiveness, resiliency, leadership, courage, confidence, and risk-taking adaptability in gifted clergy and church leaders in order to create healthier and more dynamic churches.


Scroll down to learn more about our coaches.


If you are looking for more information about the benefits of coaching, please visit the PEVA Coaching Network page.


The Rev. Dr. Chris Carrasco

A Presbyterian pastor with over 20 years of experience in both large and small churches. She has completed her International Coaching Federation (ICF) training and will receive her Associate Certified Coach credentials in 2021. Chris believes coaching is an intentional Spirit-led relationship that motivates each person’s personal and professional growth by coming alongside with curiosity, playfulness, honesty, and compassion. She is committed to her own and others’ spiritual growth with a two-year Spiritual Formation Certificate program from the Upper Room Ministries. She enjoys being a spiritual midwife to the “new thing” God is birthing in her clients. Chris’ heart for church leaders inspired her to complete her Doctorate work in Transformative Pastoral Leadership from Columbia Theological Seminary. She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband and two active almost-teenage boys. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling to new places, walking in nature, and listening to the rhythm of the ocean waves. EMAIL CHRIS

The Rev. Dr. Cindy Higgins

Ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) over 35 years ago after graduating from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Va. Her ministry has been rich with experience: campus ministry, missions of all types, and serving churches of all shapes and sizes, including multi-site. As one who loves the church and longs for it to flourish in creative and faithful ways, she serves on the Church Vitality Committee of the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia. 


Cindy presently lives in Hampton, Virginia, with her husband, having retired from 12 years as head of staff at First Presbyterian Church. She serves on the board of the Downtown Hampton Child Development Center, the only sliding scale preschool in the area and on the board of ICM, Global Church Developer, a ministry that builds churches around the world.


Cindy is intentional about her own spiritual growth and prayer life, believing that personal and professional life align in the Spirit. She is also convinced that the church that pours itself out for others, especially “the least of these” is the church that thrives. She is training to be a Clergy/ Church Leader coach and is excited by this new venture, seeing it as one of many tools to strengthen the church and its leadership.


When not involved in church ministry, Cindy loves traveling, outdoor activities, and she especially enjoys time with family and friends. EMAIL CINDY

Elder Charity Houghton

Charity has been coaching leaders in her workplace for the past 10 years on both professional and personal goals. Charity’s passion is in transition coaching. Whether it be a career, relationship or another type of transition, Charity works with her clients as they navigate the waters of change. Charity is passionate about collaborating with her clients to help them achieve their goals. Charity is a compassionate realist, which manifests in her coaching style. She whole-heartedly believes we all innately have the tools we need to be successful and uses coaching to help others find theirs and learn to use them effectively. She is a certified Performance Coach and Licensed Professional Counselor. Charity lives with her wife, son and daughter in Hampton. She is an elder at Wythe Presbyterian Church where she serves in the praise band, on Session and on the Outreach team. She is also a member of the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry. When she is not busy with all of that, she can be found in her chicken coop listening to the stories of her hens or in the kitchen cooking and baking (but never one her own girls). EMAIL CHARITY

The Rev. Martha Mitchell

Martha grew up in Richmond, graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from James Madison University, earned an M.A. in Christian Education and an M.Div. from Union Presbyterian Seminary and is now working on a M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Old Dominion University. She is half of a clergy couple. Her husband, Clint Mitchell, serves as the pastor of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. She is the mom of a teenage son, and two young daughters. She has served as a solo pastor in three different churches throughout her twenty years in ordained ministry. Most recently she was the pastor of Simonsdale Presbyterian Church in Portsmouth where she served for fourteen years. She loves her PEVA colleagues and is passionate about helping them achieve a healthy work-life balance. She knows first hand of the combined demands of family and church life, and wants to help you to take a step back, take time for yourself, receive encouragement and assess what is truly needful for your wellbeing through affirmation and practical goal setting.  Her favorite expression is, “You rock!” Because you really do!  EMAIL MARTHA

The Rev. Linda Rainey

Linda is a retired Presbyterian pastor with experience in large and small churches and in campus ministry. She is a pulpit supply with PEVA and enjoys filling the pulpit for the churches in the area. She has recently received her certificate in Coach Approached Skill Training from Holmes Coaching Group and will begin Mentor Training in April working toward ICF certification. Linda has been active in the Red Cross since her retirement and is working in the Disaster Spiritual Care area serving clients who suffer trauma from natural disasters and has been working with the Virtual Family Assistance Center with Covid-19 families who have lost loved ones due to the pandemic. In her spare time she enjoys traveling and spending time with her five grandchildren. EMAIL LINDA

The Rev. Dr. Lou Ventura

Lou, previously covenant pastor of Franklin Presbyterian Church PC(USA), is transitional pastor at Great Bridge Presbyterian Church. She entered the ministry after a secular career of over 25 years in the healthcare industry. She received her Master of Divinity at Regent University in Virginia Beach, VA, and her Doctor of Ministry at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. 


She has served on the presbytery’s Commission on Ministry as vice moderator of the Mediation and Reconciliation Subcommittee, and as presbytery moderator and moderator of the presbytery council. Lou was trained as a Lifeforming Leadership Coach in 2007 and in 2015 received training in mediation and conflict management. Lou has also been trained in interpretation of the Church Assessment Tool (CAT) through HOLY COW! She has completed coach training with Coach Approach Skills Training (CAST) and is working to complete the requirements for the ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential. 


Lou has a passion for encouraging and supporting individuals who are experiencing new life challenges or transitions, times when it is difficult to remember that, with God and within ourselves, we often have more than enough of everything we need. She is interested in coaching clergy and lay leaders, students and writers, and anyone interested in living more fully into his/her God-given gifts. 

In her free time, Lou loves to read, work on family genealogy, and watch “The Big Bang Theory” reruns. She has been married to Ron, an IT manager at Anthem, for 28 years. EMAIL LOU

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