For Rob Feeney, transformation isn’t just a concept, it’s a calling.
“I’m passionate about life, and I’m passionate about seeing people engage with transformation,” he says.
After decades of ministry and leadership across education, government, and the church, Rob now finds himself at the forefront of shaping Christian coaches through Arrow Leadership Australia’s Coach Mastery program.
At nearly 60, Rob brings a wealth of experience to the table. He’s spent over 30 years in church ministry, including two decades as a senior pastor. But it’s his 17 years of experience as a professional life coach and his ongoing commitment to being a lifelong learner that gives his new role with Arrow such weight.
After being part of Arrow 6 in 2005-06, and completing Arrow’s Coach Mastery course himself, Rob has now stepped into a key leadership role, coordinating Coach Mastery and broader training across Arrow. His journey into coaching, and now into training other coaches, is a story of divine timing, faithful obedience, and the power of Christian community.
The seeds of transformation
Rob’s faith story started early, growing up in a Baptist church where he committed his life to Christ as a young child (particularly whenever the visiting ventriloquist came with his puppet, Charlie!). But it was at a school camp in Year 10 that Rob made a pivotal decision. “I remember thinking, I’ve either got to jump all in or stop the merry-go-round,” he reflects. “That’s where I really owned my faith.”
This same desire for wholehearted transformation has shaped Rob’s leadership style. Whether pastoring churches or walking alongside individuals as a coach, his focus has always been on helping people discover their purpose, identity, and legacy.
Discovering coaching
Rob’s first encounter with formal coaching came during his time as a Senior Pastor at a church in Randwick. Around 2006, a colleague introduced him to a coaching trainer from overseas, and Rob soon completed 18 months of professional coach training. “That’s how I got hooked,” he says. “I started using coaching in the church and with clients on the side.”
Years later, after stepping out of full-time ministry to start a small business, Rob realised it was time to gain formal accreditation with the International Coach Federation (ICF). That’s when a conversation at an event where Arrow’s Kylie Butler happened to be speaking, prompted a spontaneous but strategic decision.
“In one of the breaks, I was chatting with someone who introduced me to Kylie,” Rob explains. “She mentioned the Coach Mastery course was starting in two weeks, and I just thought, I need to do this. I signed up almost immediately.”
What makes Coach Mastery different
Unlike many leadership development programs, Arrow’s Coach Mastery is intentionally Christian and deeply practical. “It’s an ICF-accredited course, which gives it real credibility,” Rob says. “But what sets it apart is its biblical foundation. It’s not just about developing coaching skills, it’s about being formed spiritually.”
Participants journey through topics like developing a coaching mindset, listening and communication, asking powerful questions, ethical coaching through the lens of Jesus, and kingdom-minded leadership. Sessions are run online over six months, with a strong emphasis on community. “It’s like a small group,” Rob says. “You end up forming deep bonds. People share their lives, pray for one another.”
Having completed multiple coaching qualifications over the years, Rob is convinced that Arrow’s Coach Mastery is the best. “It developed me personally and advanced my coaching in ways that surprised me,” he shares. “It shaped not just what I do, but who I am as a coach.”
A new season with Arrow
Rob’s journey didn’t end when he completed the course. Shortly afterwards, Arrow invited him to join their Coaching & Supervision team, then as of 2025, on staff as the Training Manager.
For Rob, it’s a seamless continuation of his life’s work, empowering others for transformational leadership. “I want people to feel empowered,” he says. “To experience trust, growth, and transformation, because that’s what God has done in them.”
He’s already seeing the ripple effects of Coach Mastery in the lives of others. Participants like Kira Lewis (now CEO of Empatia), Jill Healy (coaching school principals), and Erica Jones (coaching youth leaders in the Salvation Army) are applying their training in churches, schools, and boardrooms across the country.
Coaching as kingdom work
Coach Mastery is more than skill development, it’s a ministry. It’s a place where Christians are equipped to engage and relate better in life, ministry and leadership.
“Coaching, when done well, is heart-to-heart work,” Rob says. “When Jesus is in that space, it becomes transformational in every sense.”
That combination of relational warmth and rigorous training means that graduates of Coach Mastery don’t just leave with new skills, they leave changed. “It’s not just, ‘that was good content,’” Rob reflects. “It’s, ‘that developed me as a person and as a leader, it fed my soul, and I’m walking away spiritually refreshed.’”
From those early days of giving his life to Jesus to now leading one of the most distinctive Christian coaching programs in Australia, Rob Feeney’s journey is marked by purpose and transformation. And through Arrow’s Coach Mastery, he’s helping others discover that same path for their leadership, their faith, and the kingdom.
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Coach Mastery 2025 begins in less than a month! Whether you’re a ministry worker, educator, or Christian professional, this course will equip you with practical, accredited coaching skills grounded in a biblical framework. Join us to grow in confidence as a Christlike coach who empowers others. The next cohort runs Thursdays from 7.00pm to 9.00pm (AEDT), 5 June – 30 October 2025. Don’t miss this opportunity to invest in your leadership and ministry.
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