About Us

Attentional Growth, Inc.

Is a non-profit organization, 501(c)(3), whose purpose is to promote health and provide educational enrichment programming for members of the helping professions and the general public. It was founded and incorporated on April 12, 2004 in Birmingham, Alabama and serves Alabama, the entire USA, and people around the world. It is an approved Mission Advanced Special of the North Alabama Conference, of the United Methodist Church.

Dr. Jim Robey

Jim is founder and Executive Director of Attentional Growth Inc. He is well-known for his humor, warmth, compassion, wisdom and in-sight. He and his wife Betty have two grown children, two grandchildren...and two dogs. He served as a pastor in local churches for 30+ years and has experience as a pastoral counselor, spiritual director, hospital chaplain, youth director, seminar leader, teacher and life coach.

Jim is credentialed as a Certified Co-Active Coach (CPCC) by the Coaches Training Institute and as an Associate Professional Certified Coach (PCC) by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). He was the first minister to be endorsed for The Ministry of Life Coaching by the United Methodist Endorsing Agency.

What Jim brings...as a Leadership Coach

Jim brings a wealth of professional, educational, and personal life experiences to his practice. In addition to serving local churches for over 30 years, he has established ministries for divorced persons, singles, groups exploring issues of human sexuality, and support groups for those who have recently experienced the loss of a loved one. He has been active in Spiritual Formation events, including the weekend Walk to Emmaus and Young Adult Chrysalis, and the two year long Academy for Spiritual Formation.

He has helped churches transition to meet community needs due to changing demographics. Some of these transitions include establishing new alternative or contemporary forms of worship, starting afternoon youth programs, and leading inter-faith and inter-ethnic programs.

In addition, he has worked with churches and businesses as a mediator for conflict resolution. His skills a Counselor and Life Coach have been used to establish and clarify common goals and to maximize and energize participation and performance.

Personally, Jim has experienced both joys and sorrows in his life, including marriage, divorce, remarriage, adoption, raising children, loss of parents and surviving a natural disaster. He has had the privilege of traveling the world extensively, developing friendships around the globe and learning first-hand about other cultures. One of the highlights of his life was working with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India.

Jim Robey's Training includes:

Co-Active Leadership Program, The Coaches Training Institute, 2006-7
Certified Professional Co-active Coach (CPCC), Co-Active Coaches Training Program, The Coaches Training Institute, 2005. The oldest and largest in-person coach training organization in the world, CTI has trained over 35,000 coaches and has also trained employees in more than half of the Fortune 100 companies. CTI’s Co-Active Coaching Program is widely recognized as the most rigorous coach training and certification program in the industry. www.thecoaches.com
Doctor of Ministry degree, Emory University, 1984
Graduate Student, University of Geneva (Switzerland): 27th Session of the Ecumenical Institute, October 1979 - March 1979. Sponsored by the World Council of Churches.
Master of Theology degree, Southern Methodist University, 1976
Bachelor of Arts degree (Major in Psychology), Birmingham-Southern College, 1973.

Jim yearns to work with all ages of people. For example, he has provided life coaching for teenagers through school systems, adults and families affected by natural disasters, and adults in life transitions.

He has.....a spirituality which reaches out to all people.

...a passion for people, especially ministers and their families.

...and he counsels not through preaching but rather listening and connecting.

Other Memberships

Clergy member (Elder) of the North Alabama Conference, United Methodist Church. He has been Appointed to Extension Ministry (ATEM) as Ministry Missioner with Attentional Growth Inc. (an approved Mission Advance Special).
He is endorsed as a Life Coach and Pastoral Counselor by the United Methodist Endorsing Agency of the General Board of Higher Education & Ministry, UMC.
Society for the Advancement of Continuing Education in Ministry (SACEM)