Meet Coach Dan
Daniel R. Sick, ph.D. Student
Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach
Certified Intercultural Leadership Coach
Life has taken Daniel many places. He has traveled through the Andes Mountains and dived to the depths of the seemingly unending Pacific Ocean. Daniel has built beautiful traditional houses in Germany and driven a semi truck on American highways. He loves country music and local Ecuadorian food, enjoys a glass of Bourbon or Irish Whiskey, and is proud of his wife and five children. After working for 6 years as a German carpenter, Daniel had a profound encounter with God and realized he was called to serve as a missionary. For twenty years, he and his wife have invested their lives in the local communities of Yap, Micronesia (yes, this place exists; look it up), and in Ecuador. Daniel has been a pastor, teacher, mediator, youth director, and church planter. He has also worked as a translator for organizations like Samaritan’s Purse and at a SWAT team training (so cool). Throughout his time living in these countries, he mastered three languages and became an expert in Cross-Cultural Leadership and Intercultural Coaching. But he sees the most rewarding blessing of all as being married to his beautiful and intelligent wife, Dana. Together, they have had the privilege of raising five wonderfully talented children while enjoying a wonderfully adventurous life as a family.
Needless to say, as a family, they have had to plan and work through many new beginnings and say goodbye to quite a few friends. They had to pack suitcases countless times, celebrate the closing of one life’s chapter, and learn to pursue new milestones with confidence. And as life has shaped them, they have learned a few things. In recent years, Daniel has also worked with a counselor to process some pretty stressful and traumatic experiences from the mission field. Once he realized that his burnout and depressive phases were the result of prolonged stress in ministry, he dedicated time to working through these experiences. Daniel is now at a stage where he can genuinely say he is at peace with God and the world. It took a while - and many miles as a truck driver - but now he knows with all his heart that he can “Be still and know that HE is God.” (Psalm 46:10) Daniel hopes that anyone he comes in contact with - officially or by chance - will benefit from the experiences and wisdom he and his family have gained throughout the last three decades.
As a coach, Daniel loves to come alongside a person and help them discover what treasures are hidden in their life. Let it be strengths or special events the person has celebrated, or weaknesses and negative things that have weighed the person down. Each element has contributed to our personalities. Daniel is passionate about discovering how to use what has been handed to us to create a fulfilling life. Add cross-cultural elements to that mix, and he gets excited about building an enjoyable and fulfilling life.
Daniel is an interesting person. That’s at least what people say when they meet him. - Raised in Germany, he first learned the carpentry trade before being called in the fall of 1996 to become a full-time minister. After seminary, he moved with his wife and first son to the mission field in Yap, Micronesia. Four years later, their missions organization relocated the family of five to Ecuador, where they grew to a family of seven. Daniel has worked for two and a half decades as a pastor, Bible school teacher, mediator, coach, counselor, construction supervisor, translator, and, most recently, truck driver while pursuing his PhD in Leadership.
There are no blank pages in anyone’s life—well, maybe there are: The ones that have yet to be written.
Focus & Qualifications
Daniel provides services in the following Languages:
English
Español
Deutsch
Certified Intercultural Coach
The Intercultural Coaching certification is awarded through the European Network for Consulting, Psychology and Therapy located in Germany. Training sessions included basics of coaching, systemic coaching, cross-cultural communication & conflict resolution, and team dynamic coaching.
Coach Daniel has extensive intercultural experience and training, having lived and worked in multi-cultural settings around the globe.
Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach
The Mental Health Coaching certification is awarded through the International Board for ChristianCare located in Forrest, VA. Training sessions included basics of mental health coaching, crisis response and trauma coaching, personality caching, stress and anxiety coaching, and finding significance in life.
Coach Daniel is equipped to determine the need for professional therapy in mental illnesses and disorders, tapping into the services of our partner organization, Life Strategy Consultants.
Ph.d. Student in Leadership
The Ph.D. in Leadership program is provided through Lancaster Bible College \ Capital Seminary & Graduate School in Lancaster, PA. The five core competencies a student acquires are Servant-Leadership, Leader-Teacher, Organizational Leader, Change Agent, and Research-Scholar. This terminal degree follows an MA in Ministry Leadership from SETECA (Guatemala), all of which build on a BA in Theology & Missions and two decades of leadership experience.
Coach Daniel has leadership skills that will profoundly enhance your organizational environment and leadership, and equip you for your leadership role.
For more information on Daniel’s research, visit his PhD Research site.
Experiences & Fun Facts about Daniel
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Faith Formation Pastor, Manheim, USA, August 2017 - January 2022
Recruited and trained small group and ministry leaders. Provided oversight over Sunday school schedule and recruited and trained teachers. Occasionally preached in the church services.
Church Planting Missionary, Mira, Ecuador, September 2013 - March 2017
Preached the Word of God expositorily and administered the sacraments. Discovered members' spiritual gifts and trained new leaders through workshops, eventually entrusting them with ministry responsibility.
Pastor & Mediator, Iglesia Amigos en Cristo, Cotacachi, Ecuador, July 2010 - July 2012
Provided pastoral care through preaching, counseling, and spiritual formation. Trained existing leaders and developed new leaders.
Intern Assistant Pastor, Iglesia Puente de Amor, Ibarra, Ecuador, July 2008 - July 2010
Learned pastoral ministry skills within Ecuadorian church culture. Taught in cell group studies of 20-40 people each. Preached in church services of over 500 people and taught Adult Sunday School.
Pastor, Yap Evangelical Church, Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, 2002 - 2006
Provided pastoral care through teaching, counseling, and evangelism. Formed new leaders and provided workshops for elders and deacons.
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Teach Graduate Course on Sermon Preparation, Miami International Seminary (Ecuadorian Branch), Ibarra 2017
Bible School Teacher at Centro de Capacitación Bíblica (Biblical Training Center), Ibarra, Ecuador, 2008 - 2017
Full Courses Taught: Hermeneutics & Homiletics; Counseling; Advanced Biblical Doctrine. Substitute Teaching: Basic Doctrine; Leadership; Ethics; and Sects, Cults and Religions (emphasis: Roman Catholicism, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses).
Bible College Teacher at Pacific Islands Bible College (PIU - Remote Teaching Facility), Yap, Federated States of Micronesia, 2003 - 2004
Teaching complete classes on Genesis, Ecclesiology, and Old Testament History. Administrative dties for Remote Teaching Facility.
Teaching in Sunday School and Cell Groups, Yap & Ecuador, 2002-2017
Teaching different topics and Bible books in Sunday School and cell group settings
Teaching at conferences, Ecuador, 2007-2017
Teaching different topics at youth conferences, family and marriage conferences, and on drugs and sexuality in High Schools.
Mentor and Coach, Ecuador, 2010-2017
I mentored and coached several individuals, helping them discover their calling, develop their talents, and take their first steps in ministry.
Translator (German - English - Spanish), Ecuador & Yap, 2004 - 2017
Translated for different conferences and training events. Translated material from English and German to Spanish for ministry in Ecuador. Translated for entities like Samaritan’s Purse, SWAT Team training, and other groups
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CERTIFICATIONS
Board Certified Master Mental Health Coach, Light University (AACC), June 2023 (42 hours training)
Board Certified Advanced Christian Life Coach, Light University (AACC), May 2023 (30 hours training)
Certified Biblical Counselor - Level 1, Spring 2017, Association of Biblical Counselors, Bedford, TX
Certified Intercultural Coach, February 2015, European Network for Consulting, Psychology, and Therapy (120 hours of training)
Focus: Basics of Coaching | Team Dynamics & Management | Intercultural Communication | Methods and Interventions | Conflict & Mediation
ADDITIONAL TRAINING
Trauma-Informed Life Coach, January 2024, The Centre for Healing (20 hours training)
LOGOS Mobile Education (Certificates of completion)
CO101 Introducing Pastoral Counseling: Theory and Practice
CO102 Introducing Pastoral Counseling: Examples in Application
PC171 Introducing Chaplaincy I: Biblical Foundations for Chaplaincy
PC172 Introducing Chaplaincy II: Theology of Chaplaincy
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BOOK-REVIEWS
Sick, D. R. (2024). [Review of the book Teamwork Cross-Culturally: Christ-Centered Solutions for Leading Multicultural Teams by Sherwood G. Lingenfelter & Julie A. Green]. Christian Education Journal, 21(2), 232-236. https://doi.org/10.1177/07398913241299226h
Sick, D. R. (2025). [Review of the book Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish by Justin A. Irving]. Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 61(2),113-114.
Consejería Bíblica (Biblical Counseling), CCB Ecuador & Liebenzell Mission
Pyramid of Counseling | Characteristics of a Counselor | Elements & Tools of Counseling
Hermenéutica Bíblica (Biblical Hermeneutics), CCB Ecuador & MINTS
Principles of Biblical Exegesis | Application of Biblical Texts to today’s environment | Structuring & presenting Biblical Messages
RESEARCH
ICETE Alumni Research Pilot Project, Lancaster Bible College, PA
Request CVs & program satisfaction data from Ph.D. alumni. Data analysis for program improvement. Communicate results to respective department heads.
Doctoral Research Assistant, Lancaster Bible College, PA
Teaching Assistant to classes of the Ph.D. in Leadership. Project management for the Leadership department.
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WORK OUTSIDE OF MINISTRY
CDL-A Truck Driver - As a means to take a sabbatical and still provide for my family, I started driving a feed truck in 2022. In November 2024 I was able to upgrade the CDL and currently drive a semi-truck. It is fun to be on the road for hours and enjoy my time with God.
Journeymen Carpenter - For about 7 years, I spent my first working experience as a German carpenter, a trade that is rewarding and filled with pride at the same time.
INTERESTS
Military History & Leadership - I love to learn from military leaders. Leaders that have proved successful under res and a constantly changing environment.
Motorcycle riding - Preferably a Harley Davidson, but sadly, I don’t own one.
