Josiah Bokma
Founder and leadership coach
Growing up on a farm in rural Nova Scotia, Josiah could not have imagined the winding adventure of ministry and leadership that Jesus has led him on. From global missions to campus ministry to bi-vocational ministry - in Uganda, Nicaragua and Hamilton. He now serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Formation & Leadership Development at Gateway Church in Caledonia.
While his journey has been windy, his focus has always remained the same - strengthening leaders and churches in deep discipleship, spiritual leadership and sharp discernment. It's such a joy to see how Jesus keeps showing up in our Emmaus Road journeys with others.
Josiah and his family love to walk alongside the Grand River, cruise on single track mountain bike trails and welcome people of different cultures and ages into their home.
The Heart & History of Emmaus Road Coaching
Josiah Bokma founded Emmaus Road Coaching out of his passion for coaching leaders, strengthening spiritual formation in churches and guiding teams in discernment.
This has been forged in his 18+ years of rich ministry experience.
Coaching and Mentoring Leaders. Josiah has been mentoring leaders since 2007. He has always pursued mentorship and coaching as a leader and was trained in Transformational Coaching in 2019. As a coach he seeks to listen deeply to the Holy Spirit and his coachee and help them navigate leading themself, mentoring others, shifting culture and leading change. He loves to help leaders settle into their own soul and story.
Discipleship and Leadership Pathways. In 2009, Josiah worked with 2 local pastors in Uganda to establish a regional training network for ministry leaders and taught core curriculum. In 2014, He worked with the Nehemiah Center in Nicaragua to develop spiritual formation programming for young adults. During his time as chaplain at Redeemer University from 2016-2023, he worked with a local pastor to establish and lead an emerging leader pathway centered in small groups and discipleship workshops. He is now working with churches to develop their strategy, culture and process for leader formation.
Discernment Processes. Ever since Josiah discovered that God still speaks today, he has worked with various leaders and communities to equip and guide them into discernment postures, practices and processes. Whether through a coaching conversation, interactive workshop or communal processes, he loves the renewal and transformation that happens as people experience God's dynamic guidance.