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Pastor · Coach · Clinician · Speaker

Dr. Kilen
K. GrayDMin

Louisville, Kentucky  ·  National Practice  ·  K-12 · Higher Education · Faith · Clinical

For four decades, Dr. Kilen Gray has stood at the intersection of pastoral authority, clinical expertise, K-12 and higher education administration, and executive leadership — building congregations, leading institutions, and restoring the lives of those most organizations turn away from.

He now brings that rare convergence to pastors, executives, school administrators, and faith-based leaders who need more than a coach. They need someone who has actually sat where they sit.

Apply for Coaching → Book Dr. Gray to Speak
40
Years of
Ministry Leadership
6K+
Congregation
Members Served
DMin
Organizational
Health Focus
Dr. Kilen K. Gray

"Most people have either the theological depth, or the clinical credentials, or the education administration experience, or the executive leadership.

Dr. Gray has all four."

The Intersection · Creative Spirits
Associate Pastor of Congregational Care, Bates Memorial Baptist Church
Former Interim Pastor, Lampton Baptist Church & First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown
Co-Founder & COO, Creative Spirits Behavioral Health Center
Adjunct Professor, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Former VP Enrollment & Student Success, Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Former HR & Community Coordinator, Shelby County Public Schools (KY)
Certified Batterer Intervention Provider, State of Kentucky
35+
Years Senior
Pastoral Leadership
17
Years Higher Ed
Executive Administration
K-12
HR & Public Relations
Shelby County Schools
DMin
Doctor of
Ministry
2006
State-Certified BIP
Provider Since
2025
Trauma-Informed Care
Trainer-of-Trainers
About Dr. Gray
Dr. Kilen K. Gray
Dr. Kilen K. Gray, DMin
Louisville, Kentucky

Pastor. Coach.
Clinician. Scholar.

For four decades, Dr. Gray has stood at the rare intersection of pastoral authority, clinical expertise, K-12 and higher education administration, and executive leadership — building congregations, leading institutions, and restoring the lives of those most organizations turn away from.

A category of one.

Dr. Kilen K. Gray is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Creative Spirits Behavioral Health Center — a state-licensed outpatient mental health facility in Louisville, Kentucky — where he has directed the batterer intervention program and provided therapeutic services for nearly three decades.

He served for seventeen years at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, rising from Dean of Students to Vice President for Enrollment and Student Success — building the institution's student affairs infrastructure from the ground up and serving as its lead student affairs officer.

Before higher education, Dr. Gray served as Human Resources and Community Coordinator for the Shelby County Public School District (KY), where he also served as President of the Kentucky School Public Relations Association (KYSPRA) (1996–1997) — giving him rare, firsthand experience in K-12 administration, HR systems, and institutional communications.

He was the Senior Pastor of New Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Shelbyville for 35 years, and currently serves as Associate Pastor of Congregational Care at Bates Memorial Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He has also served as Interim Pastor at Lampton Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown — bringing experienced transitional leadership to congregations in critical seasons.

His DMin project, "Restoring the Offender: A Faith-Based Approach for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence," reflects the through-line of his entire career: the redemption of people and institutions that the world has written off.

Explore All Services →
Education
Doctor of Ministry
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Education
Master of Divinity
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
Education
BS Computer Science
Kentucky State University
Honorary
Doctor of Divinity
Simmons College of Kentucky
Higher Education
VP Enrollment & Student Success
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
K-12 Administration
HR & Community Coordinator
Shelby County Public Schools (KY)
President, Kentucky School Public Relations Association (KYSPRA) — 1996–1997
Nolan C. Allen Man of Distinction Award — Center for Women and Families, Louisville KY (2016)
Kentucky Colonel Commission — Office of the Governor, Commonwealth of Kentucky (2009)
Nominee, Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame — Shelby County Human Rights Commission (2010)
Adult Black Achiever Award — West Chestnut Street YMCA (1991)
Services

Seven ways to work
with Dr. Gray.

Each service draws from the same rare convergence — pastoral wisdom, clinical training, education administration, and executive experience. Choose the engagement that fits where you are.

01
Executive Leadership Coaching
For pastors, executives, and faith-based leaders
A private coaching practice limited to 8 clients at a time. Built on the Three Offices Framework™ — Shepherd, Administrator, Theologian — Dr. Gray helps you diagnose where your leadership is fragmented and build the integration that makes you effective long-term.
By Application Only
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
Apply Now →
02
Professional Speaking & Keynoting
Conferences, churches, corporate events, universities
Four signature talks that draw from 40 years of frontline authority. Dr. Gray speaks at the intersection of faith, mental health, leadership, and community transformation — with the honesty audiences carry with them long after they leave the room.
Speaking Inquiries Welcome
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
View Talks →
03
Trauma-Informed Organizational Consulting
Schools, nonprofits, hospitals, faith communities
As a 2025 Trainer-of-Trainers certified by the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental & Intellectual Disabilities, Division of Mental Health, Dr. Gray helps organizations build cultures that don't just talk about trauma — they actually respond to it with structure, policy, and practice.
Consulting Inquiries Welcome
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
Inquire →
04
Faith-Based Mental Health Consulting
Congregations, denominations, chaplaincy programs
The Mental Health Ministry Blueprint — a complete framework for faith communities ready to close the gap between good intentions and clinical competence. Assessment, training, infrastructure, and sustainable implementation included.
Begin with a Conversation
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
Learn More →
05
K-12 & Higher Education Administration Consulting
School districts, colleges, universities, and educational nonprofits
Drawing from his tenure as HR and Community Coordinator for Shelby County Public Schools (KY), President of the Kentucky School Public Relations Association (KYSPRA), and 17 years as a higher education VP, Dr. Gray consults on institutional culture, HR systems, student success frameworks, enrollment strategy, and educational public relations.
Consulting Inquiries Welcome
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
Inquire →
06
Domestic Violence Awareness & Competency Training
Organizations, nonprofits, faith communities, schools, healthcare
Drawing from nearly three decades as a state-certified Batterer Intervention Provider, Dr. Gray delivers professional domestic violence awareness and competency training for organizations whose staff encounter DV in their work. Workshops cover DV dynamics, trauma-informed response, faith-based contexts, and institutional protocols — equipping teams to recognize, respond, and refer with confidence and care.
Training Inquiries Welcome
Investment details discussed during your complimentary discovery call
Inquire →
07
Online Courses & Curriculum Licensing
Self-paced · Seminary-grade · Nationally accessible
Decades of curriculum developed for LPTS, Baptist associations, and clinical training programs — now available as self-paced online courses for individuals and licensable content for institutions.
Enrollment Open
Individual courses from $97 · Institutional licensing available
View Courses →
The Three Offices Framework™

The model behind
the coaching.

Every leader holds three offices simultaneously. When all three are integrated, you lead from wholeness. When any one is neglected, the others compensate — until they can't.

I
Shepherd
Your pastoral identity. How you care for others, establish boundaries, and sustain your own spiritual and emotional health while leading people through their hardest seasons.
II
Administrator
Your organizational capacity. Systems, delegation, decision-making, and the structural integrity of what you're building — the infrastructure that either supports or undermines everything else.
III
Theologian
Your grounding. The convictions, values, and theological framework that inform every decision — the compass that keeps the other two offices pointed in the right direction.
IV
Integration
Where the real work happens. Aligning all three offices so you lead from a place of wholeness — not fragmentation, not survival, not performance. This is what the coaching is built to achieve.
Speaking & Keynoting

Words that don't just land —
they stay.

Dr. Gray speaks from 40 years of lived authority — not studied theory. Every keynote is customized to your audience and carries the honesty that makes it memorable long after the event ends.

Pastors & Executives
"The Leader You Can't See"
The hidden psychological, spiritual, and organizational weight every leader carries — and the honest conversation most leadership events never have. A keynote that changes how leaders understand themselves.
Men's Ministries & Conferences
"The Man in the Mirror Doesn't Lie"
A theologically grounded, straight-talking keynote on accountability, authentic strength, and what this generation of men is actually being called to become. Delivered with pastoral authority and clinical insight.
Denominational Leaders & Chaplains
"When the Church Doesn't Know What to Say"
Faith communities and the mental health crisis — an honest, practical keynote for pastors and chaplains ready to stop referring people out and start building something that actually helps.
Community & Justice Organizations
"Restoring the Broken"
Community transformation, restorative justice, and the church's irreplaceable role in healing both victims and offenders. Built from 20 years of domestic violence intervention work and pastoral ministry.
Church & Nonprofit
Inquire
Regional & national engagements welcome
Conference Keynote
Inquire
Most requested format · Q&A included
National & Corporate
Inquire
Full day available · Custom content

Investment details are discussed during your complimentary discovery call.

Book Dr. Gray to Speak →
Faith-Based Mental Health

The gap between faith
and healing doesn't have to stay open.

87%
of people experiencing a mental health crisis turn to a faith leader before a mental health professional
3%
of seminaries offer dedicated mental health ministry training in their MDiv programs

The gap is not a resource problem. It's a training and infrastructure problem. Dr. Gray's Mental Health Ministry Blueprint closes it.

The Blueprint
Five phases. One sustainable ministry.
01
Assessment — Congregational needs audit and staff readiness review
02
Training — Staff education, lay leader certification, pulpit guidance
03
Infrastructure — Referral network, policies, care team structure
04
Implementation — Phased rollout with accountability structures
05
Sustainability — Annual review, ongoing consultation, community partnerships
Schedule a Discovery Call →
Online Courses & Curriculum

Decades of wisdom.
Finally accessible.

Seminary-grade curriculum developed from 20+ years of teaching at LPTS, Baptist associations, and clinical training programs — now available as self-paced online courses.

6 Modules · Self-Paced · Full Course Access
Ministry in Small Church Contexts
Practical leadership for small congregation pastors — the most under-resourced leaders in ministry. Built from the LPTS curriculum Dr. Gray has taught for over a decade.
$97 one-time enrollment
Seminar Format · Full Course Access
Intro to Black Church Studies
Seminary-grade history, theology, and contemporary context of Black Christianity in America. Developed for the LPTS Black Church Studies program.
$97 one-time enrollment
5 Modules · Self-Paced · Full Course Access
Congregational Care Systems
For large church pastoral teams building scalable care infrastructure. How to care for thousands without burning out the people doing the caring.
$127 one-time enrollment
Seminar Format · Full Course Access
Violence & the Black Church
Crisis, community trauma, and the congregational response to violence in Black communities. Raw, necessary, and practically applied.
$97 one-time enrollment
6 Modules · Self-Paced · Full Course Access
Moving from Decline to Vitality
Rebuilding and revitalizing small congregations. For leaders who inherited a struggling church and refuse to accept that the story is over.
$97 one-time enrollment
Institutional · Contact for Pricing
Seminary Curriculum Licensing
License any course for your DMin, MDiv, or Black Church Studies program. Unlimited enrollment, LMS integration, annual updates, and faculty consultation included.
Investment details discussed during discovery call
Enroll or Inquire →
What Leaders Say

Voices from the work.

"Dr. Gray doesn't just understand leadership — he understands the specific exhaustion of leading people toward something that matters. That's a rare gift in a coach."
Senior Pastor
Large Urban Baptist Congregation, Kentucky
"Our staff training day with Dr. Gray was the most honest conversation about trauma we have ever had as an organization. We left with tools, not just awareness."
Executive Director
Nonprofit Human Services Organization
"When Dr. Gray walked into our congregation during transition, we needed more than someone to preach on Sundays. We needed a leader who could see what we couldn't. He was exactly that."
Deacon Board Chair
First Baptist Church of Jeffersontown, KY (Former Interim Pastorate)
Work With Dr. Gray

Every journey begins with
a single conversation.

Choose the path that fits where you are right now. Every inquiry is reviewed personally.

✦
Apply for Coaching
Private executive coaching for pastors and faith-based leaders. Limited to 8 clients. Application required.
Begin Application →
◎
Book a Speaking Engagement
Conferences, church events, corporate programs, university convocations. Request availability and a speaker one-sheet.
Send Inquiry →
◈
Consulting & Courses
Trauma-informed training, faith-based mental health consulting, course enrollment, and curriculum licensing inquiries.
Get in Touch →
Coaching Application

Eight minutes. That's all it takes to begin.

Every application is reviewed personally by Dr. Gray. You will receive a response within 48 hours.

Your application is confidential and reviewed only by Dr. Gray. Submitting does not obligate you to any purchase. You will receive a personal response within 48 business hours.