We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chris Cox. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chris below.
Chris, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.
In March of 2021 I was given an opportunity by a publishing company to write my first book. I was living in Hampton Virginia at the time and I remember having visited Atlanta and having a conversation with one of my good friends, Pastor Trell Webb, at his home. We agreed in prayer that God would bless my newly formed business, Chris Cox Speakz LLC. next thing you know, I’m scrolling my emails the following week and I see this email from a publishing company saying that they want to speak to me about an opportunity to write a devotional for teenage boys. My first thought was this is probably fake or some type of trick to get my money, but after speaking to the representative I found out that it was in fact real. Now, if I’m being honest in those initial moments, I contemplated whether I was really able to take on something like this. I mean, I had sat on an idea for a 21 day devotional for a while and now here we are, someone is asking me to write 150 devotionals within a short period of time to meet editorial deadlines. I started having flashbacks of my early days in grade school, where I struggled with assignments, and homework was surely not my favorite thing. However, I felt a sense of purpose about this particular opportunity. I thought back to all the things that I now realized I needed as a teenager, especially when it came to the formation of my faith and the cultivation of my purpose. So now to have an opportunity to go back and write to young guys in that same phase of life just felt special. Full of excitement, I begin to share the news with my family and friends, and everyone was just as excited as I was. I knew this would be a challenging journey, but I was ready for the ride.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
So my name is Chris Cox and I am a proud PK. My parents are Pastor John and Constance Cox. I am one of four amazing and talented siblings all of whom I am extremely grateful for. and I am the product of two very large and loving, families, the Mims and the Cox family who have in so many ways to helped shape who I am today.
I am a Next Gen Pastor here in the city of Atlanta at Change Church and I have been serving in student ministry for almost 18 years now. I get a chance to travel the nation speaking to students and those who lead students. I also have the privilege of working with a number of organizations to provide strategies for reaching students and building effective student ministries in both the church and educational settings. I’m very passionate about making sure the next generation gets a fighting chance at discovering their purpose by understanding the process they experience to progress towards it. I love helping people see the grace of God at work in their life and my overall ministry philosophy is “You don’t have to become what happened to you because of what happened for you.” I am a speaker an author, a mentor and most of all a servant. In 2021 I was also able to start up a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization called the collective youth workers group. My vision for this group is to create a hub for youth workers to build relationships, share resources, and find rest.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Coming from a small town in Alabama, I didn’t have many connections when I got into public speaking. I moved to Atlanta to pursue a degree in computer science, and while I was doing that, I discovered that I had this greater call and purpose at work in me. So I spoke with my pastor at the time and had a conversation with my dad, who had been my first pastor in life. Months later, full of nerves, I stood before a group of people and preached for the first time. This was September 16, 2007.
From that day 17 years ago up until now, I have met so many amazing people who have opened some pretty awesome doors for me. I could’ve never imagined that people in different states or countries, for that matter, would eventually be calling me to come speak for them.
When people ask me how I gained the reputation I have and have gotten the number of opportunities I have, I always tell them that it’s through stewarding relationships well. I always tell people that my goal is not necessarily to be well known, but to be known well. It means a lot to me when I walk into a room and people have great things to say about me because of how I stewarded the relationship I have with them.
I genuinely love people and try to show them the same support that I would hope they’d show me. That has seemed to work well for me over the years. I also treat every opportunity as if it is THE opportunity. There have been times where I have spoken in rooms where there is literally one person, and then there are times where I speak in rooms where there are thousands. However, I bring the same energy to every room and just believe that God counts each one as a seed of faithfulness that eventually becomes fruitful for me in some way.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Gene Edwards’s A Tale of 3 Kings was a game-changer for my leadership journey. Through the captivating stories of David, Saul, and Absalom, I gained invaluable insights into the complexities of power, humility, and the human condition. The book’s exploration of leadership, both good and bad, helped me understand the importance of empathy, integrity, and the delicate balance between strength and vulnerability. I found myself reflecting on my own experiences and identifying parallels in my leadership style. The book’s timeless wisdom has had a lasting impact on my approach to leadership, and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to develop their skills and deepen their understanding of the human heart.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.chriscoxspeakz.com
- Instagram: @chriscoxspeakz
- Twitter: ChrisCoxSpeakz
