Biblical counseling is a growing movement in the Church that is seeking to help God’s people to care for one another through God’s Word. This is an encouraging trend in my opinion because rather than focus on the latest psychological trends or diagnoses, we are seeking to be people who live under the authority and sufficiency of the Word of God. Part of a series of books by the Biblical Counseling Coalition, Biblical Counseling, and The Church: God’s Care Through God’s People by editors, Bob Kellemen, and Kevin Carson aims to help biblical counselors to serve people in their congregations with the Gospel.
Biblical Counseling and the Church seeks to equip local churches to be a family where every member is empowered to speak the truth in love to one another so that each person in the congregation matures in Christ. The editors have collected over twenty respected ministry leaders who practically and relevantly describe the relationship between counseling and the local church.
In part one, the authors consider a vision for biblical counseling in the local church. Here they explore a church that has biblical counseling and calls Pastors to shepherd God’s flock. They also in this section explore biblical counseling and soul care. In addition, they examine how to unite the public and private ministry of the Word.
Part two considers tools to unite biblical counseling and small groups, the relationship between biblical counseling and redemption groups, along with counseling in the context of community. Part three looks at biblical counseling, church discipline, and conflict resolution.
Part three seeks to equip biblical counselors. To this end, the authors look at how to launch and lead a biblical counseling ministry in small, midsize, large, multicultural churches, and missions and counseling. This section concludes with an exploration on the topic of ethical and legal issues in biblical counseling.
Part four considers the topic of biblical counseling and outreach. Here the authors walk readers through the relationship of evangelism, community outreach, and para-church ministries. This section concludes with a missional vision of biblical counseling. The last section of the book explores biblical counseling through a historical perspective. Here the authors are wanting to help readers understand the legacy and future of biblical counseling.
Biblical Counseling and The Church: God’s Care Through God’s People is a very helpful book on the relationship of biblical counseling and the local church. Whether you are interested in counseling or not, every ministry leader should read this book. This book presents a clear case for why every member should be involved in some capacity in ministering to others. To that end, this book will help Pastors and leaders in local churches understand how to equip people to be about the work of biblical counseling. I highly recommend this book and believe reading it will help pastors, ministry leaders, and lay leaders understand the importance of biblical counseling in the local church.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
