The Pastor and Counseling


Book Description

Pastors spend much of their time counseling people in crisis—a delicate task that requires one to carefully evaluate each situation, share relevant principles from God’s Word, and offer practical suggestions for moving forward. Too often, however, pastors feel unprepared to effectively shepherd their people through difficult circumstances such as depression, adultery, eating disorders, and suicidal thinking. Written to help pastors and church leaders understand the basics of biblical counseling, this book provides an overview of the counseling process from the initial meeting to the final session. It also includes suggestions for cultivating a culture of discipleship within a church and four appendixes featuring a quick checklist, tips for taking notes, and more.




Pastoral Counseling in a Global Church


Book Description

Pastoral counseling is one of the fastest growing ministry specialties in the emerging world church. 'Pastoral Counseling in a Global Church' vividly presents the experiences of people involved in ministry in different cultures, in Asia, Africa, and Latin America as well as Europe and Australia. Its practical, narrative-style approach complements more theoretical treatments of cross-cultural counseling. In our increasingly global and multicultural world, sensitivity to the ways in which families and cultures are central to growth in Christian life is essential for pastoral counselors. This is especially true since, in many cultures, the pastoral ministry is the first one people turn to for help, before mental health or other professionals. Those who can apply culturally-relevant and sensitive pastoral skills can provide real help to those in need: whether in a multicultural parish in North America, or anywhere in the world.




Counseling


Book Description

Gain a knowledge of counseling methods that are practical and consistent with Christian theological convictions. What do the Scriptures say about counseling? What is the biblical basis for using Scriptures in counseling? What does it mean to think biblically about counseling-related issues? At the root of this book is the confidence that Christ and his Word are not only sufficient for effectively handling the personal and interpersonal challenges of life but are superior to the resources found in the world. The practice of psychological counseling is a ministry and should not belong only to the realm of humanistic and secular theories of the mind. Written to pastors, elders, deacons, seminary students, and laypeople; well-known pastor John MacArthur and contributors present a system of biblical truth that brings together people, their problems, and the living God. This kind of counseling is based on the convictions that: God's Word should be our counseling authority. Counseling is a part of the basic discipling ministry of the local church. God's people can and should be trained to counsel effectively. Counseling: How to Counsel Biblically provides biblical guidelines to counsel people who are struggling. The contributors represent some of America's leading biblical teachers and counselors, including: Ken L. Sarles, David Powlison, Douglas Bookman, David B. Maddox, Robert Smith, William W. Goode, and Dennis M. Swanson.




Nurturing Hope


Book Description

Trends and skills for those who offer pastoral care Christian pastoral care has changed a great deal in the past few decades in response to many factors in our rapidly changing world. In part 1 of Nurturing Hope, Lynne Baab discusses seven trends in pastoral care--shifts in who delivers pastoral care, the attitudes and commitments that undergird pastoral care, and societal trends that are shaping pastoral care today. She illustrates them with stories from diverse congregations where Christian caregivers are meeting those challenges in creative and exciting ways. In the second half of the book, Baab presents four practical, doable, energizing skills needed by pastoral carers in our time. Focusing on skills that help carers nurture connections between everyday life and Christian faith, she explores the need for carers to understand common stressors, listen, pray with others, and nurture their personal resilience. Grounded in an understanding of God as the true caregiver and healer, the author offers tips for readers who are training other pastoral carers or developing their own understanding and skills. Each chapter ends with discussion and reflection questions, making the book helpful for groups. Lynne Baab brings readers hope for their caring role and for their own spiritual journey.




The Church Leader's Counseling Resource Book


Book Description

This all-in-one guide is designed to better equip clergy and the church leaders to meet their congregations' needs in a spiritually grounded and scientifically sound manner. Succinct, easy-to-read chapters summarize all a pastor needs to know about a given problem area, including its signs or symptoms, questions to ask, effective helping skills, and, most importantly, when to refer to a mental health professional. Synthesizing what research says about treatment approaches for mental health issues, this user-friendly reference is filled with guidelines, case scenarios, key points to remember, resources for further help, advice on integrating scripture and theology with the best available research, and tips on partnering with others to provide the best possible care for each church member. Each chapter is designed for quick lookup by problem area, empowering church leaders to understand and help meet the challenges facing the children, adults, families, and communities that they serve.




Pastoral Counseling Across Cultures


Book Description

In this book David Augsburger discusses the dynamics of pastoral care and counseling across cultural lines. Augsburger combines theology with global perspective and cultural sensitivity to posit an inclusive understanding of pastoral care. This book will be of great interest to pastoral counselors in both academic and practical contexts.




Introduction to Pastoral Counseling


Book Description

An in-depth look at who pastoral caregivers are, what they do, and how and why they do it




Missions


Book Description

Every local church should be engaged with global missions, even if most individuals in the church aren't called to go overseas. But what does this engagement actually look like? How can local churches train, send, and support missionaries well? Unpacking principles from the Bible and applying them in the context of real life in a local church, this new book in the 9Marks: Building Healthy Churches series is filled with practical steps and advice for supporting missionaries, forming international partnerships, sending short-term teams, and engaging with the nations here at home. This book casts a vision for the local church as the engine of world missions—for the joy of all people and the glory of God.




Passions of the Heart


Book Description

Enticed by rage, sensuality, or pride, anyone can become caught up in previously unimaginable acts. Experienced biblical counselor John Street takes a hard look at the heart idolatries that lead even Christians to commit egregious sexual sin . . . showing how to bring lasting change by identifying the underlying motivations of the heart. Here there is hope: any sin can be forgiven, and Christ gives men and women the grace to mortify fleshly desires and to humbly live for him.




Gospel-Centered Counseling


Book Description

Everyone talks about the personal ministry of the Word, but how do we make one-another ministry truly biblical? Gospel-Centered Counseling equips readers to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. It does so by examining life’s seven ultimate questions and then guiding readers on a journey that explores the biblical, gospel-centered narrative of: The Word: “What is truth?” “Where can I find answers?” The Trinity: “Who is God?” “Can I know Him personally?” Creation: “Who am I?” “What makes people tick?” Fall: “What went wrong?” “Why do we do the things we do?” Redemption: “Can I change?” “How do people change?” Glorification: “Where am I headed?” “How does our future destiny impact our present reality?” Sanctification: “How can I help?” “How can I change lives?" Bob Kellemen builds on the foundation of the written Word and provides a gospel-centered resource for understanding people, diagnosing problems, and prescribing biblically-based solutions. Gospel-Centered Counseling is the first volume in The Equipping Christian Counselors Series, a comprehensive relational training curriculum for the local church that provides a model for equipping God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth. This two-volume series weaves together comprehensive biblical insight with compassionate Christian engagement.