What do we do when dark events sweep across our nation and affect us close to home? How do we respond as pastors and leaders when current events affect our congregation so deeply? Often, when events like the assassination of Charlie Kirk occur, it can leave our sheep feeling confused, hurt, and looking for direction on how they should respond. Helping me wade into this discussion on how we should react when we come face-to-face with darkness is my friend, Andrew Gerber. Andrew is an A...

The biblical counseling movement is ever-growing, and yet, not everyone who goes by the title of “biblical counselor” adheres to the same ideals and beliefs. There are those who claim to be biblical counselors but still turn to outside sources, additional therapies, and specialized training they feel is necessary to be able to adequately address what may come into the counseling room. However, is this man-centered wisdom really necessary to be able to counsel well? Should those who rely on i...

In the counseling room, you will come across a wide range of issues and problems that people are seeking counseling for. There are few that are more daunting than issues of addiction, whether that be drugs, alcohol, pornography, or something else. Chad Nightingale is filling in as the guest host for this episode. Joining him for this vital conversation are two men, Mark Shaw and Andrew Held, who live in the thick of addiction counseling every day with teens and adults going through residentia...

It’s Kari Gross again, and I’m back with Henry Nightingale and Christian Martin, the co-hosts of a Christian gaming podcast called Courage Wisdom Power. If you missed our first episode with them, you’ll want to be sure to go back and listen to it here. Many pastors and elders can experience discouragement and doubt in their counseling, especially when they come face-to-face with challenging topics that cut to the foundation of faith. For this conversation, Christian is sharing one scenario c...

Many pastors and elders experience discouragement in counseling and even doubt they have the time, training, and resources to do it well. We firmly believe that people should be able to go to their church for help when they are faced with life problems. However, when it comes to the youth of our church or even the teens in our own household, it can be challenging to instill a strong faith that will withstand the opposing views they will encounter. For this conversation, I am joined by a coupl...

Where do you send your sheep to get outside help? Who can be trusted? It’s normal to feel nervous and wonder if the advice they receive will be biblically sound. In a past episode, we shared some behind-the-scenes of what intensive counseling was like from the perspective of the counselees and their advocate couple. Today, we are going to show you what it’s like from the counselor’s perspective. I have the privilege of welcoming Mark Schuitema. Mark is the Executive Director of Faithf...

Does a thriving biblical counseling ministry really need to be championed by the lead pastor? What if they are too busy or have too much on their plate already? These are just some of the questions we are going to be tackling in this conversation. You might recognize the name of my guest for this conversation, as he’s been around the biblical counseling movement for a long time. Brad Bigney is a speaker, author, leader in the biblical counseling movement, and serves as the Lead Pastor at Gra...

Kari Gross is filling in as the host for this episode, where we are giving you a peek inside the counseling room. A few of our teammates have joined us for this conversation and have graciously agreed to give a glimpse into their counseling relationship. Christi Thach, our process manager, and Kent Kloter, our biblical SoulCare™ coach, also have a counselee and counselor relationship. Christi and Kent give us a glance into their relationship throughout the years and how utilizing biblical So...

The burden to counsel well can lie heavy on our minds and hearts. No one knows that better than Pastor Tim Pasma. He understands your world as Tim is the Senior Pastor of about 130 people at LaRue Baptist Church in LaRue, OH. Tim is also an ACBC Fellow and Board Member, author, and speaker. In this episode, you’ll hear some of the areas counselors are most likely to make mistakes, the key difference between teaching and counseling, encouragement for those worried about making a mistak...

Have you ever wondered what happens when you send your people to a three-day intensive? What did they learn? Was it true to Scripture? How can you build on what they achieved there? This is the topic we are covering today, along with Ben and Ailey Holman, and Kris and Amanda Mettlemen, who recently attended a retreat at Twelve Stones. These four are close friends, and they also share a counselee and counsel advocate couple relationship. In this episode, you’ll learn what is involved in a re...

As pastors, we recognize our sacred calling to teach and preach God’s Word to our flock. But one of the questions we’ve been pondering is that of our call to counsel and care for them as well. How does or should the care of souls within the local church impact our preaching? Does the dual focus on counseling and teaching have an impact, positive or negative, on either role? Can you only effectively be one or the other? I am delighted to introduce you to a guest who has the answers to all th...

There has been a biblical counseling movement going on for about 60 years now and it’s still moving! We are so excited to be able to share with you not only what is going on inside our country, but internationally as well. Joining for this conversation is Dr. Andrew Rogers. He is the Executive Director of Overseas Instruction in Counseling at BCM Worldwide, a ministry devoted to training biblical counseling trainers around the world. In this episode, Andrew shares what remains consistent ac...

Recently, we’ve seen more terms like “clinically-informed” and “trauma-informed” emerge in the counseling world. How are we to tell what is in line with biblical counseling and what isn’t? Many of these movements are more syncretistic in nature. To help us understand more about the new arguments coming out and how we should respond as biblical counselors is Dr. Heath Lambert. He is the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida and he previously served as the Executive Di...

Have you ever felt burnt out? After a long day of vocational ministry, you return home but you can’t stop worrying and thinking about all the people under your care. Perhaps you are wondering how you will manage to keep pastoring in the midst of this crazy world. These thoughts are quite common among church leadership and burnout is a far more common occurrence than ever before. Barna reported in 2022 that a staggering 42% of pastors said they were considering leaving their jobs, which Barna...

In our last episode, Kari Gross shared her personal testimony and the role SoulCare™ has played in her life. And now, we have the pleasure of welcoming her daughter, Noelle Baffa, for this follow-up conversation. Following Jesus and allowing that to permeate through every aspect of your life doesn’t just change a person; it also changes their home, how they parent, and how they go through life. It shapes the culture of our home and how we disciple our children. In this episode, Noelle shares ...

What do we do at BCM, and why does it even matter? This is the question Kari Gross is going to help us answer in this conversation. At BCM, we firmly believe people should be able to go to their local church and receive help when they face great suffering, great sin, and the everyday trials of life that they cannot seem to handle. It is our mission to assist churches in creating an environment, a culture of biblical SoulCare™, and weave counseling into the DNA and daily life of their church. ...

What do you do, dear pastor, when you encounter a counseling situation that has you stumped or is difficult to navigate? Where do you turn to for practical, biblical advice? My guest today has encountered this question many times, which is why he founded the Biblical Counselors Society. This is a group of fellow pastors, church leaders, and biblical counselors who can offer advice and resources for your most challenging counseling cases. Nick Sevier is the Founder and Director of the Biblic...

“It is very possible and very good for SoulCare to go back to the local church.” This is something we return to time and time again and it’s because there are so many churches that outsource SoulCare™ to voices outside the Church. We have worked with many churches over the last ten years and we are passionate about relying on the sufficiency of Scripture and bringing biblical SoulCare back to the local church. But the question remains, why does it matter that SoulCare is done through the loca...

Can you believe it? We just surpassed 3,000 downloads of this podcast! We are so amazed at all that God has done and how He has used the conversations we’ve had here to bless and encourage you. This episode is going to look a little different as we invite you into the BCM family room to hear from several team members. We are reflecting on what God has done in the last year, rejoicing at what He has accomplished, looking ahead at where the Lord may be leading in 2025, and much more Our prayer ...

What does it take to create not just an individual change, but a shift in the entire culture of a church? When we talk about culture, we are referring to the shared norms and default reactions, expectations, and approaches for a group of people. While the culture of your church developed naturally over time, we are going to discuss the benefits and challenges of intentionally creating a culture around biblical SoulCare™ in your church. This is a topic that is near and dear to our hearts as th...