Advertise on podcast: Soul Care Culture: Developing a Church-Wide Culture of Biblical Soul Care

Share your thoughts Loneliness predates the fall of Adam. God designed us to be in fellowship with other humans and declared that it was "not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2:18) before sin entered the world. Ever since the fall, we frequently damage the relational communion we were designed for through attacking others and "covering" ourselves. How do we think biblically about the human experience of loneliness? In this episode, Kent Kloter hosts Bill Smith to discuss his new book, "You Are Not Alone", that dives into these questions. Bill has pastored several churches, been a faculty member of the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, and taught practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the author of Parenting with Words of Grace, along with numerous other books and booklets. He and his wife, Sally, have three adult children who are married. You may recognize him from previous episodes on Soul Care Culture.  In this episode, Bill and Kent discuss the four questions that are central to Bill's book: Why are we alone? How do we experience aloneness? What are God's solutions? How do we experience those solutions? Listen in! Resources: Show notes [Book] You Are Not Alone: How God Solves Our Isolation and Loneliness Follow William on his Facebook or check out his numerous books on Amazon Listen to our previous episodes with Bill: Episode 65: Psychology and the Chief End of Man (with William Smith) and Episode 40: Guiding the Culture of Your Church (with William Smith) Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts In this episode, we are taking on the topic of psychologies and how that interacts with Biblical Counseling. Dr. Ernie Baker serves as the Pastor of Counseling Supervision and Equipping at First Baptist of Jacksonville. He has a Doctor of Ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary and is a professor at The Master’s University, where he serves as the chair of the online Biblical Counseling program. This conversation with Ernie Baker is the last of a five-part replay series highlighting BCM's trusted partners that we have had the pleasure of hosting as guests on the podcast. Reflecting back on these episodes, we are thanking God for the blessing of being in ministry alongside these faithful believers. In this episode, we discuss psychologies, what the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is, how to work out your convictions regarding these topics, and the sufficiency of Scripture. You won’t want to miss this conversation, especially if you have not yet wrestled with your own viewpoint on the topic of psychology. Show notes (BOOK) Biblical Counseling and The Psychologies (Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling) Dr. Ernie Baker's Books from Shepherd Press (BOOK) The Book of Woe: The DSM and the Unmaking of Psychiatry Straight Talk Psychiatry Podcast with Paul Minot MD (BOOK) Critical Issues in Biblical Counseling Series (BOOK) Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands Learn more about Liberty Bible Church Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts What do you do 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 Biblical Counselors Society. He is also an ACBC and International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC) Certified Biblical Counselor. This conversation with Nick Sevier is the fourth of a five-part replay series highlighting BCM's trusted partners that we have had the pleasure of hosting as guests on the podcast. Reflecting back on these episodes, we are thanking God for the blessing of being in ministry alongside these faithful believers. We recorded this episode from Faith Church in Lafayette, Indiana at the Biblical Counseling Conference. In this episode, we’ll share the value of having a community of like-minded counselors, the mission of the Biblical Counselors Society, why participation is the key to this society’s success, and much more. Show notes Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts Today, dear pastor, we are discussing how to thrive in the midst of ministry. This conversation comes to you from the ACBC Conference, where I was joined by Dr. Garrett Higbee. You may recognize his name from a past episode where we explored how to tend to the souls of pastors. This conversation with Dr. Garrett Higbee is the third of a five-part replay series highlighting BCM's trusted partners that we have had the pleasure of hosting as guests on the podcast. Reflecting back on these episodes, we are thanking God for the blessing of being in ministry alongside these faithful believers. In today’s conversation, we’ll start out with some tips for how leaders can thrive, and then in the second half of the conversation, we’ll shift to explore the topic of Garrett’s upcoming book. Garrett shares some of the lessons he would hope all leaders would benefit from, ways to remain firmly planted in your ministry and home life, and much more. Listen in! Show Notes Episode 30: Tending to the Soul of Pastors (with Dr. Garrett Higbee) Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts 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. This conversation with Dr. Andrew Rogers is the second of a five-part replay series highlighting BCM's trusted partners that we have had the pleasure of hosting as guests on the podcast. Reflecting back on these episodes, we are thanking God for the blessing of being in ministry alongside these faithful believers. In this episode, Andrew shares what remains consistent across all countries and cultures, some of the issues the international church is facing, encouragement for your church and counseling ministry today, and much more. Listen in! Show Notes Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts When life falls apart, where do believers run? For many, the church is their last resort. The culture has offered rival explanations for our biggest problems, deepest needs, and the path forward to change. Overwhelmed pastors have accepted the counterfeits, hoping that licensed therapists will provide a balm for their hurting flock.  What if we were never meant to outsource soul care? What if biblical care and counsel was intended to be so much more than a counseling program at church? As pastors and church leaders, we need to take responsibility for the ways we have given in to the cultural definitions and return to the unchanging Word of the Maker, Redeemer, and Wonderful Counselor. The Bible addresses all the issues we experience in life from the primary perspective of how we live in relation to God. The church is not only the best institution equipped to bear the burdens of soul care, but the only one to which God has given the responsibility to minister to the problems in a believer’s life.  This conversation with Dr. Dale Johnson is the first of a five-part replay series that will air over the next few months. Each of the replay episodes highlights one of BCM's trusted partners that we have had the pleasure of hosting as a guest on the podcast. Reflecting back on these episodes, we are thanking God for the blessing of being in ministry alongside these faithful believers. In this episode, Dr. Dale Johnson unpacks the call of Biblical discipleship and what this looks like practically for both the shepherds and the flock of the local church. Listen in! Show notes Resources: Truth and Love with ACBC (BOOK) Legal Issues in Biblical Counseling | Dr. Dale Johnson & Ed Wilde (BOOK) The Professionalization of Pastoral Care | Dr. Dale Johnson (BOOK) The Church as a Culture of Care, Finding Hope in Biblical Community | Dr. Dale Johnson (BOOK) Christian Counselors Manual | Jay E. Adams Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts Have you ever made a decision that at the time seemed so right, only to look back with immense regret? Perhaps you have spent sleepless nights replaying a conversation you had with a counselee or member of your flock.  In this conversation, Mike sits down with Kent Kloter, a well-known guest on this podcast and a cherished member of the BCM team, to discuss mistakes they’ve made along the journey of discipleship ministry, and the mercy and grace God has abundantly worked through their shortcomings.  We pray this conversation will be an encouragement to you and that you will taste the sweetness of the gospel again today as the only balm for past mistakes. Listen in! Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts It is easy to fill our days with good things in ministry. There are always more people to serve and needs to meet. Faithful ministry doesn't demand doing everything, but involves determining and stewarding the responsibilities, relationships, and gifts God has entrusted to us according to His wisdom. Kari Gross is joined by Janet Aucoin, director of Women's Ministry at Faith Church in Lafayette, IN., and host of the Joyful Journey Podcast.  Janet shares how her and her husband Brent got started in Biblical Counseling and the sanctification that God has worked in them throughout the years through this ministry. She discusses organizing priorities and making wise decisions, loving your husband as his helper, using your gifts and areas of authority to help others flourish in righteousness, and much more! Listen in! RESOURCES: Episode 30: Tending to the Soul of Pastors (with Dr. Garrett Higbee) Episode 62: How to Thrive in the Midst of Ministry (with Dr. Garret Higbee) [PODCAST] Joyful Journey [BOOK] Authority | Jonathan Leeman [BOOK] Lead | Paul David Tripp Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts How do you counsel a fellow believer with Biblical clarity and Christ-like compassion when you aren't sitting in the counseling room? We talk a lot about formal counseling at BCM, but informal counseling is an indispensable element of the local church's design that offers a huge impact on a believer’s life and growth. In this episode, Kari sits down with two friends and fellow BCM teammates, Christi Thach and Kent Kloter, to continue a conversation from our last episode. They discuss informal counseling and offer a biblical perspective on care and friendship in the church body. Kent and Christi speak from years of personal sanctification and counseling experience and offer practical wisdom for the pastor and church member alike. In this episode, they discuss: -handling fear that arises as a counselor caught off guard in informal settings, -directing casual conversations to Biblical truth and gospel hope, -loving and guiding the counselee through questions, -responding with humility, -and much more! The team at BCM prays that through each conversation God will be glorified, the church of believers will be strengthened, and the pastor will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel their flock with conviction and hope.  Listen in! Resources: Episode 75: Informal Counseling in the Local Church (with Kari Gross, Kent Kloter, and Christi Thach) | Biblical Counseling Ministries Episode 52: What’s It Like In The Counseling Room? (with Christi Thach & Kent Kloter) | Biblical Counseling Ministries Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts What does it look like after someone has gone through formal counseling? We talk a lot about formal counseling at BCM, but informal counseling is an indispensable element of the local church's design that offers a huge impact on a believer’s life and growth. In this episode, Kari fills in for Mike as the host and sits down with two friends and fellow BCM teammates, Christi Thach, our process manager, and Kent Kloter, our biblical SoulCare™ coach. They discuss informal counseling and offer a biblical perspective on care and friendship in the church body. In this conversation, Kent and Christi speak from years of personal sanctification and counseling experience and address both the pastor and the lay church member. They clarify the concept of counseling, encourage gospel-centered conversations in Biblical friendships, offer practical examples of counsel through friendship, and emphasize the impact this informal counseling has on the local church as part of God’s good design. The team at BCM prays that through each conversation God will be glorified, the church of believers will be strengthened, and the pastor will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel their flock with conviction and hope. Listen in! Resources: Episode 52: What’s It Like In The Counseling Room? (with Christi Thach & Kent Kloter) | Biblical Counseling Ministries Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts Many pastors and elders experience discouragement in counseling and even doubt they have the time, training, and resources to do it well. People should be able to go to their church for help when they are faced with life problems. Responding to the need for encouragement and training, BCM sponsored a spring conference for the Central IL Church Partner Network to equip church leaders, biblical counselors, and other believers in their application of the living Word in the regular and intensive discipleship of fellow Christians. Springfield Center of Biblical Counseling came to Eureka, IL to teach the foundations training for ACBC certification over the course of three weekends this spring. Attendees learned the basics of biblical counseling, the purpose of biblical counseling, and practical application of God’s word for personal growth as well as for counseling and discipling others. In this conversation, Kari Gross sits down with a panel of attendees to reflect on BCM's 2026 Foundations Conference. You will hear from guests Rosie Pierson, Michael Blake, Abby Schmidgall, Sailor Schmidgall, Nicole Martinez, Ian Briggs, Janelle Bender, Dan Bender, Alex Beale, Dave Webster, Joshua Sanford, and Jeffrey Clarkson. You will hear what brought each attendee to the conference, how God has used Biblical Counseling in his or her life and ministry, key takeaways from the conference, and much more! The team at BCM prays that through each conversation God will be glorified, the church of believers will be strengthened, and the pastor will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel their flock with conviction and hope.  Listen in!   Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts Ever since Genesis 3, we have encountered a world in which there is conflict. I pray that you are able to look at conflict not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity for God's grace to be displayed when his children reconcile through the power of the cross. In this conversation, I am joined by Josh Gerber who is a pastor at Newcastle Bible Church as well as part of the BCM team that handles mediation for the churches within the Central Illinois Partner Network.  From his experience in the ministry of mediation, Josh shares how to help multiple individuals pursue forgiveness, confession, and work together toward godliness. You will hear about the different stages of mediation, how to evaluate which counseling cases are a good fit for mediation, how to identify when church discipline is the appropriate version of mediation to bring about repentance and reconciliation, and much more! The team at BCM prays that through each conversation God will be glorified, the church of believers will be strengthened, and the pastor will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel their flock with conviction and hope.  Listen in! Resources: The Slippery Slope of Conflict | Ken Sande [book] Peacemaking for Families (Focus on the Family): Sande, Ken, Raabe, Tom Reconciliation Counseling - Association of Certified Biblical Counselors  Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts There is danger in the calling of being a pastor. The demands and privileges of being a faithful shepherd to your flock will often weigh heavy on your soul. Praise God that His power is made perfect in our weakness. Praise God that He chooses to display His grace so gloriously through meager men like us. Praise God for His design: all the weight of care and counsel does not have to be on your shoulders but is beautifully shared by the body. At BCM, we partner with churches like yours to strengthen discipleship through building a culture of biblical care and counsel.   Today on the podcast I am joined by Ben Busenitz, Biblical Counseling Director at Liberty Bible Church in Eureka, IL. Ben is married to Jana and they have six kids.  In this conversation, Ben shares about his journey into biblical counseling and how he got connected with BCM. You will hear about some of the weight that a pastor bears and how to think about that burden biblically, what it looks like to join BCM’s Church Partnership Network and how that can serve your church.  We pray that through each conversation God will be glorified, the church of believers will be strengthened, and the pastor will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel their flock with conviction and hope.  Listen in! Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts Most of the churches in the U.S. consist of less than 100 members. What does it look like for a church of this size to thrive in Biblical discipleship? How do the pastors and elders of these churches respond to the burdens of their flock when they already feel discouraged and unequipped themselves? BCM exists to come alongside these pastors and believers to help strengthen the church through Biblical care and counsel.  On our most recent episode of the Soul Care Culture podcast, I am joined by Shane House, senior pastor of WhiteRose Fellowship in Bellevue, IL. In this conversation, you will hear how God brought Shane to pastor a small church in Illinois and how Shane eventually got connected with BCM. Familiar with both the joys and challenges of pastoring a small church, Shane discusses the importance of relying on the support God has built into your life, trusting the faithfulness of your Savior, and humbling yourself before God and before your congregants to confess and embrace your constant dependence on the Lord. We pray that through this episode you will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel your flock with conviction and hope. Listen in! Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!

Share your thoughts God loves His church. The church is God's good design for where troubled believers can go to find lasting change. However, many people have stopped going to the church for help for their sin and suffering. Today I am joined by a table of guests: Rodney and Jenna Bahler, Josh and Bree Himan, and Monica Scheuer. They are all passionate about the life-on-life discipleship of fellow believers in the context of the local church. We discuss the beautiful testimony of a church fulfilling the role God designed it for in the life of believers.  From advocate friends in a small group to church leaders and elders, from casual conversations with coworkers to the commitment of formal counseling, our guests- and many other church members represented in the conversation- each play a pivotal part in ministering to counselees. They share a testimony of how God worked through the local church for His own glory and for the sanctification of His children. We pray that through this episode you will be encouraged and a little more equipped to counsel your flock with confidence, conviction, and hope. Listen in! Show notes: https://bcmnational.org/episode-70-a-testimony-of-church-discipleship-with-rodney-and-jenna-bahler-josh-and-bree-himan-and-monica-scheuer Episode 69: What is the Apprenticeship Program? (with Chad Nightingale and Monica Scheuer) https://bcmnational.org/episode-69-what-is-the-apprenticeship-program-with-chad-nightingale-and-monica-scheuer/ The Biblical Discipleship Continuum Read our Articles Follow us on Instagram Donate to support BCM Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™:  Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org Fill out a short listener survey. We are eager to hear from you!