This book answers such questions as: What can believers do to help individuals suffering from problems of living? What should churches do for suffering souls? What did the church do for almost 2000 years without psychological counseling? What did the church do without the biblical counseling movement which began about 25 years ago? This book calls Christians back to the Bible and to the biblically ordained ministries and mutual care in the body of Christ that have effectively cared for souls fo almost 2000 years. - Back cover.

What does it mean to say that a pastor is competent? And how does a competent pastor function? This book is intended to help pastors, seminarians, and lay people who work with pastors understand and answer these two questions. Competence in ministry is a moving target. A ministry technique that works in one parish may not work in another. What works today may not work five years from now. But a competent pastor will be able to adapt to changing locations and changing times. A competent pastor will be happy in her job--or able to figure out why she's not happy and how to move forward. A competent pastor won't get stuck--or when he does get stuck, he'll know what steps to take to get unstuck. Competence, defined by author Ronald Sisk as "the ability to do what needs to be done," requires ministers to understand themselves and others and to keep a realistic perspective on their lives. Competent pastors function by moving toward this kind of understanding and perspective.

A classic in the field of Christian counseling, Competent to Counsel is one of the first works to fully articulate a vision of "nouthetic" counseling—a strictly biblical approach to behavioral counseling and therapy. Dr. Jay Adams defends the idea that the Bible itself, as God's Word, provides all the principles needed for understanding and engaging in holistic counseling. Using biblically directed discussion, nouthetic counseling works by means of the Holy Spirit to bring about change—both immediate and long-term—in the personality and behavior of the counselee. As he points out in his introduction, "I have been engrossed in the project of developing biblical counseling and have uncovered what I consider to be a number of important scriptural principles. . . There have been dramatic results. . . Not only have people's immediate problems been resolved, but there have also been solutions to all sorts of long-term problems as well." Competent to Counsel has helped thousands of pastors, students, laypersons, and Christian counselors develop: A general approach to (and theology of) Christian counseling. Specific, practical responses to particular problems useful for teaching, study, and personal application. Since its first publication in 1970, this book has gone through over thirty printings. It establishes the basis for and an introduction to a counseling approach that is being used in pastors' studies, in counseling centers, and across dining room tables throughout the country and around the world.

What does it mean to say that a pastor is competent? And how does a competent pastor function? This book is intended to help pastors, seminarians, and lay people who work with pastors understand and answer these two questions. Competence in ministry is a moving target. A ministry technique that works in one parish may not work in another. What works today may not work five years from now. But a competent pastor will be able to adapt to changing locations and changing times. A competent pastor will be happy in her job—or able to figure out why she’s not happy and how to move forward. A competent pastor won’t get stuck—or when he does get stuck, he’ll know what steps to take to get unstuck. Competence, defined by author Ronald Sisk as "the ability to do what needs to be done," requires ministers to understand themselves and others and to keep a realistic perspective on their lives. Competent pastors function by moving toward this kind of understanding and perspective.

This book is a comprehensive guide to competent Spirit-led ministry in the 21st century. Written from a Pentecostal/Charismatic perspective, it focuses on four important aspects of effective ministry - preaching, teaching, healing, and leading. Beginning with biblical definitions of ministry, the book describes the challenges presented by the 21st century in light of the long history of Christian ministry, and it offers biblically sound advice to address these challenges. The role of the Holy Spirit in ministry is examined in detail. The bulk of the book is devoted to the theory (theology) and practice of competent, Spirit-led ministry. This book is a call to excellence in ministry as well sa a guide to empowered preaching, teaching, healing, and leading.

Christ-Centered Ministry versus Problem-Centered Counseling is a radical proposal to discourage problem-centered counseling and to encourage Christ-centered ministry, to overthrow intimidation from the psychological and biblical counseling movements, and thereby to free believers in local congregations to minister to fellow believers without psychological or biblical counseling manuals, workshops, seminars, degrees, or certificates. The purpose of this book is to reveal the origins and faults of problem-centered counseling, to describe Christ-centered ministry and how it differs from problem-centered counseling, and to encourage local congregations to minister as God has called them to do without the influence of the psychological or biblical counseling movements.

David Anderson and Margarita Cabellon bring together an experienced team of practitioners to share best practices for multicultural ministry. Drawing on the pioneering expertise of Bridgeway Community Church and BridgeLeader Network, the contributors present a holistic and multifaceted portrait of what a dynamic, grace-filled and diverse ministry can look like in your church.

In Cultural Competency, Getting Back in the Game for Ministry with Your Neighbors, Paul Nixon explores how a church can regain a sense of cultural competency for ministering to the world around it. There are different strategies that impact how we do this - no single strategy is right for every church. But there are also baseline principles that are universally applicable. Paul Nixon looks first at a few baselines of culturally competent ministry, and then considers the varied strategies churches employ to get back in the game, in terms of effective ministry with their neighbors. These baselines include: The Christian Good News transcends culture Your church belongs to God, not to you The Good Ole Days are in front of us, not behind us Authenticity is essential No church can serve everybody Friendship first, then ministry development Spiritual readiness Social privilege often gets in our way Community partnerships are priceless Good listening may lead to Un-learning A lot of what we try will go about as well as a Wile E. Coyote scheme; God is alive and at work in every neighborhood. Our challenge is to show up to what God is doing; Regardless of strategy, spiritual collaboration with new people is essential! What Readers Are Saying: In a world of converging cultures, clashing ideologies and competing priorities, leadership in the church today can feel like trying to build on shifting sand. In Cultural Competency, Paul Nixon offers leaders Terra Firma. With a call to the timeless and timely work of partnering with God in every place and with every people, Cultural Competency lays the groundwork for the construction of God's preferred future for the church and the world. The Good Ole Days are ahead of us! C. Greg Moore Senior Pastor, Edenton Street UM Church, Raleigh NC Cultural Competency is filled with deep thoughts, spiritual grounding, and down to earth approaches to effective ministry. As a veteran church planter, I highly recommend this book to all Christian ministry leaders, especially those who seek to be relevant participants in the Spirit-led Gospel movement. Bener Agtarap Executive Director, Path 1 at Discipleship Ministries If your church finds itself at a ministry crossroad as it tries to be relevant in our rapidly changing world, this book is for you. Reading Cultural Competency is like sitting down with one of the best church consultants in North America to pick his brain about what your church should think about to thrive in the 21st century. Beth Ann Estock Co-author of Weird Church: Welcome to the 21st Century Cultural intelligence is a learned practice, one needed now more than ever. Understanding the social context of our ministries is imperative, making Paul Nixon's book a vital tool in this endeavor. Filled with relevant insights and engaging examples, his words are for anyone desiring to make an impact for Christ in their unique community. As we shift our hopeful hearts toward ministry in a post pandemic world, this book is a must-read. Ken Nash Lead Pastor, Watermark Wesleyan Church, Buffalo, NY Paul Nixon has the capacity help us see the church as though looking through a retro View-Master toy, enabling readers to take trips to places they have never been or to help us see something in a series of different angles or lights. He offers this very gift in Cultural Competency as he takes a complex subject and allows you to see it through thirteen different lenses or screens. Packed with practical tools for reflection and conversation, this book will be a gift to all congregations who are seeking new ways of loving their community and being church together. Donna Claycomb Sokol Pastor, Mount Vernon Place UMC, Washington DC

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.

Most seminaries now require their students to get real world training by way of supervised theological field education. This volume presents the wide array of issues that must be understood in order to integrate theological education and practical ministry, including the importance of theological field education, its purpose and challenges, the need for flexibility in meeting different students' needs, and the resources available to create a meaningful and educational experience.