Editor’s Be aware: This week’s mini-series on the Grace and Fact Weblog gives annual updates from just a few of the main biblical counseling organizations. On this first article, Jeremy Lelek gives an replace on the Affiliation of Biblical Counselors. In different contributions to the collection, Brian Stenson shares in regards to the Christian Counseling and Schooling Basis, Jeff Christianson offers an replace on the Worldwide Affiliation of Biblical Counselors, and Christine Chappell gives an replace on the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship.
Serving in ministry is a wealthy context the place God’s kindness and faithfulness are regularly skilled. This has definitely been the case this yr for me as I’ve served within the Affiliation of Biblical Counselors. Personally, one of many locations God’s kindness has been most vivid is within the crew He has assembled to assist ABC propel our imaginative and prescient ahead. David as soon as wrote, “Behold, how good and nice it’s when brothers dwell in unity! It’s like the dear oil on the pinnacle, working down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, working down on the collar of his robes! It’s just like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life forevermore” (Ps. 133:1-3). David’s phrases present an excellent summation for me as I contemplate the crew with which I’m honored to serve. Our crew seeks unity in our objective, and this has confirmed to be very fruitful as we now have skilled the blessings of development whereas additionally striving to exhibit effectivity in how we serve those that search coaching and membership with us.
ABC Certification Staff
This yr, we have been in a position to arrange a brand new certification crew consisting of Jim Burke (Director of Certification and Coaching), Emily Dempster (Coaching Heart Advisor), and Joey Emerson (Director of Operations). This crew meets every week to debate our techniques of care and proceed to think about how we could finest handle the expansion we’re experiencing as we add dozens of latest coaching facilities world wide yearly with nearly 800 college students enrolled in ABC certification. Our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude as we witness the faithfulness of God in spreading the gospel and His Phrase by our biblical counseling coaching.
As a part of the certification crew and to assist guarantee we give college students high quality and environment friendly suggestions on their assignments, we now have assembled a proficient crew of graders, together with Con Loggenberg, Cam Woodall, and Lee Lewis. These males are pivotal to our certification course of as they search to uphold a excessive academic normal for our college students as they develop of their information of biblical conceptualization and care.
Particular Tasks
Shauna Van Dyke has once more humbly and faithfully served in her function over Particular Tasks, the place she fantastically faucets into her God-given presents of creativity and imaginative and prescient to take care of the continued improvement of high quality assets for our members and certification college students. This yr alone, she labored to publish Counsel the Phrase (Bob Kellemen), Counsel Via Romans (our annual pre-conference publication with dozens of contributors inside biblical counseling), and is finishing the 2025 pre-conference e-book entitled Counsel Via God’s Attributes beneath our publishing model ABC-RES. Moreover, she has helped direct and produce ten new commentary movies (5 final yr and 5 this yr) for our stage two college students. These movies have included revered biblical counselors in our motion, akin to John Henderson, Jonathan Holmes, Lee Lewis, Brad Hambrick, Eliza Huie, and others. Video matters embrace find out how to conduct an preliminary session, find out how to use (and the way to not use) Scripture in counseling, in addition to assessing and addressing suicide, to call just a few. These movies can be found within the ABC bookstore for anybody who’s . Shauna has a number of new developments coming in 2025, so please keep tuned!
Social Media Progress and Member Communication
One other function requiring creativity is that of social media. Tammy Porostovsky fulfills that function. Having served ABC for a few years whereas sporting many hats directly, the assembling of our new crew has created house for Tammy to focus and thrive in her very specified function. Her dedication to consistency and innovation has served to extend our social media presence whereas maintaining members, college students, and followers knowledgeable and up to date on the ever-increasing developments unfolding with ABC.
Tammy additionally rises to the event at every of our annual conferences as she creates, coordinates, and manages our ABC on-site bookstore. Her presents in deciding which titles to promote on the convention and estimating stock have been vital to offering the right assets to our attendees annually.
Tammy (and others on the crew) are additionally faithfully served by our administrative specialist, Maddie Gauna, who helps reply ABC calls and emails and ensures e-book orders are mailed out in a well timed method. Maddie is a superb blessing to our crew.
Director of Operations and Convention Coordinator
Joey Emmerson not solely takes half on the certification crew, however he additionally serves a vital function within the ongoing improvement of our organizational techniques. He utterly reworked the net ABC certification classroom, which has served to supply an optimum expertise for our on-line college students—a improvement we now have wanted for years! He’s additionally reworking our inside buildings to assist present extra streamlined and handy processes to be employed by our crew.
Joey is the architect of the operations of our annual Referred to as to Counsel convention. He has created a really well-oiled machine that makes the expertise an excellent one for audio system and attendees alike. This yr, we now have created one other glorious occasion the place we are going to get pleasure from plenaries by Paul Tripp, Jeremy Pierre, John Henderson, and myself as we work by Romans 8 and God’s faithfulness to us. Convention tracks this yr embrace Psychological Well being: Biblically Unpacking Diagnoses, Trauma, Counseling Youngsters and Teenagers, Fundamentals of Biblical Counseling Strategies, Frequent Sexual Points, Pastors and Church Management, Understanding Feelings: Disgrace, Guilt and Remorse, and Non secular Abuse. I invite you to take a look at the Referred to as to Counsel web site and contemplate attending this extremely particular occasion in Could 2025, the place dozens of biblical counseling leaders assemble in unity and like to encourage and equip a whole lot of saints of God by in-depth coaching and instruction.
Monetary Constancy
Lastly, and not using a proficient and discerning individual managing the monetary tasks of a ministry, that ministry could be in peril. Since our inception as a corporation, Ronnie McElroy has served as our chief monetary officer. He meticulously oversees each transaction and expenditure throughout the ministry. His service and dedication have been unwavering and impeccable, and he takes severely the glory of God because it regards the monetary integrity of ABC. Ronnie has additionally navigated the event of a brand new and rising crew with endurance and perseverance. His years of service have been such a blessing, and we pray the Lord continues to offer him stamina and achievement within the journey and repair with us.
Concluding Ideas
In brief, I’m exceedingly grateful for my beloved crew! Whereas each element of accountability for every individual on the crew can’t be lined in a single weblog, I needed my reflection on 2024 to notice the highlights of a number of the most superb individuals I do know. Our resolve as a ministry to uphold the tenets of biblical counseling and persevere in our name solely grew stronger as we witnessed the Holy Spirit profoundly improve our attain world wide to encourage, equip, enlist, and enrich individuals in all places to reside and counsel the Phrase, making use of the gospel to the entire expertise of life. To God be all glory, and should we proceed to be honored to serve Him alongside so many different ministries and folks passionate for Christ-centered, gospel-infused biblical soul care—brothers and sisters we genuinely cherish as we labor in love collectively!
