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, and leader in the biblical counseling movement, and serves as the Lead Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Kentucky.
In this episode, you’ll hear some of the best practices for establishing a biblical counseling ministry, how counseling will positively impact your preaching, the importance of getting buy-in from the entire leadership team, and much more.
Listen in!
Resources:
- Connect with Brad on his website or Instagram
- (BOOK) Gospel Treason
- Grace Fellowship Church
- Episode 43: The Biblical Counselors Society (with Nick Sevier)
- Biblical Counselors Society (Get 25% off by mentioning this podcast!)
- Learn more about our 5-Project Biblical Counseling Blueprint Model™
- Explore the rest of our website – bcmnational.org
Key Takeaways
- Understand the power of the pulpit. Championing the biblical counseling ministry at your church doesn’t mean you have to be the one doing all of the counseling. That’s a heavy burden for anyone to carry. But you do need to understand how powerful your teaching and endorsement are for the people you shepherd.
- Talk about counseling over and over. This is what Brad referred to as the “drip method.” It involves talking about counseling to your sheep in multiple ways. It could be teaching a sermon where one of the action steps is to seek out counseling, advertising your church’s biblical counseling ministry in the monthly newsletter, and suggesting it to people who are struggling with a particular issue or season.
- Sitting with real people in counseling each week will positively impact your preaching. Counseling gives you a real look at what people are struggling with, what advice they need, and how you can more effectively minister to their souls. When you effectively champion and participate in your counseling ministry, your teaching should also improve because you are able to bring encouragement to what common issues people struggle with.
Meet Brad
Brad Bigney is a speaker, author, podcast host, and Lead Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church in Kentucky. He is also a certified biblical counselor with ACBC. Brad hosts the Thrive Podcast where he shares how to apply God’s Word to marriage and parenting. He has five children with his wife, Vicki. When Brad isn’t preaching, teaching, speaking, or counseling, you can find him working in the yard, going on bike rides with his wife, or eating Graeter’s Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip ice cream.
