Caring For Souls

Caring for Souls is a helpful primer on the intersection of psychology and Scripture. How psychology fits into Christianity is a thorny and often confusing subject for many. There is a great deal of disagreement even among experts. In Caring for Souls, Gary Bredfeldt and Harry Shields address the intersection of Scripture and psychology in Christian counseling. The authors address different approaches and analyze them against Scripture, and then provide readers with practical teaching on implementing biblical counseling.

In a time when many churches have lost sight of the real purpose of the church, The Care of Souls invites a new generation of pastors to form the godly habits and practical wisdom needed to minister to the hearts and souls of those committed to their care. Harold Senkbeil helps remind pastors of the essential calling of the ministry: preaching and living out the Word of God while orienting others in the same direction. And he offers practical and fruiful advice-born out of his five decades as a pastor-that will benefit both new pastors and those with years in the pulpit. Drawing on a lifetime of pastoral expeience, The Care of Souls is a beautifully written treasury of proven wisdom which pastors will find themselves turning to again and again.

A practicing psychologist explores the church's role in "soul care," advocating a counseling method that anchors modern therapy in timeless biblical principles.

This volume offers a detailed analysis of how the current phase of capitalism is eating away at social, interpersonal, and psychological health. Drawing upon an interdisciplinary body of research, Bruce Rogers-Vaughn describes an emerging form of human distress—what he calls ‘third order suffering’—that is rapidly becoming normative. Moreover, this new paradigm of affliction is increasingly entangled with already-existing genres of misery, such as sexism, racism, and class struggle, mutating their appearances and mystifying their intersections. Along the way, Rogers-Vaughn presents stimulating reflections on how widespread views regarding secularization and postmodernity may divert attention from contemporary capitalism as the material origin of these developments. Finally, he explores his own clinical practice, which yields clues for addressing the double unconsciousness of third order suffering and outlining a vision for caring for souls in these troubling times.

Pastoral care is often focused on individual problems, but much of what harms and impedes us stems from the larger social maladies at work in our lives. This unprecedented gathering of two dozen essays discusses the realities of racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, ableism, and classism prevalent within the church and society in an effort to broaden and inform pastoral caregivers with the knowledge and the skills needed to respond effectively to oppressed and marginalized persons. The volumes also help pastors to reflect on the ways their own social location has an impact on their ministries and to gain familiarity with resources available to support pastoral caregivers in a variety of contexts.

Soul Care explores seven principles that can lead to lasting transformation and freedom for all who struggle with a broken, damaged, and sin-stained soul. Brokenness grasps for the soul of humanity. We are broken body, soul, and spirit, and we need the healing touch of Jesus. Soul Care explores seven principles that are profound healing tools of God: securing your identity, repentance, breaking family sin patterns, forgiving others, healing wounds, overcoming fears, and deliverance. Dr. Rob Reimer challenges readers to engage in an interactive, roll-up-your-sleeves and get messy process -- a journey of self-reflection, Holy Spirit inspiration, deep wrestling, and surrender. It is a process of discovering yourself in true community and discovering God as He pierces through the layers of your heart. Life change is hard. But these principles, when packaged together and lived out, can lead to lasting transformation, freedom, and a healthy soul. Soul Care encourages you to gather a small group of comrades in arms, read and process together, open your souls to one another, access the presence and power of God together, and journey together into the freedom and fullness of Christ.

Christ's sheep need shepherding. That's where you come in. With more than 60 years of ministry between them, Harold Senkbeil and Lucas Woodford have come to understand that everything in ministry--even administration, leadership, and planning--revolves around the ancient tradition of the care of souls. Pastors are entrusted with the care of a flock by the Good Shepherd and are called to be faithful to this task. But pastoring seems to be getting more and more difficult. Based on a sound theological framework, Senkbeil and Woodford present a set of practical tools for church leadership and strategy. Calling on their vast experience, they encourage pastors to protect, guide, and feed their flock as Jesus would, bridging the eternal wisdom of the word of God with the everyday practicality of hands-on leadership. Originally published as Church Leadership & Strategy, this revision includes a new chapter and litany.

Coming alongside struggling children can feel like an uphill battle. Counselors and parents mistakenly believe children somehow need different answers to life’s problems than adults need—but Christ is always the way. Children struggle with the same desires adults struggle with, are lured by the same lies adults fall prey to, and can find hope in the same source adults can find hope—in our Lord and Savior. In this manual for biblical counselors, men and women will learn how to help struggling children with the hope found in our Redeemer as presented in the Word of God. Caring for the Souls of Children equips counselors, parents, pastors, and anyone else who wants to love children with the hope of Jesus to boldly trust in the sufficiency of Scripture. Rather than relying on different methods to reach children, this manual helps counselors share the truth of Christ—the way, the truth, and the life—all while tailoring interactions and teachings to the understanding of children. Edited by counseling professional and author Amy Baker, this in-depth resource offers the biblical wisdom and practical insights of contributing authors who are experienced in biblical counseling for children.