We all know people in our world are struggling eating disorders, addictions, depression, sexual issues, marital problems the list goes on and on. Can the church help or is that an outdated concept that no longer fits modern problems? In The Church as a Culture of Care, biblical counselor Dale Johnson explains that the church is still the primary place where those who struggle can receive lasting hope and healing.
Pastors and lay leaders in the church often feel inadequate to address certain needs and are unsure of how to help. This book is designed to help erase the stigma of "mental health issues" in the church and to present the church as the primary haven for answers to deep-seated human problems. Readers will learn that God has designed every function of the church to be an integral part of soul care. God has provided the church with the necessary resources for us to care well for one another. Prayer, the Word, the work of the Holy Spirit, and Christian community are God's provisions to lead all of us to Christ even those with the deepest struggles.
Counselors, ministers, and lay leaders will be empowered to have confidence in God's purpose for the church, the power of his Spirit, and the sufficiency of his Word for soul care.
"Historically speaking, the church has been the place where people in need of care received care. Toward that end, Dale Johnson has written a brief but powerful call to the church to reclaim this essential mission. As a pastor and counselor, I was encouraged and reinvigorated for this important work. If there were any doubts as to the church's role in this vital work of counseling ministry, look no further than Dale's excellent primer."
Jonathan D. Holmes, Pastor of Counseling, Parkside Church; executive director, Fieldstone Counseling
"Dale Johnson shows that a high view of Scripture leads to a high view of the church and its essential role in soul care. He rightly contends that Christ is both true standard of what God intends to be 'normal' for humanity and the model for elders/pastors in caring for the sheep. I am hopeful that this book will contribute to the restoration of biblical soul care in the church."
Jim Newheiser, Director of the Christian Counseling Program, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte, NC
"Dale Johnson has written a very compelling book to show pastors and others how, by God's grace and in love, to help those in their church become more like our Lord Jesus Christ. Many seminaries and pastors have embraced the world's philosophies on how to help people solve their emotional problems. People are in pain and are seeking relief, but only giving them the world's opinions on how to solve emotional problems robs them of the joy and peace that can only be found in Christ. Johnson has clearly, thoroughly, and biblically laid out his case. This book is amazing, and I highly recommend it not only to pastors but to anyone seeking a Christ-centered, God-glorifying view of the responsibility of the local church to shepherd its flock."
Martha Peace, ACBC certified counselor; author of The Excellent Wife
"In this excellent work, Dr. Dale Johnson reestablishes both the care and the competency of what Jesus Christ intended for the church in discipling and counseling the deeper hurts and sinful failings of the soul. The Church as a Culture of Care thoughtfully illustrates how the church should be focused not only on the public but also the private ministry of the Word (Acts 20:20). It is the responsibility of the church, with complete reliance on the full sufficiency of the Word of God, to minister the whole counsel of God to the man or woman of God (Psalm 1:1Ð2; 33:4). Only within this ecclesiastical caring context will the suffering Christian receive true hope and help from God's absolute and authoritative Word. This book is a must-read for any Christian who desires to disciple and counsel others, especially pastors, elders, and church leaders. It is a gold mine of insight!"
John D. Street, Chair, Graduate Department of Biblical Counseling, The Master's University & Seminary
"Dale Johnson is a gift to the church, as is this book, The Church as a Culture of Care. I highly recommend it for all who strive for a richer understanding of local church ministry and all who are committed to biblical approaches to pastoral care and Christian community."
Jason K. Allen, President, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary & Spurgeon College
"This book is a positive and biblical encouragement for local churches to fulfill their privilege and responsibility to serve struggling men and women with truth from God's sufficient Word. Readers will see Christ exalted as his church is given the position of prominence in soul-care that his precious blood purchased for our good and his glory."
Steve Viars, Faith Church and Biblical Counseling Ministry, Lafayette, IN
"Dr. Johnson chronicles how the church abandoned soul care to secular professionals and presents the meaning and implications of the Scripture's sufficiency. With a pastor's heart and clear biblical teaching, he then clarifies the characteristics of a church that does soul care well. Pastors will find this book essential for fine-tuning their own vision, useful for leadership training, and helpful for Sunday school classes and small group discussions."
Jim Berg, ACBC and ABC Certified Biblical Counselor; council member, Biblical Counseling Coalition; professor of biblical counseling, Bob Jones University Seminary; author of Changed into His Image and Quieting a Noisy Soul; founder of Freedom That Lasts
"Dr. Dale Johnson does an excellent job at pointing out how the church has greatly relinquished the care of its people. But as Johnson so clearly shows from Scripture, true care happens life-on-life within the church. In this book, Johnson takes us to Christ and his care and explains how under-shepherds are to care for others in imitation of Jesus. He then reminds us what the church's care and equipping goals should be. Johnson has met a true need with this book and very appropriately issues a clarion call for a more excellent way to care for one another within the church. A scholar and former pastor himself, he has a clear passion to encourage leaders within the church to build a culture of care consistent with Jesus and his Word, for his glory and the sake of his body, the church."
Stuart W. Scott, Professor of Biblical Counseling, The Master's University, Santa Clarita, CA; director of membership services, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC)
"Broken people living in a broken world need care God's care. But too many misunderstand and overlook Christ's gracious provision of the church, his body, as his means of doing so. Dale Johnson presents God's design and intention for the church as the context for real nurture and growth through biblical care and counseling. This volume is a treasure chest full of ecclesiological wisdom conveyed in practical instruction for both leaders and laity. I'll be asking our whole church body to read and apply it!"
Rick Holland, Senior Pastor, Mission Road Bible Church, Prairie Village, KS
"As God's household, the church of Jesus Christ is the pillar and foundation of God's truth, yet the modern church has neglected its role to biblically counsel its members. Against this backdrop, Dale Johnson asserts a simple, timely, compelling claim: God has called the church to be a culture of care. Gratefully, Johnson captures the Bible's vision and provides direction for how church leaders and church members should fulfill it."
Robert D. Jones, Biblical Counseling Professor, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author of Pursuing Peace, Uprooting Anger, and coauthor of The Gospel for Disordered Lives
"Dale Johnson writes a timely and needed primer on the role of the church in the care of souls. This reminder comes with gentle exhortations, informed critiques, and humble clarifications. Moreover, it provides a biblically informed call to action for the church of Jesus Christ. As a pastor and a missionary, I am thrilled for this much-needed resource to be in the hands of church members, pastors, and seminarians."
Juan F. Moncayo, Senior Pastor, Iglesia La Fuente, Quito, Ecuador
"This book makes the brilliant move to aim at the whole culture of a church its shared beliefs and values, which will shape its practices far more effectively than any policy change ever could. Care should seem normal in the church because it is at the heart of Jesus's ministry."
Jeremy Pierre, Lawrence & Charlotte Hoover Professor of Biblical Counseling, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; author of The Dynamic Heart in Daily Life
"'The church is God´s agent to care for the souls of his people.' That's a game-changer statement that needs to impact the church. Dale did a great job writing about a much-needed topic in a clear, biblical, loving, and accurate way. The day that every member of the church embraces the supreme calling to be what God designed us to be, maybe the church will be that oasis of love, grace, truth, and care that de world so desperately needs to see. With clear and key definitions, examples, and essential theological concepts for every believer, this is a must-read for every believer to know and be challenged to obey God's Word to care for one another (Galatians 6.2).
Kike Torres, Lead Pastor, Horizonte, Queretaro, Mexico; ACBC Certified member; president of the Biblical Counseling Coalition Mexico; author of A New Life
"The church is the arena in which we enjoy the love of God triune. One of the chief ways we express and experience this love is in caring for one another. In this volume, Dr. Dale Johnson provides a timely reminder of this truth, along with an insightful analysis of what it means for the church to cultivate a culture of care. Here is a rich resource for all believers, whether they be in the pulpit or the pew."
Stephen Yuille, Vice President of Academics, Heritage College & Seminary; associate professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
"Believers who limit the responsibility of the church to preserving faithful theology, while removing from it the responsibility to care for struggling persons will not get faithful theology nor care for people. Dr. Dale Johnson effectively shows how the church is the good and proper place for the care of souls and how this care flows from and leads to faithful Christian theology. It is a crucial book that brings needed clarity in the midst of much confusion."
Heath Lambert, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Jacksonville
While reading this book was not my first encounter with this material (as I was privileged to sit in on one of Dr. Pierre’s classes at SBTS wherein he summarized much of it, on one occasion), it fleshed out his ideas and their application a little more, and served as a great reinforcement of what I had already learned from him. With regard to the material itself, however, I need to say this: this is one of the most clear, careful, concise, and practical presentations of a scriptural theology of the human heart that I’ve come across so far (not that I’ve read dozens of biblical counseling books, myself). It is my opinion that anyone involved with intentional, interpersonal Christian ministry would benefit immensely from reading this book carefully and repeatedly. Note the commendation by bibilcal counselor Dr. Heath Lambert in the front matter of the book: “Christians are privileged today to have access to many books that are true and helpful. But every now and then a book comes along that is truly brilliant. The Dynamic Heart is such a book. Dr. Pierre expertly weds a theology of the soul and an explanation of the practice of personal care to create one of the most important books ever written in the biblical counseling movement. Every student and practitioner of counseling needs to become familiar with the concepts in this book.” Quite a review, from someone of no mean reputation in the biblical counseling world! In his book Dr. Pierre explains, among other things, 1) the importance of understanding how human beings usually respond “intuitively” to their environment, on a less-than-fully-conscious level, although they are still accountable for their responses; 2) the responses of the heart always involve at least three functions, all biblical and important to consider: cognitive (thinking), affective (feeling), and volitional (willing) functions; 3) each function of the heart reveals deeper issues: cognitive responses reveal deeply held beliefs, emotions reveal deeply held values/desires, and choices reveal a person’s deepest commitments; 4) the heart in all its functions was created fundamentally to worship God, in the context of its relationship to Him, to other people, to circumstances, and to self; 5) because of the Fall, the heart is corrupted in all its functions, and is profoundly self-focused; 6) faith, the fundamental instrument of salvation by Christ, progressively restores the heart in all of its functions, to worship God again and live for Him in all of life. Pierre is also very sensitive to the complexity of issues like mental health, the fallenness of our physical bodies (including our brains), and the distinction between “passive” and “active” responses of the heart to our environment. He is careful to always dignify human beings as truly responsible spiritual and moral agents, yet he also acknowledges that human fallenness involves true forms of “brokenness” which are not always direct results of our personal sin. Thankfully, salvation in Christ addresses humanity in all aspects of its fallenness and on the Last Day of resurrection there will not only be moral perfection in all the hearts of Christ’s people, but also physical and mental disease will be no more. Until that Day, ministers and counselors must exercise patience and have realistic (though hopeful) expectations for the renewed capacity for godly heart-responses on the part of their counselees. In the latter part of the book, Dr. Pierre outlines a four-step approach to counseling people (not in strict chronological order, but as a basic logically-ordered approach that will often be cycled through and involve much overlap in real-life counseling situations). The steps include “Read” (asking questions that will reveal how the heart is responding in each of its functions in the relevant contexts of self, world, God, etc.), “Reflect” (helping the person to understand their own heart-responses in a biblical way...what one mentor of mine referred to as “holding up the mirror” for them), “Relate” (relating Christ’s accomplishment of salvation and the full breadth of its biblical implications to the person’s situation, so that they may have their heart-responses renewed by faith in Christ), and “Renew” (encouraging specific, concrete actions for the counselee to take in order to reinforce renewed responses of the heart that are consonant with faith in Christ and worship of God, with all that entails). There are a number of very helpful charts and illustrations throughout the book, and especially toward the end there are dozens of specific examples of the kinds of questions that would be helpful in a counseling situation, along the lines sketched out in the conceptual parts of the book. This book is theologically nuanced and precise, and I found only a sentence or two here or there where I thought, “I might say that differently,” or “I might qualify this in another direction.” On the whole, though, I would challenge any reader to find a more careful or more biblically balanced modern book on human beings as complex image-bearers of God responsible for worshipful responses of the heart in all circumstances and relationships of life. The most critical thing I can say about this book is that the editing is very rough this go-around. I should have kept track of the issues and page numbers, but I didn’t. Oops. The substance of the book is no worse off for it, though. If you are involved in personal discipleship on any level--parenting, small group leadership, Bible study, formal counseling, preaching, classroom Bible teaching--please consider reading this gem of a publication.