Dale Johnson helps erase the stigma of mental health issues in the church to reveal how the church was designed to be the place to go for help
Greensboro, NC—People in our world are struggling—eating disorders, addictions, depression, 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 Can the church help or is that an outdated concept that no longer fits modern problems?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: Finding Hope in Biblical Community (New Growth Press/October 4, 2021), biblical counselor T. Dale Johnson Jr. explains that the church is still the primary place where those who struggle can receive lasting hope and healing.
“Every aspect of the work of the church is intended to care for souls,” Johnson says. “Preaching, shepherding, one-anothering, church discipline, missionary proclamation, personal obedience—all are intended to awaken or strengthen the soul to live faithfully and peacefully in a war-torn and sin-cursed world.”
Pastors and lay leaders in the church often feel inadequate to address certain needs and are unsure of how to help. Johnson wrote this book 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. 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.
Johnson shares that one of his purposes in writing the book is to challenge the current narrative which dismisses the church as an antiquated or unprepared institution for the care of souls. “Many claim that prayer is too simplistic, the Word of God too antiquated, and the Holy Spirit insufficient to help the broken and the needy. But Christians too easily dismiss God’s supernatural resources and his church as a vital means of God’s intended care for disquieted souls. The dismissal of these resources graciously provided to us by our all-sufficient God leaves us dependent upon the insufficient and ever-shifting shadows of earthly wisdom.”
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.
“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,” writes Jonathan D. Holmes, executive director of Fieldstone Counseling. “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.”
The Church as a Culture of Care: Finding Hope in Biblical Community
by T. Dale Johnson Jr.
October 4, 2021 / Retail Price: $17.99
Print ISBN 978-1-64507-182-2
Religion/Christian Ministry/Counseling & Recovery
T. Dale Johnson Jr., MDiv, PhD, is the Executive Director of The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors, a national organization that certified biblical counselors to ensure doctrinal integrity and to promote excellence in biblical counseling, and is the regular host of ACBC’s “Truth in Love” podcast. He also serves as the Director of Counseling Programs and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Johnson previously served as an associate pastor and continues to seek the strengthening of the church by training pastors and members to minister in their local churches. He is the author of The Church as a Culture of Care. Dale and his wife, Summer, live in Kansas City, Missouri with their six precious children. Dale Johnson can be found on Twitter (@TDaleJohnson) and Instagram (@tdalejohnson).
For review copy and interview information, contact: Audra Jennings – audra@newgrowthpress.com – 903.874.8363
