The Value of Therapy and Counselling

 

Part of my world as a seminary dean revolves around educating counsellors and therapists. At Briercrest we offer two counselling degrees, one focused on preparing students to work with individual clients and one degree designed to equipped students to work with couples and families. Our counselling program is the seminary's largest and it happens to be one of the most difficult programs to get into. It is not uncommon for us to turn away 30% of applicants.

Some seminary deans may lament that their counselling program numbers trump those of their divinity and ministry degrees. Not me. I see great value in the integration of theology and psychology. I've been blessed to take classes at the master's and PhD levels in biblical-theological studies and counselling. During my PhD at Toronto School of Theology I enrolled in a theology course while also taking a course in postmodern family therapy. Later, my dissertation drew on both theological and psychological disciplines. I looked at whether online theological education enhances or detracts from Christian virtue formation. That's theological. And I also explored themes such as anxiety and differentiation between the person and the devices we use to access online education. That's psychological. If you want to read more, check out my book: Glassroom Learning.

Being invited to assume the role of dean, at a seminary that values both the biblical-theological and psychological lenses, felt right. I'll admit, I have far more education and experience in the biblical-theological world, as my degrees and pastoral experience reveal. However, I am married to a psychotherapist. And, my daughter is getting close to graduating with her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. So, what I lack in formal education and professional therapeutic experience is more than made up by my family. 

Before I wrap up, here's an invitation: if you're thinking about graduate level theological or counselling education, reach out to me. I know a great school.

If you need some help dealing with stress and burnout, or you want to talk to an experienced counsellor who has worked with healthcare professionals, teachers, spiritual care leaders, business owners, and many, many others. Reach out to Erika. She would be glad to help.

 

After Hours Theology Club

After Hours Theology Club

Have you tuned into The After Hours Theology Club? Designed as a place to direct our students for deeper theological conversation and lighthearted fun, my colleague Dr. Joel Houston and I started the podcast while we were both teaching Introduction to Christian Theology. It's for anyone interested in learning more about theology.

We've been a bit preoccupied lately but more episodes are coming soon. We recorded our latest just last week.

Here are some links if you're interested:

You Tube: AHTC 

Spotify: AHTC 

Apple: AHTC 

Speaking more in 2026

An emerging priority that went unmentioned in my 2026 goals was accepting opportunities to speak. Since teaching is one of my strongest gifts, I am somewhat surprised to look back on my time in Saskatchewan and realize that I have not had many chances to speak at churches, conferences, and events. I speak at college chapel now and then and preach occasionally at our local Free Methodist Church, but not a lot. At the turn of the year I sensed God inviting me to be ready to speak more. This might be because, after years of research and writing a book I finally have something to say. It might also be because God is doing something new in my life. Maybe it's a bit of both.

Regardless of why, a trickle has started. Last week I received a phone call from a Canadian denominational leader inviting me to speak about my research at a pastor's conference. I'll say more about this in a future blog post but for now, I'm thrilled to be invited. On Sunday I spoke at the Church in Caronport, a community church that meets in Briercrest's chapel. The lead pastor's wife served as my admin assistant up until she took parental leave to be with their adopted son. It was a joy to preach and to catch a glimpse of them at the service. Here's a link to the sermon video if you're interested.

If you happen to be a denominational leader looking for a conference or workshop speaker to talk about Jesus' carpentry, Paul's tent-making, and how their work might help inform the church's possible future, reach out. My book won't be printed for another year but I've got plenty to say in the meantime.  

 

 

 

Teaching less in 2025 and 2026 Goals

 

I've been spoiled. During the fall of 2025 I didn't teach. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy teaching; but I also appreciate time to channel more energy toward academic administration (i.e., course scheduling, writing accreditation reports, and overseeing the day-to-day functioning of the seminary), big picture planning (i.e, dreaming about and launching our new CoVo certificates, making connections with denominational leaders, and attending events on behalf of the seminary), and writing/editing my book.

As dean of the seminary I typically teach three courses per year. This year my load has been less. That has enabled me to work on finishing my book manuscript for the January, 2026 submission deadline. It isn't a strict deadline but I'm treating it like it is. I spent my Christmas and New Year's break eating and playing games with my family. And, because I haven't been teaching I am unburdened from the end of semester grading drudgery to write. As such, I've accomplished my goal of editing two of my densest chapters, both dealing with Paul's New Testament writings on material support for church leaders. It was a ton of work but I am thankful to have met my goal and made it this far.

Speaking of goals, my wife and I crafted a handful of them for 2026. Here are some of mine:

• Finalize and submit my book manuscript to IVP  
• Blog 1x/month
• Read the Gospel of John in Greek
• Go on a European vacation with my wife
• Teach at the chaplain school this summer
• Prepare an outline and write one chapter of my next book project
• Run 30km in one shot

This post is the beginning of my quest to accomplish the second bullet point goal. Here's to accomplishing a bunch more of them in 2026.  

Co-Vocational Certificates

Back in the summer I was trying to figure out a way for Co-Vocational Canada to be sustainable. As you may be aware, Co-Vocational Canada is a ministry of Briercrest Seminary that has been funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation through the Pathways for Tomorrow phase 2 initiative. Our funding is set to run out at the end of 2026 (or possibly 2027). 

While thinking about sustainability, I was in conversations with denominational leaders to try and find a way to help lay people gain some biblical and theological foundations without having to enrol in a full degree program. As I talked with them I realized that most of them were open to accepting an unaccredited pathway, like our new CoVo certificates, as credible learning for those seeking denominational credentialing.

The certificate concept is simple. Briercrest Faculty members will teach their specialties, split them into 3 hour, online sessions. Participants pay what they would for an accredited course and they receive the same number of in-class hours and weeks as they would for an accredited course. However, there are no assignments and they will have five different faculty members and diverse topics covered over those 12 weeks. We are piloting our Basic CoVo Certificate in January and 12 participants have already signed up. I'm thrilled! This will not only help lay people learn and grow it will also go a long way to making CoVocational Canada sustainable for the long term. 

If you want to know more or to sign up, click this link: www.briercrest.ca/covo    

 

House churches and unpaid pastors

What if the Church comprised a massive collection of house churches? As I write the final chapter of my book, this is the question rolling around in my mind. Here's how I've landed on such a radical question:

First, I've looked at the life and ministry of Jesus and his disciples. My theory is that Jesus and his band of followers did not abandon their crafts and vocations but they continued to work as they preached the Kingdom.

Second, I've examined the social context of the New Testament. From voluntary associations to households managed by well-to-do people, the early church assembled in homes. While this wasn't the only context, it was a significant one. 

Third, I've explored Paul's teachings for glimpses and clues for how pastors and leaders were paid. After my deep dive I've come to this conclusion: Paul does not seem to endorse a system where church leaders get paid.

Fourth, I've investigated post-apostolic texts and the world of the early centuries. The idea of paying a pastor appears long after Paul, mid-way through the third century. It shows up in the writings of St. Cyprian of Carthage. He appeals to the Old Testament to argue for a priestly paradigm of ministry where church leaders assume a role similar to levitical priests. While this idea takes time to catch on, Constantine the Great's political reforms make this a favourable paradigm for the church.

So, what if the North American church returned to an ancient model? Could you imagine a modern Canadian or American context where churches were smaller and pastoral expectations less, enabling its team (not one pastor, but many) of leaders to work for pay outside the church? 

 

Wesley's Bands, Classes, and Societies

I spent this weekend in Saskatoon, SK teaching a course entitled "The Heart of Free Methodism." It's required for those interested in becoming ordained or commissioned ministers in the Free Methodist Church in Canada. I had a great time teaching and learning with five pastors from Lakeview Church in Saskatoon and one lay minister from Cornerstone Church in Prince Albert, SK.

One of the ways this course intersects with my current book project is the focus on John Wesley and his system for organizing people who later became known as Methodists. As a Church of England minister, Wesley saw the need to preach the Good News to the poor and to support them to learn and grow in Christian community. The Church of England did not have systems in place so Wesley used societies--small-ish communities that gathered for prayer, worship, and other practices. Societies would comprise a group of classes, essentially small groups of 10-12 people committed to learning and growing in Christian faith. Wesley also had a system of bands, which were even smaller groups that intensely focused on accountability and helping believers grow in holiness.

 

The beauty of the system was that societies, classes, and bands were all led by lay people. Furthermore, the class was where new people could attend and learn from those who had been walking with Christ for a long time. This has obvious ties to the early church, which met house-to-house. While Wesley's and the early church system is fraught with complications, there is a sort of beautiful simplicity to it.

As I write my final book chapter, one focused on the question, "What now?", I find myself wondering if and how the Canadian church could begin to conceive of itself as a movement of smaller groups or house sized churches. This would take the pressure off of full-time pastors and make room for more leaders to share the load. 

It's not a perfect idea, but it's a start.