Our series on mental health has helped us understand its connection with human dignity. Though God created us as perfect, embodied beings, sin has marred the human experience holistically, not only crippling our relationship with God, but with our bodies as well. As a result, mental illness is a part of living in a broken world, but the gospel has not left us without hope. 

While we live in the presence of spiritual and physical brokenness, Christ has promised to redeem us, making right what has gone wrong, and that includes our bodies. In the meantime, we live in the tension of what God has already done in providing Jesus, and what he has promised to do in making all things new. And he has given us the gift of the Church and each other to help us as we walk in this world. Specifically, for those who may want specialized help, the Lord has provided counselors to assist us in the daily fight to grow in Jesus in the midst of both our spiritual and mental struggles.  

Joining us on today’s episode to discuss the role of counseling in the church are Jonathan Holmes and Brad Hambrick. Jonathan Holmes is the founder and executive director of Fieldstone Counseling in Northeast, Ohio. Before founding Fieldstone, he served as a pastor for 15 years. He graduated with his M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has authored and contributed to a number of books.

Brad Hambrick serves as the pastor of counseling at The Summit Church in Durham, N.C. He also serves as assistant professor of biblical counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, is a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, and has authored several books.