COUNSELING AND THE LOCAL CHURCH
Reformed Theological Seminary
Summer 2015 Syllabus
Dr. Deepak Reju
Telephone: (202) 543-6111
Email: Deepak@capbap.org
COURSE INTRODUCTION
This course is designed to help the student to apply principles of biblical counseling to a
local church setting. Effective biblical counseling is not just a matter of knowing what
the Bible teaches about counseling; it is also involves wisely, lovingly, graciously, and
practically helping people.
I come from Washington, DC—a city filled with Type A, successful, go-getters, who
often emphasize the important of efficiency. Effective love is rarely efficient. It is timeconsuming and messy; but that is what we expect as we come alongside others who
are hurting and need our help.
To that end, as we learn counseling together, we will endeavor to do 5 things:
1. Theory – content and philosophy of counseling
2. Process –how to move from one session to another or from beginning to end of a
specific session.
3. Methodology – how to do counseling - skills, strategies.
4. Case studies – combines theory, process, methodology into an examination of a
specific person(s) with a specific problem(s).
5. Experiential - watching ‘live’ counseling. Not just role play, but the real thing.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. To enrich and improve the student’s personal life and relationship with Christ.
2. To help the student apply the principles of biblical counseling to local church life.
3. To help the student learn how to do counseling.
4. To gain experience in counseling through discussion, observation, and counseling.
COURSE MATERIALS
Core Books:
 Church Membership by Jonathan Leeman (144 pages) [IF YOU CAN, PLEASE
READ LEEMAN’S CHURCH MEMBERSHIP BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS. IF
YOU CAN’T THEN IT IS FINE TO READ IT AFTERWARDS…]
 The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mindshift that Changes Everything by Colin
Marshall and Tony Payne (196 pages)
 Reverberation: How God’s Word Brings Light, Freedom and Action to His People
by Jonathan Leeman (208 pages)
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

Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes the Church Attractive by
Jamie Dunlop & Mark Dever (224 pages)
On Guard: Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church by Deepak
Reju (224 pages)
Audio:
 Help or a Friend? Navigating multiple roles in a ministry relationship by Aaron
Sironi (available at www.ccef.org)
For pastors (pick one book):
 Church Elders: How to Shepherd God’s People Like Jesus by Jeramie Rinne
(144 pages)
 Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons by Thabiti Anyabwhile (176 pages)
 The Pastor and Counseling: The Basics of Shepherding Members in Need by
Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju (160 pages)
[If you have read any of the things listed above on your own or for another class, I’d like
you to pick an alternative book from the list below for the equivalent amount of pages.]
Alternate List:
 Side-by-Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love by Ed Welch (176
pages)
 What is a Healthy Church? by Mark Dever (126 pages)
 The Gospel: How the Church Portrays the Beauty of Christ by Raymond Ortlund
Jr. (144 pages)
 Who is Jesus? by Greg Gilbert (144 pages)
 The Grace of Repentance by Sinclair Ferguson (64 pages)
 Praying the Bible by Don Whitney (96 pages)
 Gospel-Centered Counseling: How Christ Changes Lives by Robert Kellemen
(320 pages)
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COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
1. Reading Reports
Students are expected to read word-for-word all of the reading assignments, and to not
skim read. Turn in a Reading Report on the assigned due date. Your report should be
approximately 1 page in length (single spaced) and it should list all books and articles,
including page numbers completed. If you read the entire book or article, you can list
something like “finished entire book” or “completed.”
2. Class Participation
This is a short one-week class. So, attendance and participation are important. There
is no substitute for thoughtful interaction between students and professors. What I can’t
reproduce that you only get in class are intangible, unpredictable moments in Q & A
during lectures, during cases-studies and counseling sessions (as it will be modeled in
this class by the professor).
So you’ve got to believe me when I say I’m not a fan of “busy-work.” There is no major
paper in this class, so I’ve substituted a major paper with assignments #3 or #4 below.
Assignment #3 will benefit your church more than it will help you (unless you are a
parent, in which case, it will help your children). Assignment #4 is meant to help you
learn more about counseling in a local church.
3. Preventing Child Abuse in a Local Church: Revising a Child Protection Policy
If you church has a child protection policy (CPP) students are to request a copy of CPP
from their church and review the policy according to guidelines set out in On Guard:
Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse at Church (chapter book and seminar). You
should write up suggestions for improving the CPP, including recommendations for
changes, and even how the recommendations should be worded in the policy. For
example, maybe the policy you received needs to add a two adult rule (having at least
two adults present with children at all times). You could put on your page of
suggestions:
I recommend that you add the two adult rule to the policy. State in the policy
something like: “At least two adults must be present at all times with children in
childcare.”
If your church does not have a policy then read On Guard: Preventing and Responding
to Child Abuse at Church and meet with the pastor or children’s ministry director in your
church. Talk over the need for a policy. If he or she is amendable to creating a policy,
find a sample policy and write up suggestions for improving the CPP, including
recommendations for changes to make the policy fit with your church, and even how the
recommendations should be worded in the policy.
Submit a copy of the policy and your recommendations to the professor by the assigned
due date. If you church does not have a policy and the pastor or children’s ministry
director is not amendable to having one, then come talk with the professor.
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4. Learning about Counseling in a Local Church
Students will do one of the following:
1. Interview a pastor (or any church staff member) who does a lot of counseling in
his or her own congregation. Preferably you should interview someone in your
own church.
a. Ask about him or her about counseling—What makes for a good
counselor and a bad counselor? Why is counseling an important part of
his/her job? Where does he/she see counseling in Scripture? How does
he/she use Scripture in counseling? What kind of methodology does he or
she employ (i.e., how does he or she do counseling?) What kind of
questions does he/she ask? What are his/her goals in counseling? What
strategies does he/she employ? What books have been most helpful in
learning about counseling? (Is there anything you should ask that I have
not included?)
b. Ask him/her about a particular case that would be of interest to you---Ask
him/her to share about a thought-provoking counseling scenario, and get
him/her to give you as much details as he/she has time to do. What was
the presenting problem(s)? How long did he/she meet the person/couple
for counseling? What went well and what went poorly? Were there key
moments in the counseling process? Where did he/she see repentance
and faith in the counselee? What did he/she see God doing in this
situation? What have you not asked that he/she think would be of interest
to you in this case?
2. Sit in on one or two sessions and watch your pastor (or any staff member) do
counseling. In your write-up, I want to hear about the counseling—What did you
learn about counseling? How did the counselor use Scripture? What kind of
questions were asked? Did you see repentance and faith demonstarted in the
converation? Did the person leave with or without hope? What do you think
were the goals of the counselor? What strategies were employed? What
constructive criticism can you offer the counselor? How might you do things
differently?
Write up your thoughts from the interview or observation on a one-page summary.
5. Final Exam
A multiple choice exam will be given based on the lecture material, case studies, and
required readings. The date and time for the exam will be discussed in class.
SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Reading report (#1), CPP revisions/suggestions write-up (#3) and the
interview/observation write-up (#4) should be submitted as hard-copies mailed to the
professor. Please do not send anything electronically. You can mail the assignments
to: Capitol Hill Baptist Church, 525 A Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002. It should be
post-marked by the date on the due dates indicated below.
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COURSE GRADING
Reading
Attendance & Participation
Interviewing/Observation write-up
[OR]
Revising a CPP write-up
Exam
-
50%
15%
15%
-
15%
20%
-----100%
Late Assignments Will Be Penalized One Letter Grade Per Day
Grading Scale:
A
94-100 (4.0)
A- 90-93 (3.7)
B+ 87-89 (3.3)
B
BC+
84-86 (3.0)
80-83 (2.7)
77-79 (2.3)
C 74-76 (2.0)
C- 70-73 (1.7)
D+ 67-69 (1.3)
D
DF
64-66 (1.0)
60-63 (0.7)
below 60 (0.0)
SPECIAL NEEDS:
In order to ensure full class participation, any student with a disabling condition requiring
special accommodations (e.g., tape recorders, special adaptive equipment, special
note-taking or test-taking needs) is strongly encouraged to contact the professor at the
beginning of the course.
DISCLAIMER:
During the course of the semester the professor reserves the right to modify any portion
of this syllabus as may appear necessary to the professor because of events and
circumstances that occur during the term.
Reformed Theological Seminary
Summer 2015 Assignment Schedule
Due Date
Reading and Assignments Due
September 25
Reading Reports Due
September 25
Interviewing/Observation Write-up Due
September 25
A Copy of the CPP and Your Revising CPP Write-up Due
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