The Biblical Counseling Coalition Interviews RPM Ministries
Note: The following blog was first posted at the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Grace & Truth blog site. You can also read it there: The Weekend Interview Series: RPM Ministries.
RPM Ministries
As part of our BCC vision, we want to point you to the best of the best in robust, relational biblical counseling. Each week we’re posting (and then making available as an ongoing resource) interviews with churches, para-church groups, and individuals committed to biblical counseling.
This week we highlight RPM Ministries out of Crown Point, Indiana. To learn more about their biblical counseling equipping ministry, we interviewed their Executive Director, Dr. Bob Kellemen.
BCC: “Bob, please tell our readers about your biblical counseling ministry’s mission and vision.”
RPM: “RPM Ministries exists to equip God’s people to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth through writing, speaking, and consulting on Christ-centered, church-based, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling. We equip pastors, lay people, educators, students, and biblical counselors in the personal ministry of the Word to disciple hurting and hardened people to become more like Christ by speaking the truth in love. RPM is our acrostic for Resurrection Power Multipliers. We based this concept on Paul’s prayer in Philippians 3:10: ‘I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering.’ As believers in Christ, we have within us the same power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:15-23). God calls us to communion with Christ and connection to one another in the Body of Christ, and thus to tap into Christ’s resurrection power to glorify God.”
BCC: “What is the history of your ministry? Tell us your story.”
RPM: “In my three pastoral ministries and during my fifteen years as a seminary professor, I came to see that most Christians care deeply, but struggle to speak the truth in love. I’ve also found that many Christians find it difficult to obtain relevant biblical training that helps them to care like Christ by bringing hope to the hurting. So in 2004, my associates and I launched RPM Ministries to speak, write, and consult to empower the church and para-church to care like Christ. We long to see God’s people enter deeply into one another’s lives and make a significant difference in the lives of hurting and hardened people. We want to present a comprehensive approach to biblical counseling that focuses both on the evils we have suffered as well as on the sins we have committed—helping people to find grace to help them to grow more like Christ in every life situation.”
BCC: “What is your succinct definition of biblical counseling?”
RPM: “Christ-centered, church-based, comprehensive, compassionate, and culturally-informed biblical counseling depends upon the Holy Spirit to relate God’s inspired truth about people, problems, and solutions to human suffering (through the Christian soul care arts of sustaining and healing) and sin (through the Christian spiritual direction arts of reconciling and guiding) to empower people to exalt and enjoy God and to love others (Matthew 22:35-40) by cultivating conformity to Christ and communion with Christ and the Body of Christ.”
BCC: “What resources can people find at your site and through your ministry?”
RPM: “Part of the vision or RPM Ministries is to provide an ever-growing list of free resources. At the Free Resources portion of our website, visitors can download free articles, book reviews, charts, counseling forms, videos, teaching outlines, and comprehensive PowerPoint presentations on biblical counseling and Christian living. At the Writings portion of our site, visitors can download free sample chapters from each of my books: Soul Physicians, Spiritual Friends, Beyond the Suffering, Sacred Friendships, God’s Healing for Life’s Losses, and Equipping Counselors for Your Church. Also, on our Home Page visitors have access to our daily blog posts called Changing Lives.”
BCC: “What upcoming conferences, seminars, classes, and other training opportunities are you offering?”
RPM: “On our Schedule page we maintain an up-to-date calendar of events for all our conferences and seminars. On our Speaking page, we list the seminars that we regularly present across the country. Three of these include our Changing Lives Seminar: How to Care Like Christ which empowers participants to use the Bible wisely, effectively, powerfully, and lovingly. We also present our God’s Healing for Life’s Losses Seminar which helps grieving people to find hope when they’re hurting and equips participants to help others to face their suffering face-to-face with Christ. A third seminar that we frequently share is our Heroes of the Black Church Seminar. Christians of all races are equipped by the heroes of the Black Church to learn how to bring healing hope to one another.”
BCC: “Bob, how can people be praying for you and your ministry?”
RPM: “First, that my associates and I would be living out what we teach—that we’d be practicing what we preach, walking the talk. Second, that I would have wisdom to prioritize where I focus my ministry time and energy. In addition to my leadership of RPM Ministries, I work with the Biblical Counseling Coalition, with the Association of Biblical Counselors, with Capital Bible Seminary (as an adjunct professor), and with Moody Theological Seminary (as an adjunct professor). Plus, I always have another book project in the works. So I need your prayers for prioritizing my time.”
BCC: “Bob, how can people connect with you and contact you?”
RPM: “People can connect with us through email at rpm.ministries@gmail.com, by phone at 219-662-8138, and by snail mail at RPM Ministries, PO Box 270, Crown Point, IN 46308. In addition, they can follow our blogs and updates at our website, through our Facebook page, through our Twitter account, and via our YouTube channel.”
BCC: “Bob, thank you for helping our readers to learn more about biblical counseling and the ministry of equipping that you provide.”
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