What About Bob?

New Followers; Fresh Introduction

Over the past twelve months, my RPM Ministries Truth & Love blog site has gained a LOT of new followers. This little “Mom & Pop” one-man site is on track for over half-a-million visitors annually. So, I thought with so many new followers, I would re-introduce myself. Of course, you can always go to the About section of the site for similar info (which I try to update annually).

**First, “What About RPM Ministries?” Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth**

I launched RPM Ministries over two decades ago (in 2004) because I believe that most Christians care deeply, but they sometimes struggle to know how to care like Christ. As followers of Christ, you and I want to know, “What do I do after the hug?” RPM Ministries exists to answer that question. Here’s my MVP (Mission, Vision, Passion) Statement:

RPM Ministries exists to equip pastors, biblical counselors, lay people, educators, and students to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

People coming to my site often have a second question, “What does RPM stand for?”

RPM is my acrostic for Resurrection Power Multipliers. I 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 commune with Christ, connect to one another in the Body of Christ, and thus to tap into, avail ourselves of, and apply Christ’s resurrection power in our lives and ministries to glorify God.

What will you find at RPM Ministries? You’ll find literally 1,000s of free resources to equip you to relate God’s truth to your daily life and ministry.

Over 2,500 blog posts at my Truth & Love blog site.

100s of free resources at our RPM Ministries Free Resources site and at our RPM Books site.

Currently 26 books and booklets that I have authored, co-authored, or contributed to. Learn about those 26 books here: 26 Books & Booklets on Changing Lives with Christ’s Changeless Truth. And go to RPM Books to enjoy free resources related to every book.

Second, “What About Biblical Counseling?”

There are a lot of approaches to “biblical counseling.” What is my approach? Here’s a summary of my biblical counseling model in 18 words. As biblical counselors we seek to be:

- Gospel-Centered/Christ-Centered, Theologically-Saturated, Relationship-Focused, Church History-Informed, Research-Aware Soul Physicians of Embodied-Souls

For a fuller development of this model see my blog post: 6 Biblical Counseling Convictions.

For a comprehensive development of my approach to biblical counseling, see my books, Gospel-Centered Counseling: How Christ Changes Lives, and Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ.

To learn even more about what I believe about biblical counseling, please see the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Confessional Statement. In 2010-2011, I had the honor of facilitating and leading three dozen biblical counseling leaders in a none-month process of crafting ten drafts of what became the BCC’s Confessional Statement. Go here for a first-hand documented history of the development of the BCC Confessional Statement.

For my doctrinal/theological convictions, please see the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Doctrinal Statement. In 2010-2011, I facilitated/led the BCC’s Board of Directors in adopting this Statement of Faith.

To learn about my history with the modern biblical counseling movement, check out: 50 Years of Publicly Encouraging the Biblical Counseling Movement to Speak the Truth in Love.

Third, “What About Bob?”

Growing Up…

I was born in 1959 (do the math) in Gary, Indiana, as the fourth of six children. Growing up, my family was not a Christian family. In 1974, I started attending Grace Baptist Church in Gary, Indiana. I surrendered my life to Christ on Easter Sunday 1974, under the preaching ministry of Pastor Bill Goode. Pastor Goode was, along with Jay Adams, one of the founders of the modern nouthetic counseling movement.

Throughout middle school, high school, and college, you could either find me at church or on the wrestling mat as I wrestled for over a decade. Then I coached youth and high school wrestling for over three decades.

Ministry Education…

After high school, I spent eight years studying for pastoral ministry. I received my BA in Pastoral Ministry from Baptist Bible College (now Clarks Summit University) (Clarks Summit, PA). Then I earned my Th.M. in Theology and Biblical Counseling from Grace Theological Seminary (Winona Lake, IN). You can read my Th.M. Thesis here: Hebrew Anthropological Terms as a Foundation for a Biblical Counseling Model of Man. Later, I earned my Ph.D. in Counselor Education from Kent State University (Kent, OH). You can read my Ph.D. Dissertation here: Spiritual Care in Historical Perspective: Martin Luther as a Case Study in Christian Sustaining, Healing, Reconciling, and Guiding.

Ministry…

In my forty+ years after seminary, I served in four pastoral ministries. In one church, I was Sr. Pastor. And in three churches I served as an Associate Pastor—Pastor of Counseling and Discipleship, Pastor of Equipping, and Counseling/Discipleship Pastor. I also served in two churches as a lay leader as an elder. In each church, I equipped lay people as biblical counselors, soul care givers, spiritual friends, and one another ministers. To learn about my equipping process, you can read, Equipping Biblical Counselors: A Guide to Discipling Believers for One-Another Ministry.

I served for seventeen years as the founding Chairman of the Master of Arts in Christian Counseling and Discipleship (MACCD) Department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, Maryland. Through the MACCD, by God’s grace, I equipped 1,000s of pastors, church leaders, and biblical counselors for biblical ministry.

I also had the joy of serving for six years as the founding Executive Director for the Biblical Counseling Coalition, where I facilitated the development of the historic Biblical Counseling Coalition Confessional Statement. The BCC’s vision is to promote collaborative relationships and provide robust, relevant resources for all those committed to biblical counseling. The BCC’s passion is to promote personal change centered on the Person of Christ through the personal ministry of the Word.

I served for many years as Vice President of Strategic Development, Dean of Students, Academic Dean, and Professor of Biblical Counseling at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. And I served for many years as Vice President, Biblical Counseling Chair, and Biblical Counseling Professor at Crossroads Bible College.

In 2022, I “retired from making money” so that I could provide care for my wife, Shirley, who continues to recover from a stroke she suffered in 2021. Now in “retirement,” I focus on pro bono biblical counseling and soul care for pastors, biblical counselors, missionaries, and Christian educators. And, of course, I also focus on my research and writing ministry here at RPM Ministries.

Family and Fun…

Shirley, my wife of over forty-four years, and I live in Port Charlotte, Florida. We’re the parents of two adult children. Josh is a lawyer, and the proud parent (and we are the proud grandparents) of Naomi, Penny, and Phoebe. Josh is active in his church. Marie works in the field of Market Research and Analysis, and she is active in her church. Shirley is a retired kindergarten teacher. She is also the most gracious, patient, kind, and Christ-like person I have ever known.

Shirley and I enjoy visiting the beaches of the Florida Gulf Coast, swimming in our pool and lounging in our spa, playing board games with neighbors and friends, going for walks, going out to eat with neighbors and friends, watching sci-fi (we both love Star Trek), hosting neighbors and friends in our home, and traveling. We are members at Family Church of Port Charlotte.