A Guest Post by Rusty Dawson
You’re reading Part 3 in a blog mini-series of guest post by biblical counselors who attended the 2025 Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) Called to Counsel Conference. On Facebook and X/Twitter, I put out this call:
Did you attend the ABC Called to Counsel Conference? Would you like to share a public testimony that I could post at RPM Ministries?
Several people have already responded. The first post was by Dr. Tim Allchin. You can read it here: Similarities and Differences Between the ABC and the ACBC Conferences. The second post was by ACBC Certified biblical counselor Sarah Puebla. You can read it here: The 2025 ABC Called to Counsel Conference: Christ-Centered Truth for Life.
Today’s post is by Rusty Dawson, who experienced the conference virtually. Rusty counsels
through the Redeemer Care Network, in association with Burke Care Ministries. Rusty is from a small Texas Panhandle town and is a teaching/counseling Elder at Redeemer Borger, a 4-year-old church plant. He holds a BA in Biblical Studies/Counseling from The Master’s University and his MA in preaching and pastoral ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Rusty’s Biblical Counseling Journey
I started my journey with ABC back in 2017 while I was counseling young men in a recovery home, and I felt a bit unprepared at the time. I began exploring different biblical counseling organizations, and ultimately chose to join ABC because of their wonderful certification process.
By the end of 2017, I was thrilled to become a level 1 certified counselor and absolutely fell in love with the art of counseling. This led me on an exciting academic journey through the Master’s University online, and I continued my studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. After completing my MA, I pursued my level 2 certification and met Jim Burke, who became a fantastic mentor and introduced me to Burke Care. Now that you have a glimpse into my journey with ABC, let’s dive into the conference review!
Speaking the Truth in Love
Even though I attended the conference via live stream, due to some time constraints with work, I truly enjoyed the experience. The ABC conference featured an incredible variety of speakers, including both plenary and breakout sessions. Among the plenary speakers were Paul Tripp, Jeremy Lelek, Jeremy Pierre, and John Henderson. The breakout sessions were filled with phenomenal speakers, many of whom I have admired throughout my journey in counseling. Jeremy Pierre was my favorite of the speakers, perhaps due to finishing his book on the dynamic heart.
Each of the plenary speakers guided us through Romans 8, tackling a range of vital topics such as God’s attributes, sanctification, salvation, and justification.
They were all deeply rooted in their texts, revealing truths that are essential for both counselors and their clients to grasp.
The breakout sessions also provided well-rounded insights on the topics of guilt and shame, trauma, mental health diagnoses, and the fundamentals of counseling, to name just a few, keeping them relevant to today’s issues regarding God, humanity, and the world.
Possible Improvements to Future Live Stream Experiences
One downside for me was that during the live streams, I could only attend the track that was chosen beforehand. I had the chance to join the guilt and shame breakout, and honestly, it was an insightful experience! It would be wonderful to have a broader selection of tracks for the live streams in the future.
Even though I couldn’t explore all the options, I really enjoyed the guilt and shame track with Brad Hambrick and others. Plus, it’s so valuable to hear from counselors I might not have the chance to learn from otherwise.
I missed being able to ask questions during the breakout Q&A sessions. There were a few moments when I had a great question in mind but no way to voice it. The main thing I felt disappointed about this year’s conference was not being there in person. I know many attendees who come every year, but I only know them online, and this conference would have been a fantastic opportunity to connect face to face and share some laughs together!
Virtually…Valuable
Overall, even with the virtual experience, the conference is truly valuable. The teaching alone makes a significant impact, helping everyone walk away better equipped for their future biblical counseling endeavors. While there’s always room for improvement, isn’t that part of the journey? I’m really glad I could join online, though being there in person would have been even more enjoyable!
