10 Top Biblical Counseling Books of 2024

The Thirteenth Annual Edition

If you’re a counselor, pastor, student, educator, one-another minister, small group leader, soul care giver, spiritual friend, spouse, or parent, you want to know the most helpful books about biblical counseling. We all want trusted recommendations on books that seek to change lives with Christ’s changeless truth.

We all want to be aware of solid resources for the Christian life and one-another ministry, That’s why at RPM Ministries I’ve collated the top biblical counseling books on an annual basis since 2012. See the end of this post for collated links to the 2012, 2013 Part 1, 2013 Part 2, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 lists.

That makes this year the thirteenth edition of my annual listing of top biblical counseling books.

The Selection Process

In 2024, I had many highly relevant and significantly helpful biblical counseling books from which to choose. I’ve selected ten top biblical counseling books published in 2024. I’ve chosen these books on the basis of their:

Biblical/theological depth and richness
Faithfulness to the sufficiency of Scripture
Practicality for one-another ministry, biblical counseling, and soul care
Relevance to practical Christian living
Application to progressive sanctification
By accepting nominations from worldwide biblical counseling leaders
By accepting nominations from publishers
By researching other lists of top biblical counseling books

I list these top ten biblical counseling books below in alphabetical order by author—the top dozen books published in 2024:

About biblical counseling,
About Christian living, or
Important to biblical counselors.

Note: I’ve developed the summaries descriptions of the books from wording by the authors and publishers. These summaries are not my book reviews of these resources.

The Top 10 Biblical Counseling Books of 2024

Chappell, Christine. Postpartum Depression: Hope for a Hard Season (Med and Psych Mini-Book). New Growth Press.

Many new mothers experience what some call postpartum “baby blues” a short period of feeling sad, irritable, anxious, and overwhelmed. But what happens when those feelings worsen as the newborn weeks go by? What help is there for you when sleepless nights, harassing thoughts, and unpredictable moods disrupt your life and drain your joy? Is there any hope to be had in such a hard season? Biblical counselor and mom Christine Chappell knows the difficulty of suffering through postpartum depression. With empathetic care, she offers you biblical encouragement and practical counsel that addresses the many facets of this affliction including your exhausted body, your overwhelming emotions, your troubled mind, and your burdened spirit. As you read, you’ll be guided through prayers that help you to engage your fears and doubts with the Good Shepherd. Even in this unwelcome darkness, God in His steadfast love will meet and sustain you.

Greer, Lainey. Struggling with Body Image (Ask the Christian Counselor). New Growth Press.

Lainey Greer helps readers to see what God sees when He looks at us, and she gives a biblical basis for caring for our bodies without negativity or obsession. Everyone has a body image, and whether from society’s influence or age-related changes, most people battle a negative one. In a world with confusing messages about the body and social media’s promotion of unattainable standards for thinness or muscularity, it’s difficult to think well about our bodies. Greer, a counselor and fitness trainer with a firsthand understanding of body image struggles, helps readers reject negative messages and embrace a biblical vision for thinking about our bodies. Because our bodies matter to God, it’s important that His Word, not the world we live in, informs how we view our physical selves. Struggling with Body Image helps believers develop a biblical understanding of the body that is foundational for a God-honoring body image.

Hambrick, Brad. Navigating Destructive Relationships: 9 Steps Toward Healing (Church-Based Counseling Series). New Growth Press.

When you’re in a destructive relationship, it can be difficult to identify what is happening and how to respond. It is normal to be disoriented by the chaos of a destructive relationship, but you do not have to remain passive in response to your loved one’s destructive patterns. All relationships disappoint us from time to time. But some relationships are destructive, especially those marked by addiction, abuse, and/or life-dominating problems. Navigating Destructive Relationships, a support group curriculum, provides you with a safe and stable place where you can name what’s going on and turn toward God. You are not alone. God sees and cares for your suffering. Navigating Destructive Relationships is built on a 9-step model that helps you process intense relational suffering with the hope of the gospel. Learning alongside others facing similar challenges allows participants a unique opportunity to grow as they identify choices they can make in response to their loved one’s destructive patterns.

Hill, Megan. Sighing on Sunday 40 Meditations for When Church Hurts. P&R.

Neglect. Rejection. Sin. Conflict. Change. It’s difficult to go to church when you’ve suffered some of your deepest hurts there. Megan Hill understands that church can be hard. In forty thoughtful meditations, she lays out reliable biblical truths for your encouragement and healing. You’ll explore the source of your struggle, find ways to express your sorrow, and consider wise actions to take. Others have struggled as well—and found hope. There’s hope for you too.

Holmes, Jonathan. Grounded in Grace: Helping Kids Build Their Identity in Christ. New Growth Press.

Grounded in Grace gives parents a guide to understanding how a child’s identity is formed in today’s world and why it often leads to insecurity and confusion. Children and teens face a tremendous amount of pressure from their peers and culture to find their identity in their activities, feelings, or performance. This modern way of looking at identity can be challenging to navigate for parents who grew up with a traditional view of identity rooted in predetermined roles. What if they could help their children and teenagers find their identity in something that never went away and never changed based on their ability or performance—an identity grounded in God’s grace? Jonathan Holmes explores the five core areas of identity struggles most common to teens: sports, academics, moralism, sexual orientation, and gender confusion. He provides parents with a biblical foundation to work from and practical tools to help their teen find their identity based on who God says they are.

Huie, Eliza. I’m Stressed (Ask the Christian Counselor). New Growth Press.

Biblical counselor Eliza Huie unpacks three common causes of stress—fear, control, and temptation—and gives direction on specific ways to respond to and manage the pressure and anxiety associated with stress. The pressures and demands of life can leave us overwhelmed, discouraged, or burned out. Stress affects all of life, including physical, relational, and spiritual health. But God does not want us to white-knuckle our way through life—He intends for us to thrive as His beloved children, remembering His care and walking in His strength. Eliza offers readers the NEAR (notice, explore, address, remember) plan for stress management and a way forward to move from stress to hope. In I’m Stressed, she gives biblical and actionable direction on how to alleviate stress in ways that honor God, bless those around us, and help us to live in peace.

Mehl, Scott. Redeeming Sex in Marriage How the Gospel Rescues Sex, Transforms Marriage, and Reveals the Glory of God. P&R.

Discover the God-given nature of your sexuality and the magnitude of Christ’s power to redeem it in this honest, winsome resource for married couples. Biblical counselor and pastor Scott Mehl explores truths about God’s beautiful purposes for sex that will empower you to put godly sexuality into practice—living a life of sexual fulfillment and wholeness like never before. Mehl is an ideal guide. He is open, warm, comfortable with the topic and an experienced pastor. He knows that a new program will not make everything right for us. Instead, a clear picture of God’s intent for sex, direction for how to engage with our spouse on the right questions, and confidence that we are headed on a wise path―these are exactly what we need.

Tautges, Paul. A Student’s Guide to Grief. Christian Focus.

Paul Tautges’ compassionate, biblical guide to grief is an invaluable addition to the Track series for young adults. The reality of death means that we all encounter grief at some point in our lives. But what does the Bible say about how we handle the aftermath of separation? Paul Tautges compassionately addresses the struggles we face when dealing with loss, all the while pointing to the hope and comfort that can be found in Christ. A Student’s Guide to Grief equips you with practical tools to navigate the grieving process with grace. Engage with the thought–provoking questions in each chapter, and prayer through what you read, and learn to rely on God, even when navigating the challenging terrain of grief.

Vroegop, Mark. Waiting Isn’t a Waste: The Surprising Comfort of Trusting God in the Uncertainties of Life. Crossway.

In Waiting Isn’t a Waste, author Mark Vroegop calls believers to resist the human urge for control and lean on Christ for comfort while we wait for the uncertainties of life to unfold. Vroegop explores what it means to wait on God through 6 important characteristics—waiting is hard, common, biblical, slow, commanded, and relational. This book not only teaches readers how to wait on God but inspires them to embrace waiting—for it prompts wisdom from God and brings invaluable peace to the present.

Welch, Ed. Depression: Finding Christ in the Darkness (31-Day Devotionals for Life). P&R.

The gospel is for those who have nothing, for those who are weary and bowed down. Jesus is near to you, and he asks you to bring him nothing but your failures, sins, and emptiness of soul. In thirty-one wise, deeply empathetic devotional readings, biblical counselor Ed Welch helps you to understand the darkness you are experiencing, to take the next small step that is possible for you today, to converse with Jesus honestly amid your pain—and ultimately to hear Christ’s words of compassion.