Sci-Fi, Time Travel, and the Launch of the Biblical Counseling Coalition

Some Background

As some of you know, I have been on a “sabbatical from the biblical counseling wars.” You can read about it here I’m Taking a “Sabbatical” from the Biblical Counseling “Wars.” and here Passing the Biblical Counseling Baton.

By “taking a sabbatical,” I meant that I would seek to stay out of the online debates between factions in the modern movement. I never meant that I would not write about biblical counseling, embodied-soul care, or biblical soul care. It remains my passion to equip God’s people to speak and live God’s truth in love for the glory of Christ and the maturity of Christians.

Sci-Fi and BC!

So, two days ago, I crafted a post that combines two of my greatest joys: church history and Sci-Fi! I wrote, Sci-Fi, Time Travel, and Nouthetic Counseling.

That post asked a “baker’s dozen” (13) questions about how the modern nouthetic counseling movement might have been different if Dave Powlison had launched it instead of Jay Adams. Here’s how I worded it:

Imagine that you invented a time machine. Back in 2018, you sent David Powlison back to 1960. He arrives before Jay Adams’s launch of the modern nouthetic counseling movement. David arrives with all his mature knowledge and experience from his years of leadership in the modern biblical counseling movement. Imagine that instead of Jay Adams inventing nouthetic counseling in the late 60s and early 70s, that David Powlison launched the modern biblical counseling movement in the 60s and 70s. Here are some questions to ponder in our little time travel thought experiment…

I wrote that post:

To help biblical counselors to ponder how people impact movements.
In the hopes that biblical counselors would unite not around people/personalities, but around biblical principles.

An Invitation to Interact

When you read the thirteen questions, you’ll quickly detect that I did not answer any of the questions. I did not choose sides. I did not say, “I am of Adams.” Nor did I say, “I am of Powlison.” Instead, I saw the post as an opportunity to do a “thought experiment” in thinking about how different people influence movements differently.

Readers could freely interact about those questions based upon their convictions. In responding to each question:

Some might surmise that the modern nouthetic counseling movement was better off with Adams launching it—and present their reasons.
Others might opine that Powlison would have had a net positive effect on the launch of the movement—and share their thinking.
Still others might argue that an integrated combination of Adams/Powlison would have been best for the movement—perhaps then and now.

Nick Responds on X

Despite the fact that I did not answer the questions in favor of Powlison or Adams, Nick Sevier on X, concluded that my post lacked “humility and thanksgiving to God” for Adams. In a second post (I guess he’s thinking a lot about my post, which is something every blogger is thankful for), Nick had a suggestion of his own, one that I like a lot:

“Here’s a thought experiment for you—an alternative history. Imagine if Bob Kellemen was not the first Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. I’d be willing to bet that clinically-informed counseling would not have the foothold it has today.”

Nick did answer his own question. He’s willing to wager that despite the fact that I am not a clinically-informed biblical counselor (CIBC) (see, Why I Don’t Call Myself a “Clinically-Informed Biblical Counselor”), someone other than me would have prevented CIBC from gaining “the foothold it has today.”

I won’t use this post to debate that, because doing so would lead us right back to the biblical counseling wars. Instead, once again I want to use this post as another thought experiment in how different people influence movements differently.

Nick Goes Back to the Future

I like Nick’s time travel alternate history thought experiment so much that I’m writing this post about it!

What if Bob Kellemen had not been the founding Executive Director (ED) of the Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC)?

For this post to be comparable with my post from three days ago, we need an alternate founding BCC ED. Since Nick raised the question, let’s propose that 2026 Nick gets in my time machine, goes back to 2010, and becomes the founding ED of the BCC—instead of me.

Now the question becomes:

How might the Biblical Counseling Coalition and the biblical counseling movement be different today if Powlison and Patten had chosen someone from the “far right” of NANC/ACBC—someone like Nick Sevier—to be the founding Executive Director of the BCC?

Enter Nick Sevier

To answer that question, we need a bit of context about Nick. I’ll try to provide a fair summary of where Nick fits in the modern nouthetic biblical counseling world—from my perspective and from Nick’s published statements and public alignments. Nick self-identifies as:

A classic, historic nouthetic biblical counselor.
Anti-clinically-informed biblical counseling.
Anti-trauma-informed biblical counseling.
Aligning with the perception that empathy is sinful or often toxic, and that many Evangelicals choose identifying with others over truth-telling.
Perceiving emotions like fear, anxiety, and OCD as always sinful.
Labeling the BCC, ABC, and CCEF as having left the classic, historic nouthetic convictions.
Aligning with the need to publicly guard the walls of the purity of classic nouthetic counseling, including the need for public exposure of the “neo-integrationists” in the biblical counseling movement.
Aligning with the view that common grace insights should not be incorporated into biblical counseling.
Being opposed to the use of neuroscience research and descriptive psychology research in biblical counseling.
Being opposed to physiological interventions in biblical counseling.

Based on his statements and alignments, it seems fair to say that Nick self-identifies as being on the “far right” of the “classic” modern nouthetic counseling movement.

Note: If Nick would like to share his own summary of where he fits in the movement, I am happy to add his wording.

Some Context…The Conception of the BCC

Let’s time travel back to the early 2000s. In 2009, as in the 1970s, as in 2026, a great deal of tension existed between the various groups, organizations, churches, and individuals in the nouthetic biblical counseling movement. At a dinner with half-a-dozen biblical counseling leaders, an influential pastor looked at all of us and said, plaintively,

“Why do I have to choose between NANC, CCEF, ABC, and the alphabet soup of biblical counseling groups? Why can’t you all get along with each other? You have to do something about all of this divisiveness, all of this, ‘I am of Adams, I am of NANC, I am of CCEF.’”

His voice trailed off…

His pointed statement birthed the conception of the Biblical Counseling Coalition.

Some History…Why the BCC?

We launched the BCC with twin goals, organized around Ephesians 4:15 and “speaking the truth in love”:

Create and Collate Robust Biblical Counseling Resources: Sharing the truth of God’s Word related to the personal ministry of the Word.
Nurture Collaborative Christlike Relationships: Ministering together as biblical counseling leaders in humble, loving, iron-sharpening, mutually-respectful, collegial relationships.

The BCC ED’s job description was to unite dozens of individual biblical counseling leaders, 100s of biblical counseling churches, all existing biblical counseling educational institutions, and all existing biblical counseling organizations around these twin themes.

Not. An. Easy. Task.

But a wonderful privilege and a very fun and exciting opportunity!

More History…What About Bob?

If Nick is “far-right ACBC,” then where was I in 2010-2017 when David Powlison, Randy Patten, and other NANC Fellows/NANC Board Members asked me to be the founding ED of the BCC?

I was beginning to speak at NANC conferences every year.
I was speaking at the Faith Biblical Counseling Training conference every year.
My books had been, were being, and would continue to be endorsed by multiple NANC Fellows and Board Members.
At that point, I had also worked in an official role with the Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC).
I also was doing consulting with CCEF and would begin speaking at CCEF conferences.
I also had launched the Biblical Counseling Forum for the AACC.
During those years, I would be the keynote speaker at an IBCD annual conference, at a Reigning Grace Biblical Counseling Ministry annual conference, and at many other leading biblical counseling conferences throughout the United States and the world.

If you put all of those roles together, then I was not “far-right NANC.” In David Powlison’s mind, I was right at the center of the movement. As he said in the meeting at CCEF where he and others asked me to consider being the BCC ED,

“Bob, you’re exactly the right fit. If people can’t read your materials, hear you speak, talk to you one-to-one, and see that you are at the center of the biblical counseling movement, then they won’t fit in the BCC.”

In 2009-2017 (and still today), I wasn’t “the far-left” of the movement. I wasn’t “the far-right” of the movement. For more about this “Bob guy and the BC movement,” see this link.

Some Additional History…The BCC ED Profile

David, and the rest of the leaders gathered together in the CCEF conference room, made it clear what they were and were not looking for in an Executive Director. They were looking for:

A bridge-builder, not a wall builder, not a bridge-burner.
A relational and organizational connector, not a silo-builder.
Someone who could work respectfully with the wide spectrum of the biblical counseling world, not just with one biblical counseling group.
Someone committed to biblical counseling, not just committed to one biblical counseling organization, group, tribe, or wing.
Someone experienced in conflict management and relational reconciliation.
Someone experienced in building and shepherding collaborative, collegial relationships.
Someone with successful pastoral experience, academic-educational experience, para-church leadership experience, biblical counseling ministry experience, and writing/editing/publishing experience.

The BCC BOD thought it best if the founding ED was not solely or primarily aligned with any one biblical counseling organization like NANC, or CCEF, or ABC. The final “C” in the BCC is “Coalition”—a gathering with unity in diversity, with the unity represented by a mutual commitment to the BCC Confessional Statement. The BCC ED was not to “represent” or “promote” any one group. The BCC ED was to represent and promote a positive presentation of the beauty of biblical counseling, and of the beauty of the unity of biblical counselors.

Pulling It All Together

Considering who Nick is, who Bob is, why the BCC was launched, the purpose of the BCC, and the ministry description of the BCC ED, when you think about the questions that follow, picture it like this:

Imagine if Bob Kellemen, who David Powlison, Randy Patten, and other NANC Fellows and Board Members perceived to be in the middle of the BC movement, was not the founding ED of the BCC.

Instead, imagine that someone like Nick Sevier, who openly positions himself as staunchly classic, historic ACBC, was the founding ED of the BCC.

Our Specific Questions

Big Picture Questions: a. How might the Biblical Counseling Coalition be different today if Nick Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the founding Executive Director rather than Bob Kellemen? b. How might the biblical counseling movement be different today had Sevier been the founding ED of the BCC instead of Kellemen?

Relational Style Questions: a. How might the “relational style/tenor/tone” of the BCC have been different throughout its sixteen year history if Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had launched it rather than Kellemen? b. How might the creation of robust biblical counseling resources and the nurturing of Christlike relationships have been different if Sevier had launched the BCC instead of Kellemen?

BCC Board of Directors (BOD) Questions: The original BCC BOD consisted of half-a-dozen strong, diverse biblical counseling leaders, with connections to various biblical counseling organizations: NANC, ABC, CCEF, IBCD, etc. The BCC ED was a member of the BCC BOD. The BCC ED’s job description included: a. maintaining healthy relationships with each BCC BOD Member, b. overseeing the collaborative leadership of the BCC, c. setting the agenda for, organizing, and facilitating BCC BOD meetings, d. seeking to establish consensus among the BCC BOD, and e. carrying out the decisions of the BCC BOD. Questions: a. If Sevier—someone who represents the staunch, classic, far-right NANC/ACBC world—had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the relationship with the BCC BOD have been different? b. How might the shepherding leadership of the BCC BOD been different? c. How might the outworking of joint decisions have been different?

BCC Council Board (CB) Question: The original BCC CB consisted of approximately three dozen members from every major nouthetic biblical counseling organization. The BCC ED was responsibility to recommend CB members to the BCC BOD, interview and vet every CB member, recruit every CB member, maintain healthy relationships with every CB member, and assure annually that every CB member continued to affirm the BCC Confessional Statement. Questions: a. If Sevier—someone who represents the staunch, classic, far-right NANC/ACBC world—had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the composition of the BCC CB have been different? b. How might the continuity and collegial relationships of the BCC CB have been different?

BCC Confessional Statement (CS) Question #1: The BCC Confessional Statement required the united, collaborative work, over the course of nine months and ten drafts, of three dozen diverse, opinionate, strong-willed biblical counseling leaders. (See: A First-Hand, Documented History of the Collegial Development of the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Confessional Statement. Question: If Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the relational process of uniting these three dozen diverse biblical counseling leaders to collaboratively craft the BCC CS have been different?

BCC Confessional Statement (CS) Question #2: The BCC Confessional Statement produced a concise, precise, Scripture-founded, theologically-saturated document presenting biblical counseling convictions on twelve core areas of the personal ministry of the Word. (Again, see: A First-Hand, Documented History of the Collegial Development of the Biblical Counseling Coalition’s Confessional Statement. Question: If Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the end product of the BCC CS have been different?

BCC “Trilogy” Book Project Question: In order to unite the twin goals of collaborative relationships and robust resources, the BCC ED oversaw the process of dozens of diverse biblical counseling leaders uniting to write three comprehensive and foundational books: Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling, Scripture and Counseling, and Biblical Counseling and the Church. Combined, over 100 authors had to be recruited, shepherded, and edited. Question: If Sevier had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the process and product of the BCC “Trilogy” have been different?

Annual BCC Leadership Retreat/Summit: Every year over three dozen (eventually nearly six dozen) diverse biblical counseling leaders from every leading biblical counseling organization and academic institution gathered together to build face-to-face, iron-sharpening-iron relationships. Leaders met together in small groups for prayer, accountability, and reconciliation—when needed. Each year a “controversial topic” in the biblical counseling world was chosen to discuss. In civil, cordial, respectful ways, rather than talking behind each other’s backs, biblical counseling leaders talked face-to-face. Question: If Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might the relational iron-sharpening-iron process of the BCC Leadership Summit have been different?

BCC Blog Posts and Resources Question: From 2011-2017, the BCC produced six blogs every week, produced numerous book reviews, and collated hundreds of free resources. All of these were garnered cooperatively from 100s of diverse biblical counseling leaders associated with 100s of biblical counseling churches, para-church groups, organizations, and academic institutions around the world. Question: If Sevier had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might first six years of BCC collaborative resources have been different in process and product?

BCC Facilitation of Organizational Unity Question: As noted above, the biblical counseling world was experiencing disunity in 2009. Many have noted in writing that from 2010-2017, the biblical counseling world experienced greater unity because organizational leaders from NANC/ACBC, CCEF, ABC, IBCD, and others, were talking candidly and respectfully to each other, rather than talking about each other. The BCC ED was responsible to facilitate these organizational relationships. Several times the BCC BOD tasked the BCC ED with leading conflict resolution and interpersonal reconciliation among biblical counseling leaders—both individually and organizational. Questions: a. If Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might biblical counseling organizational unity have been different? b. If Sevier had been the BCC’s founding ED rather than Kellemen, how might biblical counseling conflict resolution and interpersonal reconciliation have been handled differently?

Evangelical Reception Question: From 2010-2017, BCC leaders spoke at numerous Evangelical conferences in the US and the world, spoke on numerous Evangelical campuses, spoke at ETS meetings annually, and helped to establish several biblical counseling coalitions in other nations around the world. Question: How might the larger Evangelical world have received the BCC based upon Sevier’s approach and style compared to how they received the BCC under Kellemen’s approach and style?

The BCC and Clinically-Informed Biblical Counseling Question: Sevier opined (or “bet”) that “clinically-informed counseling would not have the foothold it has today” if Kellemen would not have been Powlison and Patten’s choice to be the founding BCC ED. Questions: a. Who is defining “clinically-informed biblical counseling”? b. Where does CIBC “have a foothold” and what does it mean to “have a foothold”? c. Is it good or bad that CIBC has a place at the table among the modern biblical counseling world? d. Would a BCC Leadership Summit on CIBC be a valuable, face-to-face, iron-sharpening-iron focus? e. As far as anyone can determine, CIBC was not used from 2010-2016 when Kellemen was the BCC ED, so how would Kellemen’s early leadership of the BCC have had any influence on the “foothold” that CIBC may or may not now have? f. Since CIBC was not used until several years after 2017, if Sevier (or someone similarly aligned) had been the founding BCC ED from 2010-2017, how might he have had any influence on the “foothold” that CIBC may or may not now have?

Other Questions: What other questions might you add to this list?

That Time Machine…

I was prompted to craft this post when I read Nick Sevier’s tweet about my post: Sci-Fi, Time Travel, and Nouthetic Counseling. As a reminder, Nick tweeted:

To Nick’s thoughts about CIBC, I have added another dozen questions. As with my post from three days again, I have not answer any of these questions. You, my readers, are totally free to answer each question according to your understanding of and convictions about biblical counseling. Some of you may conclude that someone like Nick Sevier as BCC ED would have led to a more effective BCC and a better biblical counseling movement today. Others might come to different conclusions. Some might see where someone somewhere between Sevier and Kellemen might have been a better founding BCC ED.

I enjoy thought experiments. I enjoy Sci-Fi. I’d love to time travel.

I wish there was a time machine. If I had one:

I’d love to see how Nick Sevier, or any similar staunchly “classic/historic” NANC/ACBC individual, might have “herded the cats,” surmounted the obstacles, and built iron-sharpening relationships in the biblical counseling movement in 2009-2016.

I’d love to see how Nick or others might have tried to: 1. manage the launch of the BCC, 2. set the relational tone of the BCC, 3. shepherd the BCC BOD, 4. recruit and minister to/with the diverse BCC Council Board, 5. oversee the collaborative process of crafting the BCC Confessional Statement, 6. produce the twelve-point BCC Confessional Statement, 7. recruit and oversee scores of biblical counseling leaders writing three BCC books, 8. organize the healthy, respectful iron-sharpening meetings of the BCC Leadership Retreat, 9. manage the blog/resource ministry of the BCC by working harmoniously with 100s of diverse biblical counseling leaders, 10. facilitate organizational unity among biblical counseling groups, 11. grow the respect of the biblical counseling movement among the wider Evangelical world in the US and abroad, and 12. address issues of potential concern and/or conflict, like the eventual rise of CIBC (as one example of many)?

Launching and Leading: Humbled and Honored

It is one thing to start your own organization. I did that with RPM Ministries. It is one thing to oversee a united organization, such as CCEF.

It is quite another matter to launch and lead an organization tasked with unifying a group of leaders who have had a fifty-year history of disunity.

It is quite another task to facilitate the Christlike collaborative relationships and the production of robust biblical counseling resources among scores of diverse leaders with a history of silo-building and mischaracterizations.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time as the BCC Executive Director. I enjoyed passing on the ministry leadership to Garrett Higbee, who passed it on to Curtis Solomon, who passed it on to Kevin Carson.

I’m humbled to have been asked by David Powlison and other biblical counseling leaders to be the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. I’m honored to have served in that role and to have built lifelong collegial relationships with 100s of biblical counseling leaders from around the world.

Thank You, Lord.