The Fourth Annual Edition

If you are a counselor, pastor, student, one-another minister, small group leader, or spiritual friend, you want to know the most helpful books about the personal ministry of the Word— using God’s Word for helping hurting people.

Here, in alphabetical order, are the top 15 books published in 2015 about biblical counseling or important to biblical counselors.

I’ve selected these books on the basis of their biblical depth, relevance to life, practicality for one-another ministry, faithfulness to the sufficiency of Scripture, application to progressive sanctification, and by surveying what leaders in the biblical counseling world are saying about them.

Awe: Why It Matters for Everything We Think, Say, and Do, by Paul Tripp, Crossway

One of the hallmarks of the modern biblical counseling movement (and a hallmark of historic Puritan soul care) is the emphasis on our being worshipping beings. In Awe, Paul Tripp develops this perspective by highlighting that our hearts are always captured by something. Because of this, an ultimate life question is, “Are we in awe of God’s glory or anything but God?” Tripp points our gaze back to our God of holy love and shows how this vision of God has the potential to impact our affections, relationships, thoughts, motivations, actions, and emotions.

Biblical Counseling and the Church: God’s Care through God’s People, by Bob Kellemen (General Editor) and Kevin Carson (Managing Editor), Zondervan

Full disclosure: I was the general editor and a chapter author for this book. Biblical Counseling and the Church is the 3^rd multi-authored book published by the Biblical Counseling Coalition. As the title and subtitle suggest, the authors focus not simply on having a biblical counseling ministry in the church. Instead, they equip readers to lead their churches to become a church of biblical counseling—saturating every part of local church life and ministry with confidence in the relevance and sufficiency of God’s Word for daily living.

Comfort the Grieving: Ministering God’s Grace in Times of Loss, by Paul Tautges, Zondervan

Comfort the Grieving is part of the Practical Shepherding series that equip pastors with wise and practical counsel on pastoral ministry. In the book, Pastor Paul Tautges develops a pastoral theology for the pastoral ministry of bringing comfort to parishioners as they experience loss. Comfort the Grieving continues a recent heightened emphasis in the biblical counseling movement on equipping for “parakaletic counseling” for suffering, abuse, loss, and grief.

God Made All of Me: A Book to Help Children Protect Their Bodies, by Justin Holcomb and Lindsey Holcomb with Trish Mahoney (Illustrator), New Growth Press

God Made All of Me is a gently-told, beautifully-illustrated book to help families talk with their two-to-eight-year-old children about their body and how it should be treated by others. God Made All of Me starts from the fundamental truth that God created everything and applies that truth to children and their bodies. It equips parents to talk with both boys and girls about their bodies and to help them understand the difference between the appropriate and inappropriate touch of others.

Gospel Conversations: How to Care Like Christ, by Bob Kellemen, Zondervan

Full disclosure: I am the author of Gospel Conversations, and I include it in this list because of the number of times it was recommended in my survey of biblical counseling leaders. How do we lovingly and wisely apply the gospel to the struggling person sitting in front of us? Gospel Conversations answers that question by equipping readers to develop 21 biblical counseling skills (relational competencies). With its workbook format and built-in discussion guide, Gospel Conversations is ideal for small group use in church, Bible college, and seminary settings. Deepak Reju notes, “Gospel Conversations is a powerful tool for everyone who wants to think more carefully about how to help others.” Steve Viars explains, “Gospel Conversations is just what pastors, local church leaders, and compassionate lay people need as we serve and minister to those God has placed around us.”

The Heart of Domestic Abuse: Gospel Solutions for Men Who Use Control and Violence in the Home, by Chris Moles, Focus Publishing

Sadly, domestic abuse has not always been handled well by the church. The Heart of Domestic Abuse steps into this inexcusable “care-gap” to equip pastors, counselors, and family members to respond wisely, firmly, and skillfully in domestic abuse situations. In helping us to counsel the abuser, Chris Moles carefully balances the need to refuse to accept superficial change in behavior along with the need to believe that heart-focused, gospel-centered change is truly possible.

The New Pastor’s Handbook: Help and Encouragement for the First Years of Ministry, by Jason Helopoulos, Baker 

Reading The New Pastor’s Handbook is like having a seasoned pastor at your side as you walk through the early years of pastoral ministry. Jason Helopoulos understands that many seminary grads enter ministry with an abundance of head knowledge, but with a deficit in practical pastoral theology—the ins and outs of daily ministry. While the subtitle suggests that the primary audience is the “rookie” pastor, The New Pastor’s Handbook has sound practical wisdom from which even the “veteran” pastor can benefit.

Parenting Is More Than a Formula, by Jim Newheiser, P&R Publishing

Experienced parents understand that there is no formulaic approach to parenting—we’re not dealing with car engines or computer software, we’re relating to image bearers. In Parenting Is More Than a Formula, author Jim Newheiser offers two main perspectives. First, he provides insight into the myriad formulaic approaches to Christian parenting today. How do we assess them? Are aspects of their methods valid? Second, he lays out a gospel-centered approach to parenting that goes far beyond formulas and methods.

The Pastor’s Ministry: Biblical Priorities for Faithful Shepherds, by Brian Croft, Zondervan

Brian Croft is a master at taking complex ministry issues and distilling them into rich, practical ministry wisdom. In The Pastor’s Ministry, Croft helps pastors to address the question, “How do I prioritize the competing demands on my time?” In answering this vital question, he looks to the Scriptures to determine the top ten priorities for faithful pastoral ministry.

Plugged In: Proclaiming Christ in the Internet Age, by Marie Notcheva, Pure Water Press

The Internet, like anything and everything that is of human origin, can be a blessing or a curse. In Plugged In, Marie Notcheva outlines how we can use the Internet as a blessing in evangelism and in biblical counseling. She addresses practical and profound issues like, “Is virtual counseling a good idea?” “Can we effectively disciple someone through the Internet?” “How do we share the gospel and encourage believers in cyber-space?” In answering these questions and many more, Notcheva demonstrates how to use technology wisely to God’s glory.

Praying the Bible, by Donald Whitney, Crossway 

Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney is a wonderful resource for biblical counselors to provide for their counselees and parishioners. More than that, Praying the Bible is an encouraging, biblical, and practical resource for every Christian. 

Side by Side: Walking with Others in Wisdom and Love, by Ed Welch, Crossway

Many biblical counseling books focus on equipping God’s people for the more “formal” ministry of ongoing biblical counseling, even at the lay level. Ed Welch’s Side by Side focuses more on “informal” one-another ministry within the Body of Christ. If you long to fulfill the Ephesians 4:15-16 calling to speak gospel truth in love, then Side by Side is an excellent guide for sharing winsome wisdom with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms, by Timothy Keller and Kathy Keller, Viking

How do we assist counselees, parishioners, and spiritual friends to apply God’s Word robustly and relevantly to their daily lives? The Songs of Jesus, along with Donald Whitney’s Praying the Bible, are two outstanding resources published in 2015 for just that task. Co-authors Tim Keller and Kathy Keller, build on the premise that Jesus knew all 150 psalms intimately and relied on them to face every situation—and so could and should we.

Transforming Homosexuality: What the Bible Says about Sexual Orientation and Change, by Denny Burk and Heath Lambert, P&R Publishing

The premise of Transforming Homosexuality by Denny Burk and Heath Lambert is that a biblical view of homosexual desires (not just acts) is the foundation for gospel-centered personal change. Building on that premise, the co-authors explain that faithful Christians agree that the Bible forbids homosexual behavior. They then discuss whether the Bible teaches that homosexual desire is morally neutral or that even the desire or temptation toward same-sex attraction calls for repentance and gospel renewal.

What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality?, by Kevin DeYoung, Crossway

Kevin DeYoung examines the Old and New Testament to develop a biblical theology of sexuality. With this foundation built, he then carefully addresses the relevant question What Does the Bible Really Teach about Homosexuality? His biblical reasonings are indispensable in responding to objections raised by Christians and non-Christians on this pressing issue of our day.

The #1 Biblical Counseling Book of 2015 

This year is the first year that I’m designating a #1 book. So, in addition to the 15 books listed above, if you can buy only one book in 2015 on biblical counseling, here’s the one I recommend:

The Pastor and Counseling: The Basics of Shepherding Members in Need, by Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju, Crossway 

The Pastor and Counseling is the ideal book for the typical pastor who likely had one course in pastoral counseling in his entire training. It provides pastors with the foundations—both in theory/theology and in practice/methodology—to handle God’s Word just as well in the pastor’s office as in the pulpit. Written by two seasoned pastors, The Pastor and Counseling is the one book to buy if you want an introduction to biblical pastoral counseling.

Join the Conversation 

Of these books, which ones impacted your life and ministry the most? How and why?

What additional books, published in 2015, about biblical counseling or important for biblical counselors, would you recommend?