Seminars

Most seminars include four or five sessions (about an hour for each, including discussion time) and take place on a Saturday. A Friday evening session is sometimes added. Other times would also be considered, depending on the needs of the church.


The weekend seminars we've developed so far include the following:

1. 'Making Personal Changes that Stick'
This overview of key elements of biblical change is filled with examples that speak to the needs of the particular church. It lays foundational principles for sanctification, dealing both with the inner life (the 'heart') and the outward life (the 'walk'). I leave time for interaction so we can get intensely practical about the specific issues your people are facing. This seminar includes ideas developed by the 'Changing Hearts, Changing Lives' material of The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF), Glenside, PA.

2. 'Personal Growth Through Trials: Sanctification in the Storms'
This seminar is a version of #2, above, but geared especially for helping people learn and grow during times of suffering.

3. 'Powerful Peacemaking: Biblical Forgiveness and Conflict Resolution'
Christian peacemaking must begin with the two 'stages' of forgiveness-unconditional and then conditional. We deal with the elements of true repentance and true forgiveness, both of which are necessary for full reconciliation between people. The seminar concludes with a practical method of resolving conflicts, and when possible I like to illustrate this method with a real-life conflict-for example, a relatively minor disagreement between a husband and wife that they (voluntarily!) share with the rest of the group.

Whenever asked to mediate a conflict within a church, I like to present this seminar to the entire congregation as a foundation, before attempting any conciliation work.

4. 'God's Blueprint for Marriage'
This is a seminar for couples based on the 'leave, cleave, weave' model of Genesis 2:24. It seeks to develop a solid theology of marriage and, based on that world-view, to give practical tools. The goal is to help a couple grow their marriage so that it becomes a union filled with such joy that it actually anticipates the New Creation to come. That's God's plan!

5. 'Grace Parenting: Training Your Child with Love and Direction'     
In this seminar we lay out foundational principles to help parents raise their children 'in the covenant of grace.' The 'one another' commandments of the New Testament are especially informative in discerning how parents are to view and treat their children. In that context, we tackle the crucial issue of discipline that reaches the conscience as well as addressing the necessary behavioral changes God desires. When parents truly become overwhelmed by God's grace they can administer grace-giving discipline that really works!

All seminars are geared primarily for professing Christians, but the material is sprinkled with enough humor and practical help that unchurched people can be invited and will be benefit.

The Board of Directors of Christian Counseling & Mediation, a non-profit 501(c )3 ministry, oversees this work and sets policies. For information on fees, please contact us via email ( christiancounseling@earthlink.net ) or phone (802) 879-1103.