Biblical Counseling Archives - Calvary University

Duane and Cristina Smith: Faithfully Building up the Body of Christ

by Grace Murphy | Mar 31, 2023

Duane and Cristina, 1993.

“When you see people apply the Word that you had the joy of teaching them, it is a tremendous blessing.”

Duane and Cristina Smith grew up in Christian families and came to faith at a young age, meeting at Calvary and marrying soon after. They stayed in the KC area for four years and were highly involved in their local church. Learning how a body of believers functioned would later become integral to them becoming spiritual mentors in their future home church. When the Lord took them to Marshfield, WI, Duane served as the assistant pastor of Calvary Bible Church, where he and Cristina served for over 8 years; during this time, they had all three of their sons. Today, Duane is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Waukon, IA.

When reflecting on how his educational journey impacted his future career in ministry, Duane stated: “The education I received from Calvary laid a biblical and theological foundation for my life in ministry. As a pastoral studies major, my classes helped me understand the practical side of ministry, and Dr. Raiford shared wisdom with us ‘preacher boys,’ as he called us, that was absolutely invaluable.” He also added that his music training at Calvary helped prepare him for conducting worship in church services for over twenty-five years. Cristina reflects that her double major in Biblical Counseling and Church Music was exactly what she needed: “I am blessed to have been the Worship Coordinator at our church for many years now and use my degree not only in accompanying piano and worship leading, but in planning worship services year-round. As for counseling, I use the knowledge I gained from this degree every day.”

When asked what the most rewarding thing about full-time ministry has been, Duane states that it has been witnessing people grow in their faith: “There are many things that can discourage you in this ministry if you let it, but when you see people apply the Word that you had the joy of teaching them, it is a tremendous blessing.” Cristina adds, “There’s nothing like seeing the chains of sin being broken in people’s lives and watching them live in the freedom of their new identity in Christ.”

Duane sends a special word of counsel to those pursuing pastoral ministry: “Remember to cultivate a close relationship with the Lord now. As a pastor, you will be the one feeding others and discipling them. You must learn to feed yourself spiritually! Don’t just look at the Bible as another textbook. Treat it as the living and active Word of God that you derive your spiritual nourishment from. Serving God as a pastor is a tremendous blessing, but if you are trying to do it in your own strength it will be a disaster.”

Duane and Cristina both look forward to what God has in store for their future as a couple serving God in the church. Duane states that he looks forward to seeing people grow in Christ and use their gifts to serve Him: “There are some young men who are wanting to be discipled in my church, and that process will begin soon. I pray that God uses them in mighty ways!” Cristina adds, “We hope to plan another mission trip soon as they have transformed our church family into thinking globally and strengthened individuals in their personal walks with God.”

Duane Smith speaking at Calvary’s 2022 Baccalaureate.

Duane and Cristina’s sons, Nathan (CU grad, 23), Michael (21), and Jacob (18).

Dr. James Clark: Dealing With Conflict Biblically

by Grace Murphy | Jul 28, 2022

“Conflict is everywhere. In my book, I present Biblical solutions to conflict, whether personal, interpersonal, emotional, social, or spiritual.”

Dr. Clark is an experienced pastor, chaplain, counselor, and educator who recently published his second book, Dealing With Conflict Biblically, through Calvary University Press.

Dr. Clark graduated from Calvary Bible College in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in Christian Education and a minor in Music. He then became as a Youth For Christ director in S.E. Iowa. He served six years as an associate pastor in Wilmar, Minnesota, while also being a college and Vocational-Tech Institute chaplain. Years later, he served as lead pastor in Lackland, Minnesota for five years while also serving as a prison chaplain at Stillwater, Minnesota prison. For ten years, he pastored in Waverly, Iowa and served as chaplain for the Waverly Fire Department.

In 1993, Dr. Clark began teaching at Calvary and started the counseling department for both college and seminary. In 1993, he attended Bethel Theological Seminary and Trinity Theological College and Seminary, finishing his master’s and doctorate degrees in Biblical counseling. At Calvary, he served as an academic dean for eleven years, president for seven years, and is currently teaching as an adjunct professor.

Dr. Clark’s journey in ministry began when he was just thirteen years old: “While attending a Youth For Christ rally in St. Louis I felt called to ministry. My church gave me opportunities to speak and I preached two summers in churches in Michigan. I was also active in our local Youth For Christ club from junior high through high school.” While a student at Calvary, Dr. Clark served for three years at Kansas City Youth For Christ as a club director, where he discovered that a career in ministry was his passion because he saw the need to counsel teens.

Dr. Clark saw the need for pastors and chaplains who truly desired to help people through continued counseling: “Being called to Calvary to teach counseling and head up a counseling center was a big step in my life; I loved assisting students in their counseling ministry.” After retiring, Dr. Clark decided to put his experiences and teachings in a Biblical Counseling book for the Christian community, Biblical Counseling for the Church and Community, published through Grace Acres. Now, he is releasing Dealing With Conflict Biblically, through Calvary University Press.

While in ministry, Dr. Clark dealt with many different types of conflicts first-hand, which prepared him with the knowledge and experience to write Dealing With Conflict Biblically. He states: “It goes without saying that conflict is everywhere. In my book, I present Biblical solutions to conflict, whether personal, interpersonal, emotional, social, or spiritual. How to deal with conflict is clearly laid out in the Bible, which is what I expound upon with illustrations and biblical examples in Dealing With Conflict Biblically.“

Dr. Clark is excited about writing several more books to inspire people to find the Bible relevant with solutions for modern society. “Calvary University Press has great potential to inform people about Biblical material to help them in their understanding, knowledge and growth in the Lord Jesus Christ!” Dr. Clark also looks forward to continuing God’s will for his life through following his callings in teaching, preaching, and writing. “I’m enjoying this phase of my retired life. As my physician said, God is not done with the Clarks yet!”

Dr. Clark is a highly respected and dearly loved alumnus of Calvary University. CU Press to honored to introduce his work.

Alumni Update: Rob Jordon

by Grace Murphy | Mar 16, 2022

“Pastor Lee Smith writes with the skill of a careful exegete and the heart of a pastor-teacher.”

Lee Smith is a retired pastor and current author who recently collaborated with CU Press to publish Biblical Conversations in the Gospel of John – Exegetically Based Devotionals for Serious Followers of Jesus. Lee graduated from Calvary Bible College in 1970 with a B.A. in Pastoral Studies, received his Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1974, and earned his D.Min from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in 1990.

Lee grew up in rural Iowa in a family of farmers. At seven years old, he received Christ. He describes his mission to pastor small town churches as a “growing conviction” that remained even when he was in seminary and other students questioned him: “They thought I was crazy – asking me why I’d want to do that instead of choosing to pastor bigger churches. I chose rural churches because that’s where my passion was, and I’ve pastored them for forty years.”

Lee’s experience as a pastor played a major role in his evolving career as an author. Besides his most recent work, he has published three books: Getting Along with People: A Manual for Pastors, Reflections of a Small Town Pastor: Engaging in God’s Mission in Smaller Places, and Bible Conversations in Genesis. With the biblical knowledge Lee has gained throughout the years as both a pastor and an author, his new book is filled with insightful knowledge .

When speaking on what inspired Lee to write Biblical Conversations in the Gospel of John – Exegetically Based Devotionals for Serious Followers of Jesus, he stated it was ultimately God’s Word because “that is what will change people’s lives.” He also added that he’s always had a special appreciation for the book of John because of its emphasis on the gospel, John’s practicality in his writing, and how “Jesus speaking to the disciples throughout the book of John is still very relevant for all of Christ’s followers today.”

Lee’s purpose for his new book is two-fold. First, he desires his readers to gain a deeper understanding of the gospel as presented within the book of John from an intellectual and spiritual perspective. Secondly, he wants his book to inspire readers to “grow in their walk with Christ, all for the glory of God.”

Dr. Dodds, Director of CU Press:

Pastor Lee Smith writes with the skill of a careful exegete and the heart of a pastor-teacher. Bible Conversations in the Gospel of John is Pastor Smith’s second volume in his “Bible Conversations” series. Not intended as an in-depth commentary, this study of the Gospel of John still touches on the significant exegetical issues in the text while challenging the reader to respond to the truth in the text. Written by a pastor-teacher, this volume speaks to the reader with a conversational tone, and then encourages the reader to life-change. As with the first volume, Bible Conversations in the Gospel of John is for “Serious Followers of Jesus” – those who seek to be changed by their study of God’s Word.

Rob Jordon has been taking up exciting career opportunities since he graduated from Calvary University.

Biblical Counseling Distinctives Focus of Leadership Conference

by Webmanager | Mar 9, 2020

Drs. Christopher Cone, Jeff Cox, Tom Baurain and Luther Smith field questions during the 2020 Christian Leaders’ Conference.

Calvary’s Christian Leader’s Conference featured faculty papers on biblical counseling and psychology.

Calvary’s annual Christian Leader’s Conference addressed, “What makes counseling biblical?” Dr. Luther Smith, Biblical Counseling chair, was heavily involved in planning the event and said, “It was well attended on campus and online,” with about 60 persons total, “a mix of students, as well as pastors and counselors.” He also said, “The response was really good… people had lots of questions. They enjoyed the information and the thoughtful discussion.”

The conference featured presentations by a variety of Calvary faculty, including Dr. Smith, Dr. Jeff Cox, and Dr. Christopher Cone. Dr. Smith noted that, even though the presenters had not discussed the details of their presentations together, “We were saying the same thing. And that was really encouraging to me… If I mentioned [a concept] in a sentence, someone else would mention it in a paper; if I mentioned it in a paragraph, someone else would mention it in two.”

Arianna Erixon-Bova, a senior at Calvary, said, “it was wonderful to sit down and hear scholars and academics bring everything back to the root of all truth… [The conference] encouraged and pleaded for us to go back to Scripture and find the truth there, first and finally. The speakers explained that we do not need to stray away from psychology, but we do need to make sure that it is rooted in Scripture when we do use it.”

Bill Stebbins, Calvary’s Chief Development Officer, was highly involved in the logistics of the conference, and said, “I think the highlight is when you have a roundtable or the discussion, because now it’s question and answer, and you have multiple personalities up there.”

The papers presented at the conference are slated for publication as a book later in the year.

Articles Presented at the Christian Leader’s Conference

(Follow links to watch videos of the presentations)

Psychology: A Discipline or a Philosophy? | Dr. Luther Smith

Dr. Smith’s first presentation discussed the relationship between believers and psychology and the respective consequences of defining psychology as a discipline or worldview.

Deconstructing Psychology | Dr. Christopher Cone

Dr. Cone addressed the church’s leeriness towards psychology and how the church can appropriately approach and utilize the discipline.

The Priority of Scripture | Dr. Thomas Baurain

Dr. Baurain addressed what elements must be present in biblical counseling for it to truly be biblical, focusing especially on the centrality of the Bible.

Where Can Wisdom Be Found? | Dr. Jeff Cox

Dr. Cox’s paper referenced Job and Proverbs, investigating a biblical ethic for the source of wisdom.

Specific Distinctiveness of This Approach: Consistent Application of Literal Grammatical Historical Hermeneutic | Dr. Luther Smith

Dr. Smith’s second presentation discussed how the distinctive of consistently applying a literal grammatical historical hermeneutic affects the discipline of biblical counseling.

General Distinctiveness of This Approach: A Discipline Born from the Biblical Worldview Followed | Dr. Christopher Cone

Dr. Cone’s second paper took a more general look at the distinctives of biblical counseling and how the biblical worldview influences the view of counseling and psychology.

Dr. James Clark Publishes Book on Biblical Counseling

by Webmanager | Feb 20, 2020

Dr. James Clark, President Emeritus, Calvary University and the cover of his new book.

“My experience as a youth pastor, pastor, chaplain, and then directing our counseling center at Calvary has convinced me that lives can change by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.”

Calvary University President Emeritus, Dr. James Clark, recently published a new book: Biblical Counseling: A Guide for the Church and Community. According to Dr. Clar, the book, “describes the role of counseling as a ministry of the ‘one anothers’ in the local church and community” and explains the process of identifying leaders to serve as a counseling team to assist pastoral staff.

Clark said the book arose from his history teaching Biblical Counseling in the Church for many years, “and there wasn’t a textbook on the subject. There were several books on counseling but not a specific book to help the church.” To address this need, Clark wrote Biblical Counseling trying “to keep in mind the pastor and leaders along with the believers in the pews.”

Explaining the need for this book and the hole it fills, Clark said, “Many people in the church today need hope, healing, and answers (biblical) for their problems… However, the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth said the Church is to do all things decently and in order. That implies that the counseling ministry must be approached in an orderly way, as well. In the book I describe how the church is to protect itself. I cover the legal aspects regarding establishing a counseling ministry. This includes forms, files, counseling offices, what is lawful and unlawful.”

Clark’s book covers the difference between secular and biblical counseling, as well as several logistical aspects of counseling in the church. He said, “My experience as a youth pastor, pastor, chaplain, and then directing our counseling center at Calvary has convinced me that lives can change by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I recognize, however, it is work! Recruiting, training, and leadership in church doesn’t just happen.” Biblical Counseling: A Guide for the Church and Community seeks to help prevent “the church from falling into the pitfalls of haphazard disorganization, lack of knowledge in creating a proper counseling ministry, and face the embarrassment and even litigation by not doing their homework in establishing such a ministry.”

As his book begins circulation, Clark says, “I would love to see pastors and laymen get excited about making a difference in the lives of their people through a viable counseling ministry. It is such a need today.”

Dr. Clark’s book is available for purchase in ebook or print format at graceacrespress.com.

Counseling Student Interns at Local Pregnancy Center

by Webmanager | Aug 12, 2019

Brooke Glaszczak is spending her summer getting hands-on experience.

The weather may be sweltering, but Calvary’s students are finding ways to beat the heat and keep growing this summer.

Brooke Glaszczak is a Biblical Counseling major heading into her senior year this fall, and she is taking the summer to fulfill one of her degree requirements: a counseling internship. Students have a choice in where they complete their internship, and Brooke has been volunteering at Shiloh Center in Harrisonville, Missouri.

Shiloh Center is a crisis pregnancy center that provides women with physical resources, such as diapers and clothing, in exchange for the women coming to counseling sessions and parent training classes. Brooke says she chose to volunteer at Shiloh because her target audience for counseling is women and young adults, and the center is perfect for gaining experience in that area.

Twice a week, Brooke sorts through the piles of donations, organizes clothing, and shadows in-house counselors to watch their methods and learn for their experience. Brooke is excited about the impact she can see Shiloh Center making in the lives of the women who come there. “They are a really good resource for women who have no place to go… from the resources they give and the biblical counseling that they do and just talking to people. That’s a really huge impact because [these women] don’t have help like that.”

While Brooke loves hearing the client’s stories and seeing how God is working in their lives, it hasn’t all been easy. “There are definitely difficulties that I kind of prepped myself for, that ‘this might happen’, but seeing girls come in that have been abused or raped, or girls who come in who are planning on having abortions and just want the pregnancy test… it kind of just hits you in the face.” Despite the difficulties, Brooke is thankful for her time at Shiloh Center. God has used this internship to “encourage me by showing my inadequacies, because I’m seeing in my life where I can’t do anything, and it has to be God. I feel like, especially being a Biblical Counseling major, you’re dealing with people’s issues all the time and so, there’s a lot of dependency on God. Because one person really can’t handle all those things.” Referencing Matthew 11, she commented on how we aren’t supposed to carry every burden, but we find freedom in giving them to Christ and accepting his yoke.

Besides getting her one step closer to finishing her degree, Brooke’s time at Shiloh Center has energized her for the possibilities after graduation. “It’s kind of eased my nerves on what the future will look like because I’ve seen what God can do in the lives of other people.” Between the internship and the intentional time she has invested in spiritual growth this summer, she has found a different perspective. She is delving deeper into the importance of focusing on her own growth so that she can give to others out of that, “because you can’t give out of what you don’t have.”

Through her work at Shiloh, Brooke feels confident that biblical counseling is where her career path is, and she is becoming more excited about her field of study here at Calvary. She views her passion for counseling in light of both story and redemption. “We are coming alongside these people with broken stories and helping them to see how God can mend and heal what’s broken. It’s just exciting to be used in that way to be a part of that process and be a vessel to help with that. I love the idea of it and the system of counseling biblically because it’s a really good reflection of what Christ does for us. He comes alongside of us and helps us; encourages us.”

As she reflected on her time at Shiloh Center, Brooke pulled out this takeaway from her internship, “God can take messy and broken lives and turn them around for good… and God can use anyone in His story of redemption.”