Anniversary of My Ed. D. Graduation

It has been almost exactly 30 years since I graduated from University of Cincinnati with a doctoral degree in Counselor Education. My research integrated counseling and theology with an emphasis on how Christians can Prevent Problems and Promote Health. I concluded that it is hard to do so.

All it takes is motivation and selecting the right people to show you how to do it.

• With marriages falling apart at an appalling rate why do so few churches have a Pre-Marital Preparation Program?
• With parents failing at alarming rates, why are few churches doing what the TV Show Nanny 911 is doing?
• We know how to teach communication skills, conflict management, parenting, couple decision making, financial planning, etc but so few churches even try.

In 1976 I set up a program at College Hill Presbyterian Church to do these things and later wrote several simple training models to prepare pastors and lay leaders how to make their churches into healing, helping communities. A few, very few churches percentage wise, take the challenge.

Some famous writers like Larry Crabb complain about the current situation but they say no one knows how to equip lay care givers. He is badly mistaken. Some of us have been doing it for over 30 years. (I started helping a telephone crisis ministry in 1970 .)

Churches that refuse to teach people how to renew their minds, communicate, listen and solve conflicts are negligent and failing to "Equip the saints to DO the ministry."

There are numerous people and places where you can learn how to help your people. It is spiritual mal-practice to refuse.