I wrote Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling to help churches think through the possibilities and implications of starting a church-based counseling ministry. Many churches like the idea of starting a counseling ministry but get overwhelmed or intimidated when they start the process. In my opinion, group-based counseling is the most underutilized model of care in the church. This is one of the reasons I partnered with John Chapman, Director of Recovery-Support Group Ministries at The Summit Church, to write Facilitating Counseling Groups. This resource equips leaders who want to convert their di ..read more

Some of us have that friend. Others of us are that friend for whom a visual tool makes all the difference in implementing a new concept. Never fear: if that’s you, here you go. Use , based on our roots metaphor for the seven questions, as you look for ways to go deeper in your friendships. The instructions are simple. Use one copy of this assessment for each of your meaningful friendships. Mark where each friendship is on each of the seven questions. You’ll notice the five markers from each of the seven questions we’ve explored. For specific friendships: First, set your expectations for each ..read more

Are you curious about G4? Whether you are a new G4 participant or small group members wanting to know more about the process of change, the video below orients you to G4’s nine-step model for overcoming a suffering-based struggle; that is, a struggle emerging from factors outside of our control. You can find the complementing overview video for G4’s nine step model for coming sin-based struggles at www.bradhambrick.com/G4sinmodel. Downloadable PDF Handout: G4 9 Steps for Suffering The nine steps covered in this video are: STEP 1: PREPARE yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually t ..read more

My recent publications – Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling and Facilitating Counseling Groups – are part of a new series of books with New Growth Press. The name of that series is the “Church-Based Counseling” series. This post is meant to introduce to this series.   Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling: Many churches would like to start a counseling ministry, but they don’t know where to start. Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling offers direction to churches for creating a ministry built around lay-led counseling groups and mentoring. Based on proven models used in his own congr ..read more

Dear Friends, According to the Chinese Zodiac Calendar (at least Google’s rendition thereof), the next “Year of the Dog” is not scheduled until 2030. But we didn’t want to wait that long, so Christmas came early and the fifth member of our family – Rookie the Smiling Corgi – arrived in August! Lawson is now a freshman at Auburn University (War Eagle!) studying professional flight. Before leaving for college, Brad was the inaugural passenger on Lawson’s first fully independent flight. They flew to a NC airport with its own BBQ pit. Sallie was relieved when they made it home safe. Lawson is doin ..read more

Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage (GCM) is a five-part series that serves as flexible curriculum for mentoring engaged couples and for marital enrichment within a church’s small group ministry. GCM provides marriage preparation and marriage enrichment content. (If a couple is in significant marital distress, they need marriage restoration-level care, which is more than GCM provides.) In case you are unfamiliar with the categories of marriage preparation, marriage enrichment, and marriage restoration, here is a brief synopsis of each: Marriage Preparation helps engaged couples prepare f ..read more

G4 is a group-based counseling ministry that provides a context for participants to invest a season of their lives in overcoming a life-dominating struggle of sin or suffering. Most G4 groups utilize a subject specific curriculum (addiction, depression, eating disorders, grief, trauma, etc.) built around one of two nine-step models of sanctification. The goal of G4 is to see participants graduate back into the general discipleship ministries of the church, freer from their struggle and with a clearer picture of what it means for believers to support one another as the gospel transforms the mos ..read more

Psalms are a unique part of the Bible. As much as they are words from God to us, they are words God gives us to speak back to him. As such, they are especially useful to give words to experiences that feel unspeakable, experiences like the flood of emotions that come in the aftermath of a school shooting. Below, you will find my personalization of Psalm 56 for the experience of a school shooting. Instructions: Read Psalm 56 in your preferred translation. Then read this personalization. Do that one verse at a time. Use this as an example of how to pray the psalms; that is, to “play jazz” with t ..read more

G4 is a group-based counseling ministry that provides a context for participants to invest a season of their lives in overcoming a life-dominating struggle of sin or suffering. Most G4 groups utilize a subject specific curriculum (addiction, depression, eating disorders, grief, trauma, etc.) built around one of two nine-step models of sanctification. The goal of G4 is to see participants graduate back into the general discipleship ministries of the church, freer from their struggle and with a clearer picture of what it means for believers to support one another as the gospel transforms the mos ..read more

Passage – James 5:13-20 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has ..read more