The Pastor as Counselor: The Call for Soul Care

“The thickest small book you have ever studied. My fifth read was as helpful as the first...It will serve you both as an introduction to biblical counseling and as a long-term mentor. David will persuade you that your ministry is both the public ministry and the private ministry of the word.”

“The modern biblical counseling movement began at CCEF with a clarion call for pastors to counsel their flock rather than outsourcing the care and cure of troubled souls in their congregation. Over 50 years later, David's book reissues that same clarion call in a biblically rich, winsome and culturally astute way. I hope that many pastors reading it will regain the lost art of gospel-centered, heart oriented, conversational care of souls.”

“There are very few people that you can ever say this about, but in the field of biblical counseling, David Powlison is a man who literally defined his entire generation in the field. He has been a mentor and a father to so many through his kindness, through his writing, he was a man who always had a twinkle in his eye, even when he spoke about the most sober and serious things of the soul. And one thing that I love about David is that you can hear the twinkle in his eye in so much of his writing.”

“Here is a loving, tender-hearted, gospel-confident pastor, calling pastors to be loving, tender-hearted, gospel-confident counselors. David Powlison lived the message of this book and gave his life to mobilizing the church to believe it and live it as well. If you’re a pastor, this book is a must-read, but not just once. Read it again and again, praying that its beautiful vision would become your daily ministry model.”

“It is a rare privilege to get to hear from someone who devoted his life to being good at one thing. That is what you hold—a conversation with David Powlison about what it means to be a pastor who counsels well. That is what David devoted his life to exploring. Learn from him about the beauty and unique opportunities that emerge from counseling as a pastor, and every area of your ministry (teaching, preaching, mentoring, administration) will be enriched. Your ability to serve as an ambassador of Christ to those who are hurting will be enhanced.”

“David Powlison was a remarkable man. Out of his passion that the church of Jesus Christ take up the mantle of care for broken human beings in this fallen world, he became the quintessential leader of the biblical counseling movement. Out of his incredible gifting to communicate this with beauty and grace, he became one of the most compelling Christian authors of his generation. When he was finalizing the draft for The Pastor as Counselor, he told me it was the favorite thing he had ever written. I picked it up then and found it immediately compelling. Reviewing it again, I was more encouraged than I was the first time I read it. As a busy pastor myself, I promise that you and your church need to hear what Powlison has to say. If you are looking for a glorious, compelling, and clear introduction to the heart of Christ for his church, you will not find a better place to start than this book.”

“David Powlison’s book is a profoundly fitting final gift to the church. It is a book that takes us to the very heart of everything David believed the church and her pastors should be, a vision that is simultaneously thrilling and challenging, visionary and practical, theologically rich and culturally astute. My work as a pastor is so much better because of it. This book will expand your pastoral ambitions and encourage you to be more like Christ. Every pastor will profit from it.”

“Pastors have unique opportunities to counsel unlike anyone else. With his typical rich insights and thought-provoking analysis, David Powlison encourages pastors to counsel and shepherd their church members. Buy a copy and give this Christ-honoring book to your pastor. He’ll be strengthened and encouraged through it!”

“When our preaching reaches people’s hearts with the gospel, it raises as many questions as it answers. That’s where our pastoral counseling comes in—gentle, honest conversations with sinners and sufferers who want Jesus at their personal point of need. David Powlison is a faithful guide, helping us pastors fulfill this deeper ministry, where people get traction for newness of life.”