Personal Growth Assignments (Not Just Homework)
“I’m not a counselor; I’m a pastor who counsels his people.” That’s how I usually describe my ministry. My passion is to help individuals come to know Christ and walk with Him in the power of the Spirit. This extends beyond the public ministry of preaching to the personal ministry of the Word—what I often call focused or intensive discipleship. This kind of one-another care comes alongside preaching to help uncover the root causes of mental, emotional, behavioral, and relational struggles, so we can offer Christ-centered hope that leads to lasting heart transformation.
The Confessional Statement of the Biblical Counseling Coalition expresses this commitment to inner renewal well:
We believe that human behavior is deeply connected to the thoughts, intentions, and affections of the heart. Our actions arise from hearts that are worshiping God or something else. Therefore, we place great importance on the heart and seek to address the inner person. God fully understands and rightly evaluates who we are, what we do, and why we do it. While we may never fully grasp the depths of a person’s heart—our own included—God’s Word pierces to the core of the heart’s beliefs and motivations (Hebrews 4:12–13).
Addressing the Inner and Outer Life
Counseling and soul care—or focused discipleship—must address both the inner and outer dimensions of a person’s life to bring about real and lasting change into the likeness of Christ. Scripture makes clear that our behavior is not mechanical. It flows from a heart that desires, thinks, chooses, and feels—either in submission to or rebellion against the Lord Jesus, who is worthy of being preeminent in all things (Colossians 1:18).
Faithful biblical counseling must therefore speak to both the vertical relationship with God and the horizontal relationships with others. We aim to care for both the workings of the heart and the behaviors they produce (Matthew 23:23–28). Biblical counselors and disciple-makers strive to guide others toward wise living—loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, loving our neighbors as ourselves, and enduring suffering with Christ-centered hope.
Why Growth Assignments?
I’m excited to introduce a new category here at Counseling One Another—Growth Assignments.
Over the years, I’ve intentionally moved away from using the term homework, since that word often carries associations from our school years that can make this work feel merely academic. (To be honest, I may have borrowed the term Growth Assignment from one of my students!) While growing in biblical knowledge is vital, our goal must always be more than information—we want transformation. Or, as one of my favorite churches puts it, this is truly heartwork.
Three Key Elements of Growth Assignments
Here are the three essential elements that make growth assignments effective. They are listed in order of priority:
1. Engage with the Living Word
The first and most important element is engaging personally with the living Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). This kind of Scripture engagement goes beyond surface-level reading. It includes thoughtful, prayerful meditation—slowing down to ask good questions, allowing God’s truth to sink deeply into the heart. Any counseling assignment that claims to be biblical must begin here. Slow, careful meditation on an appropriate portion size of Scripture is where effective Growth Assignments begin.
2. Invite Another Counselor or Caregiver into the Conversation
The second element encourages us to listen to other faithful voices that help us understand and apply the truth. These resources might be written (books, mini-books, blog posts), auditory (podcasts, sermons), or visual (videos, diagrams). In a world full of noise, we want to guide people to trustworthy voices that reinforce biblical counsel. Wisely selecting an appropriate counseling tool to accompany Scripture is the second most important element of Growth Assignments (Titus 2:1-6; Proverbs 27:17).
3. Put Feet to Your Faith
The final element involves action—tangible steps of obedience in response to what’s been learned. This is where biblical wisdom meets everyday life, and Christ’s Word reshapes our habits, relationships, and routines. We want to help others become doers of the Word, not hearers only (James 1:22-25).
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If you’ve read this far, be sure to check back in a few days for the first Growth Assignment, where I’ll share practical tools for overcoming sexual sin habits.
*To understand the theology behind this kind of interpersonal discipleship, I encourage you to read the foundational book, Counseling One Another.
