About

ABOUT ME

Hi, I’m Aaron. I am a follower of Jesus, a husband, a dad, a pastor, a counselor, and a Michigan Wolverines fan. My wife and our three kids endure winters in the Twin Cities and relish being outside in Minnesota summers. We make lots of music in our home and enjoy a good board game.

WHY I CARE

I too have felt stuck, overwhelmed, and confused on the journey.

Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd, went on a rescue mission to save me during my doctoral studies to be a counselor. He spoke to me through the Bible and I began trusting him. Oh how sweet is the good news of salvation through Jesus death and resurrection!

Jesus transformed both my life and my mission. Since then, my passion has been to help people navigate trials in order to grow stronger as whole people, both in body and soul, and to live with hope.

WHAT I DO

I am a bi-vocational pastor at Mound Evangelical Free Church. I have studied biology and psychology (B.S. at U. of Illinois), counseling (M.A. at U. of Minnesota), and theology (M.Div. at Central Seminary). I have taught counseling in the local church and as an adjunct at Bethlehem College & Seminary. I’ve supervised and equipped dozens of counselors, in churches and counseling centers.

I’ve walked alongside hundreds of people when their journey got tough, guiding them to navigate those trials and walk with Jesus through them. I’ve helped individuals, couples, churches, and counseling centers navigate challenges like marriage and family issues, fear and anxiety, anger and conflict, abuse/oppression, depression, guilt and shame, addictions (especially sexual), OCD, and ministry-related struggles.

Certifications:

  • Christian Counseling and Education Foundation (CCEF):  Levels 1-3
  • PN1-NC:  Precision Nutrition Level 1 Nutrition Certified Coach
  • Prepare & Enrich:  Certified facilitator for pre-marital and marital assessment
  • DISC:  Administer and coach the Portrait Systems DISC personality assessment

My Passion

It’s a privilege to walk with people, listening and talking about the real and difficult struggles of life. As we talk, I aim to connect your story to The Author of The Story, which is a story of salvation, reconciliation, freedom, and new life. Jesus offers lasting hope and real change—something I’ve experienced personally and seen in countless others. I believe he can do the same for you.

FAQs about Biblical Counseling

In our conversations I seek to understand you — how you think, feel, and act. How do you live, both physically and spiritually? We explore your relationships with others — God, people, and creation. What is the heart of the matter — what do you believe, what really drives you, and what do you value? Together, we consider what is good, hard and bad. We connect your story to the Author’s story. We pray to the God who hears and knows you. He will be with us! We listen to his Word. We trust the Spirit to empower heart change. Step by step, we grow in wisdom and love. We do this with others who walk alongside you.

It can be a big step to admit you need some help. Yet facing our struggles is not something we can do alone. You don’t have to! Reaching out for help is an initial step in the journey to finding lasting hope.

You don’t have to be a Christian to meet with a pastoral counselor. If you’re open to considering who Jesus is and what he offers you in your struggles, we can talk.

I am grateful for the clinically-informed training I received in graduate school at the University of Minnesota. I have been greatly influenced, both personally and professionally, by the training I received through CCEF.

At LHPC, I ascribe to the confessional statement of the Biblical Counseling Coalition:

“Biblical counseling occurs whenever and wherever God’s people engage in conversations that are anchored in Scripture, centered on Christ and the Gospel, grounded in sound theology, dependent upon the Holy Spirit and prayer, directed toward sanctification, rooted in the life of the church, founded in love, attentive to heart issues, comprehensive in understanding, thorough in care, practical and relevant, and oriented toward outreach.”

Pastoral, biblical counseling is not the same as licensed counseling. I do not provide counsel as a registered, licensed or certified professional within the State of Minnesota (e.g. licensed professional counselor, psychologist, psychiatrist, marriage and family therapist, social worker) or any other jurisdiction.