This is a sobering yet hope-filled episode. I sit down with Summer Vinson Berger and Adam Paa to discuss the pain, complexity, and redemptive potential of shepherding care in the local church. From owning massive failures in 2015 to building a robust, gospel-centered care framework at The Village Church, we discuss stories, strategies, and heartfelt convictions about what real, redemptive care looks like when the church chooses humility over image.

Whether you’re walking through trauma, burnout, addiction, or just longing for your church to care better—you’ll find wisdom and honesty here. This episode is a call to take the mess seriously, to listen better, and to believe that Jesus still heals through His body.

In This Episode

The Weight of Shepherding
2015: Owning the Failures of Care
Introducing Summer Berger and Adam Paa
Building a Comprehensive Care Ministry
What Is Redemptive Care?
Why Recovery Must Stay Messy
The Three Buckets of Recovery
Ministry through Recovery: A Front Door to the Church
Integrating Gospel and Therapy
Psychology Catching Up to Scripture
Gratitude, Paul, and Neuroscience
Common Grace and Counseling
When Churches Resist Therapeutic Tools
Why Shepherding Is So Complex
Trust, Time, and Trauma Recovery
The Risk of Mislabeling Problems
The Weight and Cost of Church Hurt
Training Churches to Respond Better
A Call to Action for Pastors and the Broken

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