Mike Emlet is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 2001. He holds a doctor of medicine from the University of Pennsylvania and a master of divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. Prior to joining CCEF, Mike worked as a family physician for eleven years. He has particular interests in working with ministry leaders and with those who struggle with anxiety, depression, and OCD. He has published numerous books, including CrossTalk (New Growth Press, 2009), Descriptions and Prescriptions (New Growth Press, 2017), and Saints, Sufferers, and Sinners (New Growth Press, 2021).

Gunner Gundersen is the Dean of Faculty at CCEF, where he has served since 2024. He holds a PhD in biblical theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a master of theology and master of divinity from the Master’s Seminary. Prior to joining CCEF, Gunner served as a lead pastor for seven years, after working for fifteen years in Christian higher education as a resident director, director of student life, associate dean of men, and biblical counseling professor. Gunner has a passion for helping believers live consciously in the story Scripture tells, equipping the local church for interpersonal ministry, strengthening pastors, and biblical preaching and teaching. He has published the Psalms notes for The Grace and Truth Study Bible (Zondervan, 2021), What If I Don’t Feel Like Going to Church? (Crossway, 2020), and numerous essays and articles on the Psalms and adoption.

Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Steve Midgley is the Executive Director of Biblical Counselling UK. For nearly twenty years, he was the senior minister of Christ Church Cambridge, where he continues to serve on the staff part time. He is a board member for CCEF and on the board of directors of the Biblical Counselling Coalition. He has taught and written on biblical counselling and the church, and his most recent book, Understanding Trauma, was published in 2025. Steve came to Christ in his first year as a medical student and, after qualifying as a doctor, worked and trained in psychiatry. He is married to Beth and they have three children and four grandchildren.

Aaron Sironi is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 2008. He holds a master of science in marital and family therapy from Fuller Theological Seminary and has earned counseling certificates from CCEF. Aaron is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) and has counseled in community mental health, psychiatric hospital, and outpatient settings. He has a passion for building strong relationships with local churches and coming alongside pastoral ministers through consultation, training, and counseling services. In addition to his work at CCEF, Aaron serves on the board of CCEF Montana, an affiliate counseling office in Billings, MT.

Darby Strickland is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where she has served since 2003. She has a master of divinity with a counseling emphasis from Westminster Theological Seminary. Darby brings particular passion and expertise in helping the vulnerable and oppressed, especially women in abusive marriages. She has contributed to Church Cares and the PCA Domestic Abuse & Sex Assault church training materials. She has counseled in a missionary church setting and has also held leadership roles in women’s ministry. She is the author of When It's Trauma (P&R Publishing, 2025), Is It Abuse? (P&R Publishing, 2020), has written a handful of minibooks, and has contributed to several other books.

Ed Welch is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 1981. He holds a doctor of philosophy in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and a master of divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed is a licensed psychologist and has been active in local church ministry for decades. He has written numerous books, including When People Are Big and God Is Small (P&R Publishing, 1997), Shame Interrupted (New Growth Press, 2012), Side by Side (Crossway, 2015), and Created to Draw Near (Crossway, 2020).

Kïrsten Christianson (kirstenchristianson.com) is a biblical counselor and congregational care consultant through her practice, Side-by-Side Biblical Counseling. She speaks at conferences, helping churches, counselors, and helpers learn how to recognize and care well for families caught in domestic abuse and other life-dominating sins. Kïrsten is also on staff at her local church, serving in counseling and crisis care using a care team approach. She contributed chapters to Caring Well for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse. Kïrsten has her BA in Christian Theology, holds three counseling certificates from CCEF, and enjoys continuing to study God's Word and apply it faithfully.

Marc Davis serves as an Associate Area Director for Renewal for Serge, a mission sending agency dedicated to the principle that personal renewal in the gospel of grace leads to mission—and that involvement in mission in turn spurs ongoing renewal. Before joining Serge in 2019, Marc served on the pastoral staff of New Life Presbyterian Church, Glenside, for twelve years, focusing primarily on pastoral care. He is the author of the Gospel-Centered Life in the Bible study on Job and the minibook Is God Disappointed with Me? In 2027, Marc and Susan will be moving to Germany with Serge in order to participate in renewal work in the local churches there.

David Dunham served for 18 years in pastoral ministry as a counseling pastor. In addition, he has been a church consultant and a college professor. He is a regular contributor to the Biblical Counseling Coalition and speaks and writes about biblical counseling regularly. He is the author of Addictive Habits: Changing for Good and coauthor of Table for Two: Biblical Counsel for Eating Disorders and Power with Purpose: God's Design for Power Dynamics in Marriage. He has an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Krista Dunham is the founder and executive director of Sparrow and Heart Soul Care. She has written for the Biblical Counseling Coalition and been a frequent speaker at counseling and women's conferences all across the country. Krista has a degree in early childhood education from Ohio University and a master’s in counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. She is the coauthor of Table for Two: Biblical Counsel for Eating Disorders and Power with Purpose: God's Design for Power Dynamics in Marriage.

Ellen Mary Dykas (MA, Covenant Theological Seminary) has served for nineteen years with  Harvest USA, a national organization committed to Christ-centered discipleship-counseling and church equipping regarding issues of sexuality and gender. She has authored several Harvest USA minibooks​ and discipleship curriculum, including Sexual Wholeness for Women: Transformation from the Inside Out and Jesus and Your Unwanted Journey: Wives Finding Comfort After Sexual Betrayal. She has traveled across the US and internationally teaching and encouraging others how to think biblically and minister graciously regarding these topics. Ellen holds a certificate in biblical counseling from CCEF.

Joy Forrest is the founder and former executive director of Called to Peace Ministries, an international organization supporting victims of domestic abuse and training those who assist them. She is the author of Called to Peace: A Survivor’s Guide to Finding Peace & Healing After Domestic Abuse and The Called to Peace Workbook: A Scripture-Based Guide to Healing After Abuse and Trauma. Joy holds an MA in biblical counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and has worked in counseling since 2005. An advocate for abuse victims since 1997, she is certified by the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Her contributions include work with DivorceCare’s curriculum, the Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship’s videos on domestic abuse, and Caring for Families Caught in Domestic Abuse.

Michael Gembola is an ordained minister and a licensed professional counselor (LPC) and serves as executive director of Blue Ridge Christian Counseling in VA. He is also a visiting faculty member at CCEF and consulting editor for the Journal of Biblical Counseling. He holds master’s degrees in biblical studies and in counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary and has done continuing education in trauma recovery. He teaches counseling courses at Westminster Theological Seminary, the Blue Ridge Institute for Theological Education, and Santiago Seminary. He is the author of After an Affair: Pursuing Restoration and Anxious about Decisions: Finding Freedom in the Peace of God.

Lainey Greer is the founder of Your Body Matters and creator of Understand Healthy and The Bible and Your Body. She is passionate about Christian theology and a biblical view of the body, and she strives to give believers the tools they need to glorify God in their bodies. Her educational background includes a bachelor’s in exercise science from UT, a master’s in Christian leadership from DTS, and a PhD in systematic theology from SBTS, in addition to 10 years of working in the church and 20 years of personal training. She is the author of several books and speaks on a theology of the body, body image, and burnout to equip Christian leaders on caring for themselves while caring for others.

Brad Hambrick serves as the pastor of counseling at The Summit Church in Durham, NC. He also serves as an assistant professor of biblical counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and as a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, has authored several books including Angry with God: An Honest Journey through Suffering and Betrayal, and served as general editor for the Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused (churchcares.com) project.

Rebekah Hannah is the president and CEO of Anchored Virtual and the co-founder of Rode Leadership, and she serves on staff at Redeemer Lincoln Square in NYC. With an MDiv in theology and biblical counseling, she has spent two decades equipping churches with the truth that God's Word is sufficient for everyday life. She is the author of The Secret to Confidence and coauthor of Talking to Kids About Hard Things.

Kyle Johnston (PhD, North West University) is an Anglican minister at Gracefields Church in Cape Town, a council member of the Biblical Counseling Coalition, and the chairman of Biblical Counselling Africa. Kyle is passionate about seeing God's Word and grace renew lives and create healthy church cultures. He is the coauthor of How to Get the Most Out of Your Counseling and has written numerous articles on biblical counseling.

Jonathan Leeman is the president of 9Marks and co-host of the Pastors Talk podcast. He teaches at several seminaries and is the author of a number of books on the church, as well as on the intersection of faith and politics, including How the Nations Rage: Rethinking Faith and Politics for a Divided Age and, most recently, Authority: How Godly Rule Protects the Vulnerable, Strengthens Community, and Promotes Human Flourishing. 

Blair Linne is a Bible teacher, author, actress, spoken word artist, and half of the visionary team behind the Family Worship Micro Conference with Shai and Blair Linne. Driven by a desire to proclaim the gospel's message, for the past twenty years Blair’s mission has been to inspire disciples to learn about the God they serve and live out what they believe. Blair has toured globally and is known as one of the originators of the Christian Spoken Word genre. She is the author of Made to Tremble: How Anxiety Became the Best Thing That Ever Happened to My Faith and Finding My Father: How the Gospel Heals the Pain of Fatherlessness.

Esther Liu is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF. She has a master of arts in religion with an emphasis in biblical studies from Westminster Theological Seminary, as well as a master of arts in counseling. Since joining CCEF in 2015, Esther has served various roles, including as a counseling intern, the executive and faculty assistant, and a content editor. Esther has a passion for bringing biblical reframing to a person’s struggles and also holds deep concern for the importance of attending to multicultural aspects of counseling. She is the author of Shame: Being Known & Loved.

Tim St. John (MDiv, ThM) serves as the counseling pastor at Lighthouse Community Church in Torrance, CA. His passion is to see the grace of gospel-centered counseling grow and thrive in local churches. Tim also serves on the council board for the BCC (Biblical Counseling Coalition), is on the editorial board for the SOLA network, and is a frequent speaker at conferences and retreats. He is the author of After Church Hurt: Healing in the Care of the Good Shepherd and the minibook Uncovering Domestic Abuse.

Todd Stryd is a faculty member and the counseling coordinator at CCEF, where he has served since 2005. He holds a doctor of psychology from Immaculata University and a master of divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. He has experience as a hospital chaplain, crisis worker, and university counselor. He has written a minibook entitled Schizophrenia: A Compassionate Approach.

Lauren Whitman is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where she has served since 2010. She is a licensed professional counselor and holds a master of arts in counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary and a certificate in advanced professional counseling from Missio Seminary. Lauren also serves as the developmental editor for the Journal of Biblical Counseling. Lauren has published multiple books, including A Painful Past devotional and When Parents Feel Like Failures.