Walking With the Wounded: Mental Health and the Church

Walking With the Wounded is a six-session course designed to equip you to respond wisely, compassionately, and biblically to mental and emotional suffering within your congregation and community. The course emphasizes understanding rather than diagnosing, presence rather than fixing, and collaboration rather than isolation.

You will gain essential theological grounding, pastoral wisdom, and a shared language for recognizing mental health challenges and knowing when professional referral is necessary.

Course Outline

Key Details

• Instructor: David I. Baik, MPS, MA, LMFT (NY)
• Target Audience: Pastors and Lay Leaders
• Dates & Timing (Tentative): Tuesdays at 7:00 PM Chicago/Central Time. Session Dates: March 3, March 10, March 17, March 24, April 4, April 11 

Course Resources

• Essential Pre-Readings: (Please read both before the first session!)
  • Rich Warren’s Article: My son’s suicide and God’s Garden of Grace
  • Kay Warren’s Article
• Primary Pastoral Text: Grace for the Afflicted – Matthew S. Stanford
• Supplementary Clinical Reference: DSM-5 Insanely Simplified – Steven Buser
  (Note: This reference is used only to understand clinical language and aid in referral discernment, not for training in diagnosis or treatment.)

Christ-Centered Bible Study: Transform Your Understanding of Scripture

Are you ready to move beyond moralistic lessons and heroic narratives in your Bible study? This course will introduce you to the Christ-centered approach, a powerful method of interpretation that seeks to understand all of Scripture as a unified story of God’s redemptive plan, with Jesus Christ as its ultimate fulfillment and center. This Christ-centered reading of Scripture—proclaimed by the early church and the Reformation—is the key to a truly life-changing Bible study and teaching.

Through examining key passages from the Gospels and Epistles, you will:

1. See how Jesus and his apostles read and interpreted the whole of Scripture.
2. Gain a better understanding of how the Old Testament reveals, points to, and is ultimately fulfilled by Jesus.
3. Develop a helpful method for studying all Scripture as a united whole, centered around the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Course Outline:

1. Overview of Christ-Centered Bible Study: Discussion of the Christ-centered reading and teaching of the Bible, including how to navigate Scripture with Jesus at the center and avoid the pitfalls of moralism.

2. Heart-Burning Bible Study (Luke 24): A deep dive into Luke 24 to see what the Risen Jesus taught his disciples about how to understand and apply the Old Testament, and how the disciples followed this instruction in the book of Acts.

3. These Scriptures Testify about Jesus (John’s Gospel): Examining selected chapters (such as John 5, 14-16) to see how the Scriptures testify about Jesus, including how John highlights Jesus as the greater Moses.

4. The Glory of the Gospel in Scripture (Apostle Paul): A lesson focused on the Epistles (e.g., 2 Corinthians and Galatians), exploring how the Apostle Paul rightly interpreted the Old Testament from a Christ-centered perspective.

5. Reflection and Application: A final session for reflection on the previous lessons and personal application of the Christ-centered approach to Bible study.

Key Details

• Facilitators: Dr. Augustine Suh and P. Steve Stasinos
• Target Audience: Any Bible teacher and student who desires to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and handle God’s Word according to the example of Jesus.
• Dates & Timing: Thursdays at 7:00 PM Chicago/Central Time. Session dates: March 12; March 26; April 9; April 23; April 30

Transform your approach to the Bible and experience a “heart-burning” Bible study that sees the glory of the Gospel of Jesus in all of Scripture.

“Digging New Wells in the Land”: Strategic Ministry Workshops for North America UBF

(In View of the UBF World Mission Congress in May 2026)

North America UBF is entering a new stage of mission, moving from the “Go, and be a blessing” foundation to the calling of “Stay in the land, and all nations will be blessed.” This new era demands that we not only “reopen the wells” of our spiritual heritage but also courageously “dig new wells” to create space for life and growth in our unique historical and cultural context.

This workshop is designed for North American UBF leaders committed to contextualizing our mission and establishing vital ministries for a new generation. Join us to explore and strategize for the key areas that will define the future of our chapters.

Workshop Sessions

1. UBF Spiritual Heritage and Developing Sound Ecclesiology
2. House Church Ministry
3. Women’s Ministry
4. Silver/Senior Ministry
5. Counseling Ministry
6. Children’s Ministry (Before College)

Key Details

• General Facilitator: P. Joshua Hong
• Focused Session Facilitators: UBF Spiritual Heritage and Sound Ecclesiology (TBD), House Church ministry (Dr. Moses Noh & Dr. Sarah Ahn), Women’s ministry (Shep Liz Hembekides & TBD), Silver ministry (M. Daniel Yang & Dr. Richard Choi), Counseling ministry (M. Esther Yoon)
• Target Audience: North America UBF Chapter Leaders and Key Ministry Shepherds
• Dates & Timing: The workshop will be conducted in six separate sessions between the North America UBF New Year Leaders Conference and the World Mission Conference (WMC). The first meeting is on Wednesday, March 4, at 7 pm Central Time. Specific schedule to be announced soon.

Sign up to participate in Strategic Ministry Workshops for North America UBF in the process of digging new wells.