Name: Steve Duffy

Ministry Role and Place: Pastor for Students & Biblical Counseling (Stonebridge Church, Cedar Rapids, IA)

When did you begin participating with the EIBCC? 

I started coming around 2015 through a personal invite by Jason Poling (JP, not JT!) who was a previous pastor at Stonebridge Church and part of the initial Core team.

How have you been encouraged by being a part of this community?

The community for sure! The monthly gatherings have always been a huge encouragement to me. The Lord has used this group to provide reminders of the heart of discipleship, a place to share our common joys and challenges of Biblical soul care, and a unique community to get to know many like-hearted brothers and sisters personally. I have called upon some here more than once for wisdom and counsel, for the “this one is over my head” trials that have come my way. I have a great deal of confidence and trust in this community of brothers and sisters, because you continually point one another to Jesus and you care deeply on the journey as you do.

How has your team been blessed by the EIBCC? 

In several ways. First, Jason Poling, a previous Stonebridge Pastor that I mentioned was part of the initial Core team as well as one of our administration staff Trisha Young. Through the EIBCC community, both Jason and Trisha labored tirelessly to build a soul care culture at Stonebridge that lives on today. Pastor Dave and Aimee were an integral part of that journey through meetings with our Pastoral staff, so there was a personal investment by the EIBCC to help us. Robin Werling was also a faithful Stonebridge member who joined the Core team early on and devoted himself to the counseling movement at Stonebridge. And we have long-time counselors Ron & CJ Zachariasen and Elaine Brown who have journeyed with Jason Poling and our counseling team since the beginning who are an encouragement to me as co-laborers in our counseling ministry. The EIBCC has been a constant source of urging all these faithful servants to continue to invest in the Biblical counseling movement.

Favorite memory you have about the EIBCC? 

It is really hard to nail down a favorite! I’d like mention two though, and they are both related to how my family has been personally impacted through EIBCC equipping opportunities:

• The first one came in 2018 when the EIBCC held a Trauma Conference, and my daughter (a Junior in high school at the time) attended with my wife and I. The Friday night portion of that conference was setup to share about Biblical counseling basics. Aimee Marino did a great job in presenting the material and also sharing her personal story about studying Psychology in school and how Biblical counseling entered into that journey. My daughter had a significant moment in her faith journey that night, and I spent the ride home listening to her repent from root level issues in her life that she had yet to deal with. As a dad I was overjoyed with gratitude for what I was hearing and then subsequently seeing in her life. I have often reminded Aimee of how the Lord used her to impact my daughter in this significant moment of her faith journey.
• The next one is related one of my sons. Through the track trainings (around 2016) in North Liberty I heard about Restoration, the residential men’s program at Faith Church in Lafayette, IN. A few years later in late 2019 one of my son’s would hit bottom and enter into that program in early 2020, which the Lord used in amazing ways to change my son and turn his life around through his time there.

How would you like to see the EIBCC grow in the future?  

A few things come to mind: 

• First, I personally want to be more intentional at inviting others into this monthly meeting, just as I was invited. It took multiple invites before I finally came!
• I’d love to see local training come back again; track trainings, EIBCC annual training, etc. And with that partner in that as a church to help share the load.
• Growing even more in being a support for one another.

Bonus Question: How can the EIBCC be praying for you?

This year has been a hard year for my family, and a unique challenge as I navigate this trial wearing multiple hats; husband, dad, papa, and pastor. I called upon or met with a few of you and that has been such a blessing to me. Please pray that in all aspects of my life I frequently acknowledge, and am content in, my weaknesses so that more and more attention goes to Christ and that I experience the heart of His true and lasting presence, wisdom, comfort, and strength!

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10