STS Massachusetts
On Thursday, October 23rd, 2025, Small Town Summits will host a Summit at North Leverett Baptist Church in Leverett, MA. Pastors and lay leaders from small places across Massachusetts will learn how to more effectively counsel others and how to encourage and equip our congregations to grow in offering wise counsel.
Called to Counsel
October 23rd 2025
One of the tasks of small-town ministers is to learn how to more effectively counsel others, and to encourage and equip our congregations to grow in offering wise counsel. This year, our plenary sessions will highlight the importance of God’s Word and Christ’s church for personal transformation in the life of believers, together with a call (and practical equipping) for each believer, including pastors/elders, to grow in our ability to offer wise biblical counsel. Breakout sessions, and also a plenary panel discussion, will provide opportunities to get practical, go deep, and explore through questioning.
8.30 – 9am - Arrival and registration
9 – 10am - Welcome, Singing, STS and CCEF-NE Vision, Introductions
10 – 10:45am - Session #1: God’s Word, Christ’s Church: The Catalyst and Context for Transformation and group discussion (Stephen Witmer, STS)
10:45 – 11am - Coffee break
11am – Noon - Session #2: Counseling Applied - Growing as a Counselor and group discussion (Andy Engert, CCEF-NE)
Noon – 1pm - Lunch
1 – 2pm - Breakout sessions
2 – 2.15pm - Break
2.15 – 3pm - Session #3: Counseling Panel (Andy Engert, Kevin Wright, Jason Hsieh, Stephen Witmer)
3 – 3.30pm - Prayer
In our first two main sessions, Stephen Witmer and Andy Engert will speak to the content and context of biblical counseling and pursuing continued growth as biblical counselors. Our last main session will be a panel giving Summit participants opportunity to ask specific counseling questions for discussion among the panelists and fellow Summit attendees.
Stephen Witmer is the lead pastor of Pepperell Christian Fellowship in Pepperell, MA. He's a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the University of Cambridge, and serves on the steering committee of the Gospel Coalition New England. He is the author of “A Big Gospel in Small Places.” He and his wife Emma have two sons and one daughter.
Andy Engert is the Executive Director at CCEF New England. He received his Master of Arts in counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary and has completed numerous CCEF School of Biblical Counseling certificate courses in preparation for becoming a biblical counselor. He has a passion for supporting the church in New England and for helping people find real help in the Lord as they face the significant challenges of life. Andy and his wife, Christine, have three sons, and he also serves as the Music Director at Christ Redeemer Church in Hanover, NH.
Andy Engert
What might a counseling ministry look like within a small-town church? How would a church go about starting one? In this practical breakout session, guidance will be offered on starting (or strengthening) a counseling ministry in a local church. Various models of church-based counseling ministry will be considered, along with essential questions that should be addressed to establish formal and informal counseling within a congregation.
Andy Engert is the Executive Director at CCEF New England. He received his Master of Arts in counseling from Asbury Theological Seminary and has completed numerous CCEF School of Biblical Counseling certificate courses in preparation for becoming a biblical counselor. He has a passion for supporting the church in New England and for helping people find real help in the Lord as they face the significant challenges of life. Andy and his wife, Christine, have three sons, and he also serves as the Music Director at Christ Redeemer Church in Hanover, NH.
Kevin Wright
The goal of this breakout is to grow in understanding the spectrum between encouragement and confrontation in a counseling relationship. Those who counsel will often find themselves struggling to balance the two. In this breakout, we will look to Scripture for guidance to better understand how and when to have a difficult, confrontational discussion with a counselee.
Dr. Kevin Wright serves as the Teaching Pastor at Heritage Bible Chapel in Princeton, Massachusetts, where he leads the church’s preaching and counseling ministries. He is a certified biblical counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), holding both a Master of Divinity and a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
With more than two decades of pastoral experience, Pastor Wright is committed to guiding individuals and families through life’s challenges through Christ-centered care. His ministry is marked by a commitment to theological clarity, compassionate shepherding, and practical discipleship shaped by God’s Word. He and his wife, Joy, have two teenage sons who keep them young at heart, entertained, and very busy!
Jason Hsieh
This breakout will help pastors and church members think through similarities and differences between various interpersonal ministries, factors to consider for which one is most needed for a given individual, and the different roles, giftings, and skills needed for each.
Jason serves as the associate pastor of counseling and discipleship at Grace Harbor Church in Providence, RI. He also serves as executive director of Paradigm Biblical Counseling, providing oversight of the organization's staff, finances, and direction. Previously, he worked in health care policy, served in various counseling and discipleship ministries at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC, and was the pastor of counseling and discipleship at Trinity Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MI. He received a bachelor's of science in clinical nutrition from the University of California at Davis, a master's degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a master's degree in biblical counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jason writes regularly for the Biblical Counseling Coalition. He and his wife love watching British dramas and raising their daughter together.
Meet the Team
Ethan is the husband to Catherine and father of Henry and Cali. They moved to Sandwich, MA in the spring of 2022 where Ethan has led Forestdale Church, a historic congregation on Cape Cod. Prior to his service in the church, Ethan served active duty in the Marine Corps and then received an MDiv from Westminster Seminary California. If he has a free hour to himself, you can either find him at the gym or on his porch with his corncob pipe and a book.
Ben grew up in small-town ministry contexts as the son of a pastor who served in Dublin, NH and then Northfield, MA. After graduating with a degree in Bible Exposition from The Master’s University, he married his wife Beth. Together they are the happy parents of three young daughters as well as a precious son who went to be with the Lord in 2021. Ben recently graduated with his MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as a pastor at Community Bible Church in Northfield, MA.
