STS Connecticut
On Thursday, September 18th, 2025, Small Town Summits hosted a Summit at Eastford Baptist Church in Eastford, CT. Pastors and lay leaders from small places across Connecticut learned how to more effectively counsel others and how to encourage and equip our congregations to grow in offering wise counsel.
We’d love for you to join us next Spring. To stay connected with STS and receive updates on future CT Summits, sign up for our newsletter.
Called to Counsel
September 18th 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 (Jordan Brown, 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
3 – 3.30pm - Prayer
In our first two main sessions, Nate Oliver 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.
Jordan Brown is lead pastor of Hebron Church of Hope, where he has had the privilege of serving since 2018, while Rachel is a licensed professional counselor and a school psychologist. Jordan is from Colchester, Connecticut and is a graduate of Cedarville University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jordan and Rachel have two daughters -- Maeve and Isla.
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.
Greg Hendrickson
"It's not whether you'll have conflict, but how you deal with conflict, that will determine the health of your marriage." A wise older woman said these words to me and my wife back when we were engaged. But these words are also applicable to the local church. How do we counsel people in our churches who are at odds with each other? What if they are at odds with us? How do we promote a healthy culture of peacemaking, rather than just reacting to crises? Most importantly, how can we walk closely with Christ through seasons of conflict, regardless of how others respond to us?
Greg is lead pastor of Talcottville Congregational Church. He grew up in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. He studied history at Yale and worked in campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship for eight years. Greg received his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and was a co-pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in New Haven for ten years. He has been married to his wife Jane since 2008 and they have four children.
Jordan and Rachel Brown
We often heard the advice, “You must be prepared to counsel people within the church.” However, if we’re honest, we were hoping that the counseling cases in the church wouldn’t be too overwhelming. Counseling is hard, but it is worthy gospel work. In this breakout, Jordan and Rachel will share valuable tips and biblical principles for care ministry within the church.
Jordan Brown is lead pastor of Hebron Church of Hope, where he has had the privilege of serving since 2018, while Rachel is a licensed professional counselor and a school psychologist. Jordan is from Colchester, Connecticut and is a graduate of Cedarville University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jordan and Rachel have two daughters -- Maeve and Isla.
Meet the Team
Pastor Nate is the pastor of The Federated Church of Willington. He has a passion to communicate God’s Word faithfully in order to help others grow in their worship of and service to our Lord Jesus. He met and married his best friend, Tracey, and God has blessed them with five children – Madison, James, Marybeth, Luke, and Hannah.
Jordan Brown is lead pastor of Hebron Church of Hope, where he has had the privilege of serving since 2018. He is from Colchester, Connecticut and is a graduate of Cedarville University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Rachel, have two daughters -- Maeve and Isla. Jordan loves reading books, spending time with church members, watching soccer, and roasting coffee.
