STS New Hampshire
Called to Counsel // STS 2025
On Thursday, May 22nd, 2025, Small Town Summits will host a Summit at Christ Community Church in Weare, NH . Pastors and lay leaders from small places across New Hampshire 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
May 22nd 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 (Doug Cooper, 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, Shawn Carpenter)
3 – 3.30pm - Prayer
In our first two main sessions, Doug Cooper 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.
Doug Cooper serves as the Pastor of Christ Restoration Church in New London, NH. Doug completed a two-year program at Word of Life Bible Institute, as well earning an Associate Degree from River Valley Community College in Occupational Therapy, a BA in English Literature and Religion from Liberty University, and is currently working on a Master of Theological Studies degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. Doug and his wife Leah have four children, one dog, one cat, and five chickens.
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.
Shawn Capenter
Perhaps someone has felt safe enough to share with you something that they have carried for a long time or have never shared with anyone else because of the shame or pain of it. It is overwhleming and you are not sure what to do or say. I have been there. This breakout will seek to give pastors and Christian workers in small places a framework for shepherding people and churches through the unique and specific challenges of trauma, abuse, and sexual assault. I am sure I am not alone in wanting to have bearings for how to care for someone who has experienced trauma, abuse, or sexual assault and who continues to struggle with the effects of it. We will consider and apply the uniquely necessary things for the care of people who have experienced such trauma.
Shawn Carpenter is the lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Nashua, NH. Prior to coming on board with Trinity in 2019, Shawn was a church-planter in California. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Shawn and his wife Laura have four sons, two who are out into young adulthood, and two still at home. He enjoys his coffee black-no sugar, Herman Bavinck, and the NBA League Pass, and not necessarily always in that order…
Lara Mather and Kaylin Vincz
Have you experienced sitting with a friend, maybe week after week, listening to their problems, and feeling like it didn’t help, because nothing was changing? Why does growth sometimes seem so slow, or even nonexistent? Join biblical counselors, Kaylin and Lara, to explore what’s happening under the surface of counseling conversations for both those giving and seeking counsel. We’ll cast some vision for the beauty and significance of entering in. We’ll also get practical with ways to think about and structure our counsel in order to lessen discouragement, frustration or hopelessness on either side of the relationship.
Lara Mather is a member of Christ Restoration Church in New London, New Hampshire and works part-time as a counselor for CCEF New England in Vermont. Lara has a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. She has been an online instructor for the School of Biblical Counseling and has pursued additional training in trauma care and advocacy. She and her husband, Jonathan, have seven children spanning in ages from young adulthood to middle school. Lara grew up on the coast of Maine and her heart feels entwined with the landscapes, people, and history of northern New England.
Kaylin Vincz attends Christ Restoration Church in New London, New Hampshire. She is a counselor at CCEF New England. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Crossroads Bible College and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Westminster Theological Seminary. Her experience is with individuals and couples as well as leading counseling groups. Kaylin empathetically walks with you on your journey through counseling while applying a biblical perspective to the challenges of life. She believes that Jesus' story, mapped onto ours, has the power to change the way we view the world and that his presence gives the strength needed to face the challenges ahead. Kaylin believes relationships are the ministers of these realities and provides a safe, empathetic relationship within counseling and seeks to mend and strengthen other interpersonal relationships. In her spare time, Kaylin likes to spend time outdoors with her husband and three children as well as garden, snowboard, hike, read, and drink coffee.
Meet the Team
Shawn Carpenter is the lead pastor at Trinity Baptist Church in Nashua, NH. Prior to coming on board with Trinity in 2019, Shawn was a church-planter in California. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary in Charlotte, NC. Shawn and his wife Laura have four sons, two who are out into young adulthood, and two still at home. He enjoys his coffee black-no sugar, Herman Bavinck, and the NBA League Pass, and not necessarily always in that order…
Doug Cooper serves as the Pastor of Christ Restoration Church in New London, NH. Doug completed a two-year program at Word of Life Bible Institute, as well earning an Associate Degree from River Valley Community College in Occupational Therapy, a BA in English Literature and Religion from Liberty University, and is currently working on a Master of Theological Studies degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. Doug and his wife Leah have four children, one dog, one cat, and five chickens.
