2021 Visio Dei Conference

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Every other year, John Witherspoon College hosts an academic conference named ‘Visio Dei”, the vision of God. This year, Visio Dei features a “Biblical Counseling Boot Camp” to equip the saints for the work of ministry in the area of Biblical counseling.The registration desk will open at 3:00pm on Friday, November 5, with the Visio Dei conference starting at 3:30pm. After a break at 5:00pm, dinner will be served at 5:30pm, followed by two teaching sessions, concluding by 7:15pm.

On Saturday, November 6, the “Biblical Counseling Boot Camp” will continue with a continental breakfast at 8:00am, with teaching sessions beginning at 8:30am and closing at Noon.

So please SAVE THE DATE and plan to come to Visio Dei for great talks by great speakers, great food and fellowship, and learn all about biblical counseling. Visio Dei will be held at the JWC Campus, located at 4024 Sheridan Lake Road in Rapid City. Conference cost is $40 for adults, $10 for students. Scholarships available upon request.

To PURCHASE TICKETS, please visit the Visio Dei “Biblical Counseling Boot Camp” event at Eventbrite right now.

SPEAKER BIOS

David A. Johnson, MD, FAAFP, MABC
Born and raised in Powell, Wyoming, Dr. Johnson completed medical school at Creighton University and did a family medicine residency at Mercy Hospital in Denver. He has been practicing family medicine in Rapid City for the last 24 years. He is an associate clinical professor with the USD Sanford School of Medicine and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Dr. Johnson has been married to his wife Teresa for 32 years. They homeschooled four children, now grown and living in four different time zones. He currently serves as an elder at Southern Hills Bible Church. In 2021 he completed a master’s degree in biblical counseling (MABC) at The Masters University in Santa Clarita, CA. He loves to hike, birdwatch, and golf.

Teresa Johnson, MSN, MABC
Teresa completed her RN/BSN degree at Creighton and went on to complete a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing (MSN) from the University of Missouri. She was the nurse manager for a psychiatric unit in Laramie, Wyoming. She subsequently was a full-time homeschool mom for four kids, schooling them all the way through high school. She created and coached a speech and debate club (RAPIDS) with her husband Dave.

As that role was finishing up, she also enrolled, with her husband David, in the MABC program at The Master’s University, graduating in 2021. Teresa now does biblical counseling through her local church and volunteers at the Black Hills Pregnancy Center. Teresa loves to hike, birdwatch or anything else active and outside!

Kyle Gangel, MDiv, MABC
Kyle Gangel is the Preaching Pastor at Southern Hills Bible Church in Custer, SD. Kyle is a certified biblical counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). He currently serves as an adjunct professor of biblical counseling at Baptist Bible College in Springfield, MO. Kyle writes regularly on counseling issues for ACBC and blogs at gospelmercies.com.

Prior to moving to the Black Hills, Kyle worked as a student pastor (8 years) and a pastor for discipleship (2 years) at Graceway Baptist Church in Springfield, MO. While in Springfield, he co-established Graceway Biblical Counseling, a ministry dedicated to training new counselors as well as offering free biblical counseling.

Kyle married his wife Elisabeth in May of 2008. Elisabeth grew up on the mission field as her parents served in Burkina Faso located in western Africa. They have three young boys ages 10, 7, and 3. As a family they enjoy hiking, fishing, and watching the University of Colorado basketball.

Elias Diaz, MDiv, DMin
Dr. Diaz is an associate professor for several courses at Witherspoon to include Biblical Counseling. He attended The Master’s University for both his undergraduate and graduate studies. He holds a BA in Biblical Exposition, an MDiv in Pastoral Ministries and a DMin in Expository Preaching. His studies have emphasized biblical languages, systematic theology, preaching, teaching and biblical counseling.

He served in the Rapid City Police Department for 22 years retiring as a Police Commander. There he held various leadership and mentoring roles to include oversight of the Department’s Chaplain Program, comprised of various ministers in the Rapid City area serving local Law Enforcement.

Dr. Diaz has assisted a number of churches in various pastoral and leadership roles. He is completing certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and is currently involved in a church-planting effort in Rapid where a core commitment will include biblical counseling.

Elias has been married to his wife Sarah for 25 years who also assists with counseling. They have three children: one on the mission field, one in the armed forces and one in the home. His personal interests include enjoying the outdoors and restoring classic muscle cars.

John Witherspoon Biblical Counseling Class
The John Witherspoon College Biblical Counseling Class consists of ten students all preparing for some level of Christian service. They are comprised of various backgrounds and represent a number of local churches in our area. They each have a passion and commitment to help others navigate the challenges of life biblically. They are diligent students who personally apply what they learn to their own lives for the purpose of effectively helping others. They are excited to impart a portion of what they have learned this semester to you during this conference.

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