About MBCC

MBCC is for

  • People seeking help

    Men, women and couples, 14 years and older, who are looking for help as they seek to address life's challenges.

  • Caring community members

    Pastors, mentors, disciplers who are seeking to help a friend/family member.

  • Supporters

    People who desire to use their resources to promote a ministry focused on helping the hurting.

We provide

  • Biblical counseling and compassionate care to help the people of Michiana find hope in a broken world.

  • Counseling training to equip people to meet the overwhelming counseling needs of our community.

  • Counseling resources for area pastors and ministry leaders on the front lines of caring for our community.

 

We believe

  • Helping believers grow in Christ is our ultimate goal.

  • Prayer and God’s Word are essential for effective ministry.

  • Compassion and care is required to truly address people’s needs.

  • Partnership with local churches and individuals is vital to community impact.

Leadership

 
Dave Hills, Executive Director of Michiana Biblical Counseling Center


  • Executive Director

    Dave graduated with a pre-med degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1982. After graduating from UNI, God led Dave to attend Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake to train for pastoral ministry.

    After graduating from Grace, Dave joined the First Baptist Church of Elkhart staff where he served from 1989-2015. For the last 15 years of his ministry at FBC Dave served as the Adult Discipleship Pastor. In that role his passion for biblical counseling grew, leading to the establishment of Michiana Biblical Counseling Center (MBCC) as a ministry of FBC.

    In 2015 MBCC was incorporated by the State of Indiana as an independent biblical counseling center serving Michiana, with Dave serving as Executive Director. That same year MBCC was approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity.

    Dave’s wife, Susan, is a teacher at Elkhart Christian Academy. Their children are Nicole (wife of Oliver & mother of Micah), Nathan (husband of Katia & father of Luca and Nora) and Austin.

 
 
 
Deanna Doctor, Director of Counseling at Michiana Biblical Counseling Center


  • Director of Counseling

    Deanna Doctor has served as the Director of Counseling at MBCC since January, 2016. Before coming to MBCC, Deanna served as the Women’s Counseling Director at First Baptist Church – Elkhart from 2008-2016.

    Deanna has been serving as a biblical counselor for over 20 years, first as a volunteer counselor and then as a staff counselor at First Baptist Church. Countless lives have been changed as a result of her ministry. Deanna was certified by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors in 2010.

    Deanna and her husband, Steve, attend Grace Community Church in Goshen, IN. They are the parents of Linnaya (married to Brad) and Alece.

 

Board Members

  • Dave Hills

    Executive Director

    Dave and his wife Sue live in Elkhart. Dave has served as the Executive Director of MBCC since 2015. The Hillses attend Gospel Community Church in Goshen.

  • Ray Laborde

    Interim MBCC Board President

    Ray and his wife Nancy live in Elkhart. Ray has served as the Pastor of McCoy Memorial Baptist Church for over 30 years.

  • Dan Wertman

    Secretary/Treasurer

    Dan and his wife Susan live in Bristol. Dan is employed as an engineer at CTS. The Wertmans attend First Baptist Church - Bristol.

  • Bettie Rushlow

    Board Member

    Bettie and her husband Tom live in Middlebury. Bettie serves as a volunteer receptionist and counselor at MBCC. Tom & Bettie are active members at McCoy Memorial Baptist Church.

  • Shari Deardorff

    Board Member

    Shari and her husband Bret live in Goshen. Shari is a nurse and mother of nine. The Deardorffs attend First Baptist Church - Bristol.

  • Rich Smith

    Board Member

    Rich and his wife MaryAnn live in Elkhart. Rich is an engineer at Godfrey Marine. The Smiths attend Osceola Grace Church where Rich serves as the chairman of the elder board.