About Richmond Kobe

I am a pastor. I have been one for more than twenty years, in ten countries, and most of what I know about people I learned by sitting with them one at a time.

Who I am

My name is Richmond Kobe. I am Canadian, and I have lived in Thailand for twenty years with my wife, who serves alongside me. I hold a Master of Theology from Trinity Western University in Canada, and I am an ordained minister. I grew up Pentecostal and trained at a Baptist seminary, which means I am at home in more than one kind of church and have learned not to mistake a tradition for the faith itself.

Where I have pastored

Different countries, the same conversations: a marriage that has gone quiet, a mind that will not switch off, a leader who is tired in a place sleep does not reach, a decision that will not resolve no matter how much prayer is poured on it. The details change. The need for someone to listen carefully and speak plainly does not.

What I do here

I write. The articles on this site are the things I find myself saying most often. They are free, and I try to give the useful part away rather than hold it back.

I teach. Five short, practical books — on overthinking and worry, Christian dating, spiritual burnout, church leadership and preparing for marriage — and a guided online retreat, The Christian Spiritual Reset, which walks you through the burnout book with video, guided prayer and a workbook. I have written eighteen books in all; the others are on my author page at Lulu.

I sit down with people. A Talk to a Pastor session is one honest hour, online, with a written intake before and a written follow-up after. Premarital counselling has been a particular focus of my ministry for many years, and it still is.

What I am not

I am not a therapist, a psychologist or a doctor, and nothing on this site replaces them. Pastoral counselling and clinical care are different kinds of help, and people often need both. Where I think professional care would serve you better, I will say so. The Pastoral Conversation Terms explain how a session works and where its limits are.

If you would like to talk

I keep hours for exactly that.