Who Is Dr. Dobbins?

Dr. Dobbins is no stranger to the pain of life.  His childhood was marked with the knowledge that his birth also ended his mother's life. This painful experience ultimately led him into a deep and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In his late teens, Dr. Dobbins felt called to the ministry and pursued a higher understanding by studying theology at Eastern Bible Institute (now Valley Forge Christian College) and Central Bible Institute (now Central Bible College). In 1949, he was ordained by the Illinois District Council of the Assemblies of God and began to pursue his calling.

In 1950 Dr. Dobbins and his wife founded Evangel Temple in Akron Ohio.  The next 26 years of Dr. Dobbins' life would be the catalyst for his unique understanding of Christian Mental Health. During this time, they experienced a mixed bag of joy and pain.  His wife suffered from severe bouts of postpartum depression after the birth of their son.  This left Dr. Dobbins desperate to understand the exact nature of the condition ailing his wife. Upon approaching the church, they found few resources to deal with the mental health issues they were facing.  In turning to the medical world they found no one who understood their faith.

While pastoring, numerous people came to Dr. and Mrs. Dobbins for help with painful emotional issues the Dobbins felt inadequate to address.  These experiences were the driving force that led him back to school to obtain a B.A. in Psychology, and M.A. in Clinical Psychology, PhD. in Guidance and Counseling.  Later he gained a clinical license with the Ohio Board of Psychology.  Over the years, Dr. Dobbins grew more and more passionate about providing practical mental health services to address the growing emotional needs within the church.

 So, in 1974 Dr. Dobbins founded Emerge Ministries in a Akron Ohio which continues to be a thriving mental health center.  Throughout his 30 years plus of leadership to the center he was able to personally help thousands of people.  It was also during this time that he began to write, teach and develop materials to bridge the gap between theology and psychology. Using his experience with helping others, Dr. Dobbins conducted hundreds of seminars in the United States and throughout the world.  The income from these seminars and a full-time counseling practice was invested in the growing demands of the center.  In the mean time, Dr. Dobbins used any  of his spare time to develop materials offering a practical biblical perspective on some of life's most challenging issues.  During this time his wife's unselfish efforts kept the home fires burning.  Sadly, in 1992 Mrs. Dobbins lost a three year battle with cancer and Dr. Dobbins was once again at a crossroads in his life.

In 1994, Dr. Dobbins received an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Ashland Theological Seminary.  Two year after the death of his wife he married Priscilla Adams from Lafayette Indiana. They were introduced by her pastor's wife. This began another season of his life that yielded an even deeper understanding that he wanted to pass along to others.  His wife, Priscilla, grew passionate about the wisdom found in his writings and encouraged him to continue in his works.

In 1997, Dr. Dobbins was faced with the frailty of life when he underwent open-heart surgery. His faith and reliance on God grew even deeper during this time. He poured out his heart by humbly asking God to spare his life. At that time he made a pledge to God that if He would spare his life he would retire from his present position and would commit to some form of media all the wisdom God had given him through the years.  God answered his prayer, spared his life and a new venture was begun.

In 2003, he retired as CEO of Emerge Ministries.  The same year, Dr. Richard D. Dobbins Ministries, Inc. was founded for the purpose of perpetuating his teachings. The goal of this new organization is to provide online tools to assist people in making the supernatural practice in their daily lives. Dr. Dobbins continues to be unwavering in producing new materials to fulfill the promise he made to God on that day back in 1997.

Also in 2003, The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) presented Dr. Dobbins with special recognition for his pioneer work in the Christian Mental Health  field.

Dr. Dobbins' works have been published in over 50 books, articles and other media in the United States as well as several foreign countries. He has lectured at universities and led hundreds of seminars at home and aboard. He has also served on numerous non-profit boards. Dr. Dobbins is also a member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Ohio Psychological Association (OPA).

In the 1970s and 1980s Dr. Dobbins authored a three year cassette training program integrating theology and psychology called the Institute for Pastoral Counseling (IPC).  Thousands of pastors, lay-counselors and mental health professionals have found this program to be extremely helpful in making the supernatural practical. It gives them practical "how tos" for biblical "ought tos"!  He has updated all of his materials and added much more in the new IPC Plus! program being released in modular form through the RICHARD D. DOBBINS INSTITUTE OF MINISTRY  (RDDIM). (Check out the curriculum on this website.)

He and his wife Priscilla live in Naples, Florida where he has a weekly call-in program "Live with Dr. Dobbins" and together they have a weekly television program called "Totally Alive with Dr. Dobbins and Priscilla".