{"id":618138,"date":"2026-10-13T07:15:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/story\/618138\/derek-w-mason-marks-13-years-of-identity-in-christ-with-nearly-1000-people-counseled.html"},"modified":"2026-10-13T07:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T07:15:52","slug":"derek-w-mason-marks-13-years-of-identity-in-christ-with-nearly-1000-people-counseled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.olympiajournal.com\/news\/story\/618138\/derek-w-mason-marks-13-years-of-identity-in-christ-with-nearly-1000-people-counseled.html","title":{"rendered":"Derek W. Mason Marks 13 Years of Identity In Christ With Nearly 1,000 People Counseled"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mineral Point, Wisconsin – October 13, 2026 – <\/strong>For Mason, however, the number is not the story. The greater significance lies in the individual lives behind it. Over the years, he has watched people discover their identity in Christ, confront destructive patterns, renew their thinking, and move forward with greater hope and purpose.<\/p>\n

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Those experiences have also shaped how Mason approaches Christian spiritual counseling today. Rather than treating his method as something finished years ago, he has continued to refine it throughout his 13 years of ministry, addressing gaps he encountered in systems he had previously been taught.<\/p>\n

Thirteen Years Focused on Transformation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mason launched his counseling ministry in 2013 after his own life took an unexpected turn. Earlier in life, he had built much of his identity around professional achievement, possessions, and others’ approval. A prolonged period of personal brokenness eventually challenged those foundations and led him toward a deeper relationship with God and, ultimately, full-time ministry.<\/p>\n

Determined to better understand the biblical principles behind his own transformation, Mason earned a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He became an ordained pastor and studied areas including Scripture, spiritual formation, identity in Christ, sanctification, spiritual warfare, and Christian spiritual counseling.<\/p>\n

Since 2013, he has personally counseled nearly 1,000 people and led thousands of spiritual deliverance sessions. His work has increasingly focused on the whole person, considering the spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical factors that can influence someone’s journey toward healing and freedom.<\/p>\n

Why Identity Became the Foundation<\/strong><\/p>\n

One lesson has become especially clear to Mason during those years: lasting transformation cannot be separated from how people understand themselves.<\/p>\n

“The biggest reason why Christians are still experiencing defeat today is that they do not understand their identity in Christ,” Mason says. “This has to change because once they embrace this, they will be unstoppable.”<\/p>\n

That conviction sits at the center of Identity In Christ<\/a>. Mason believes many people focus heavily on changing behavior while overlooking the beliefs, wounds, fears, spiritual struggles, and questions of identity beneath those behaviors.<\/p>\n

His approach instead begins with relationship. Intimacy with Christ reveals identity, identity creates a foundation for transformation, and transformation can lead to greater freedom and purpose. The goal is not simply to help someone feel better for a short period, but to help that person develop the understanding and spiritual maturity needed to live differently over time.<\/p>\n

Refining the Approach Through Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nearly 1,000 counseling relationships have also given Mason an opportunity to see where existing approaches may leave gaps.<\/p>\n

Over the past 13 years, he has continued refining his system based on his theological training, personal journey, ministry experience, and what he has observed while working directly with people. His model brings together biblical truth, Christian spiritual counseling, psychological understanding, renewing the mind, spiritual warfare, emotional healing, and intentional discipleship.<\/p>\n

Identity In Christ describes this as a whole-person approach that addresses the body, mind, and spirit rather than separating counseling and spiritual ministry into isolated solutions.<\/p>\n

Mason’s focus is not connected to a particular denomination, including charismatic, Pentecostal, or Catholic traditions. He also separates his work from theatrical forms of deliverance. His emphasis is on biblical truth, compassionate guidance, authentic relationship with Christ, and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s ongoing transformation.<\/p>\n

Nearly 1,000 Individual Stories<\/strong><\/p>\n

Numbers can demonstrate reach, but Mason believes they can also obscure what matters most. Behind the milestone are individual people who arrived with different stories, questions, fears, struggles, and hopes.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Mason says he has witnessed powerful changes as people have come to understand their identities differently, broken destructive patterns, experienced healing, and rediscovered hope and purpose.<\/p>\n

Each counseling relationship has reinforced his belief that biblical truth and compassionate guidance are strongest when they are paired with genuine relationship and dependence on the Holy Spirit. For Mason, transformation is not simply the removal of a problem. It is about helping people move toward greater freedom, love, joy, spiritual maturity, and life.<\/p>\n

That philosophy is reflected in the mission of Identity In Christ, which seeks to help people move from confusion to clarity, bondage to freedom, and brokenness to restoration.<\/p>\n

From Helping Individuals to Equipping Others<\/strong><\/p>\n

After 13 years, Mason’s work is also entering a stage focused increasingly on multiplication.<\/p>\n

In addition to counseling through Identity In Christ, Mason founded the Christian Academy of Healing and leads its Spiritual Counseling Certification Program. The program trains Christians, pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders to help others pursue biblical healing and lasting spiritual freedom.<\/p>\n

This reflects one of the central ideas behind Mason’s broader Transformation in Christ framework: personal transformation should eventually equip people to serve others. The progression moves from intimacy with Christ to identity, freedom, purpose, and ultimately equipping others for Christ.<\/p>\n

Through counseling, training, books, speaking, podcasting, and digital resources, Mason intends to continue expanding that mission beyond the people he can personally counsel.<\/p>\n

A Milestone With More Work Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n

For Mason, reaching nearly 1,000 people through counseling is less a finish line than a reminder of why Identity In Christ began.<\/p>\n

The milestone represents 13 years of conversations, lessons, refinement, and individual stories of people searching for healing and freedom. It has also strengthened his conviction that people can experience profound change when they understand their identity in Christ and learn to live from that foundation.<\/p>\n

As Identity In Christ moves into its next chapter, Mason plans to continue developing the ministry’s counseling and training work while equipping more people to carry that work forward.<\/p>\n

The mission remains the same one that has guided the ministry since 2013: helping people experience transformation through Christ, discover lasting freedom, and then become equipped to bring that same hope to others.<\/p>\n

About Derek W. Mason<\/strong><\/p>\n

Derek W. Mason is a Christian Transformation Expert, pastor, author, and founder of Identity In Christ Ministries. He holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has more than a decade of experience across Christian counseling, discipleship, pastoral ministry, and leadership development.<\/p>\n

Since launching his counseling ministry in 2013, Mason has personally counseled nearly 1,000 individuals and led thousands of spiritual deliverance sessions. His work centers on a biblically grounded approach that integrates identity in Christ, mind renewal, emotional healing, spiritual freedom, discipleship, and an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

Mason also serves as Lead Pastor of Cedar Rock in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. He is the author of Embracing Our Full Victory in Christ, host of the Dominion Over Darkness podcast, and founder of the Christian Academy of Healing, where he leads a Christian Spiritual Counseling Certification Program that equips others to guide people toward biblical healing and lasting spiritual freedom.<\/p>\n

Learn more at Identity In Christ<\/a> or connect with Derek W. Mason and the ministry on Facebook<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, and TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Media Contact<\/span>
Company Name:<\/strong> Identity In Christ<\/a>
Contact Person:<\/strong> Derek Mason
Email:<\/strong> Send Email<\/a>
City:<\/strong> Mineral Point
State:<\/strong> Wisconsin
Country:<\/strong> United States
Website:<\/strong> https:\/\/www.idinchrist.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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