I had the privilege today of talking to a pastor who oversees his church’s counseling ministry. I’m preparing to teach on biblical counseling in the Fall and wanted to glean insights from a church that has had a formalized counseling ministry for several years.
I want to share with you three highlights (with further thoughts) from our conversation:
1. Counseling must be presented as a humble and spiritually healthy ministry for believers to request. If Rom 7:14-25 taught us anything, it taught us that the normal Christian life is one rife with weaknesses, despite the regenerated heart that beats within each of us. To confess our sins to one another and ask for help can be terribly daunting. But it’s incredibly freeing and empowering when you ask for help for a specific sin issue (cf. James 5:16).
2. Though most counseling is a one-on-one interaction, the greater church body can have a great impact on the counselee. Christ has equipped His church through the Holy Spirit to care for one another in deeply substantive ways: whether it’s admonition (Rom 15:14), comfort (1 Thess 4:18), or encouragement (1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13). One individual may be helping another, but the one being helped can include even one other person to pray for him or her in the process. That not only adds accountability but another voice crying out to God for grace – which is the ultimate power in counseling.
3. Counseling/shepherding/helping someone change is often a tricky and messy thing. We’re messy people. But we deny how messy we are; we like to think the best of ourselves. But the truth is that we harbor wickedness of all shapes and sizes. Consider how often we commit the same sin we recently repented of! Plus, our sin has aggravating factors like family and spiritual backgrounds, immediate circumstances, and patterns or routines of thinking and behaving that haven’t been shepherded.
Thankfully, the Scriptures are sufficient to deal with our mess. The Word of God is powerful to save and sanctify (2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:2-4) because it is the only resource that points people’s hearts to Christ, the Physician of our souls.
Of course you can and you should ask the church leaders for help (whether you’re trying to counsel someone or want counseling) . . . Anytime! But as you do, remember to keep your nose in the Word and your heart in prayer. These two means ensure that counseling is truly Spirit-led and Christ-centered.
