CARE MINISTRY

Biblical counseling centers on Christ, relying on God’s Word and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to bring about change in one’s life. It brings to bear the truth, mercy and power of Christ’s gospel of grace. Traditional counseling may, but does not necessarily, rely on the truth of Scripture or include the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Traditional counseling focuses on mental health and wellness; biblical counseling focuses on sanctification.

All counsel/guidance is biblically based, resting on the sufficiency of God’s Word and the work of the Holy Spirit. As capacity permits, there will be two counselors per care receiver.  Couples counseling is available with a certified male and female counselor to work with couples. There is no cross-gender counseling.  Sessions always begin and end with prayer; Scripture and homework will be given every session.  Confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality will be respected.

All counselors must complete the biblical counseling certification offered on-line through the Biblical Counseling Center (https://biblicalcounselingcenter.org/we-train/certificateprogram/). This rigorous course consists of 60 lessons in three sections, Foundations of Biblical Counseling, Portraits of Biblical Counseling, and Contemporary Issues.  Once certified, our counselors must observe a minimum of 5 live counseling sessions before being approved to participate as full-fledged counselors.  They also participate in recurring training.  If you are interested in becoming a biblical counselor, please contact us.

Care and Support groups may be open to the public and are typically mixed gender. There is a fee for the group workbook, normally no more than $20. Group leaders receive special training prior to leading a group. Small group discussions should be treated as confidential. Some groups may close participation after the first few weeks to build relationship and encourage greater trust, while others may remain open the entire time. GriefShare, for example, lasts 13 weeks and remains open to new attendees throughout because each week is stand-alone lesson.  Registration for groups is accomplished via the Church Center app.

We welcome topic nominations from any of our church attendees and have already covered such topics as homosexuality, depression, loving others through addiction, marijuana, parenting, and home schooling.  Typically, the seminar includes about 30-45 minutes of material presentation and then a tine for Q&A.  The seminars last an hour (7-8 pm) but are kept open for discussion until 8:30 as appropriate.  Anyone is welcome and there is not charge or sign-up registration to participate.