Demythologizing Counseling

Biblical counseling – is it just for the pastors and elders? Or for trained professionals? What does it look like to restore counseling to the local church? Church leaders and lay people alike need to broaden their definition of “counseling.” Counseling is found in both the formal and interpersonal interactions and advice we give and receive within the body of Christ on any given day. We all are counselors – from the casual hallway conversations, to the over-the-fence neighborly chat, to the more formal counseling and ministry structure of a church for conflict resolution, evangelism, and church discipline.

Everything we do at the Center for Biblical Counseling is oriented to helping Christians help one another. We do this by teaching our brothers and sisters how to encourage, embolden, comfort, strengthen, and “get in” one another’s faces with wisdom, kindness, and love.

The first paragraph was adapted from the course description of the “Counseling in the Local Church” class at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation.