I. Pastoral Counseling at Christ Covenant
a. At Christ Covenant, we believe that counseling within the church falls under the ongoing ministry of the Word. It is most effective when coinciding with a member’s faithful attendance to the means of grace (Word and Sacrament) and meaningful engagement discipleship settings.
II. Counseling process
a. Typically, the counseling process emerges from members who have engaged their elder and/or community pastor over an issue. In most cases at least some attempts at pastoral care have been engaged to provide solutions or progress before formal counseling begins.
b. The Pastor of Counseling or other counselors will begin the process by becoming familiar with you and your need. As the process continues, the counselor will offer observations that will enable the counselee to recognize important patterns or themes. The counselor will offer guidance and direction based on Scripture and the best available resources.
c. The counselor will chart the progress of individuals or couples over multiple sessions. They will also communicate with the community pastor or shepherding elder as needed. Finally, they might deem that outside counseling is a better fit depending on the need. These decisions are made in collaboration with the counselee.
III. How can you benefit most from counseling?
a. Be prayerful – Ask the Lord to work in you and in others through this process.
b. Be proactive – Don’t take a passive approach to counseling, waiting for perfect insight from your counselor but be active in endeavoring to appropriate biblical truths and principles as you hear them.
c. Be purposeful – Be on time, do homework and reflect on possible action items from each session.
d. Be patient – Counseling involves engaging in a process that does not guarantee immediate outcomes. It takes time and trust in the Lord that he will bring progress from the process.