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Christian Counseling Connection
PASTORAL
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all
comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort those who are
in any trouble, with the comfort with which we
ourselves are comforted by God.”
– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NKJV
I
t has been a great privilege to teach at the professional and pastoral level for the
last four decades. Teaching courses in the field of counseling and psychology re-
quires a healthy tension and practical balance between a Christian worldview and
the humanism that saturates the science of psychology.
There is an implied expectation that in order for me to be an effective counselor, I
must choose between these two views. I am either an authentic biblical counselor or a
psychologist who happens to be a Christian, but certainly not a Biblicist. This perceived
obligation to practice exclusively as one or the other is, in my opinion, the single most
limiting factor in life-changing counseling.
The Bible is certainly not exclusively a counseling curriculum book, but holds the
supernatural power to integrate truth, knowledge, insight and restoration to the broken
lives of those who seek care and direction. It is equally obvious that having knowledge
and understanding of people and problems provides a great advantage in the process.
Life-changing and life-lasting counseling flows from the integration of both knowledge
and biblical wisdom.
INTEGRATION
Unfortunately, the word “integration” conjures up resistance for many Christians and
can create ambivalence for the professional counselor. For the pastoral counselor,
integration conjures up thoughts of compromise. The licensed practitioner sometimes
must consider ethical boundaries that seem to restrict talking about spiritual issues. It
is my personal bias (based on a lifetime of professional and ministry practice) that life-
changing counseling depends on the careful integration of biblical principles and valu-
able knowledge and understanding of people and problems. My education in the field
of counseling psychology has equipped me to apply biblical wisdom in an appropriate,
timely and competent way. The choice is not either/or, but both/and.
PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING
A qualified professional can conscientiously and intentionally integrate biblical prin-
ciples with his or her education and experience. The pastoral counselor must utilize
knowledge and understanding of people and problems to allow timely application of
God’s truth. It becomes a win-win, not an either-or, counseling strategy… and the
greatest benefit is for the one seeking help.
PASTORAL COUNSELING
A pastoral counselor specializes in dealing with the problems of life utilizing spiritual
discernment, biblical wisdom and practical experience. The pastoral counselor enthusi-
astically embraces the Word of God as the primary guide on how to overcome the chal-
lenges of life and experience fullness of life. Integration is then seen as the application
of biblical principles and practical knowledge for the purpose of influencing life change
for those who seek guidance. Secular counseling without spiritual insight is limited in
providing lasting solutions to the problems of life.
I have been an AACC member for 25 years, presented workshops at the World
and National Conferences, and had the privilege of serving on staff for five years. For
decades, the AACC has been the frontrunner in providing a template that promotes
individual expression of spiritual gifts, counseling skills, and biblical wisdom. Organi-
zationally, AACC is committed to educating, equipping and encouraging both pastoral
and professional counselors.
The great advantage of Christian caregivers is that they believe in the practice of
intercessory prayer. They believe in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit and that
the Word of God is divinely inspired and encompasses all of life’s issues. King Solomon
pointed out that independent of having everything life offers, it is pitifully limited if not
accompanied by spiritual wisdom and an eternal perspective. His teaching in the book
of Ecclesiastes reminds us all of the importance of wisdom in the ministry of counseling.
WISDOM
Education and experience apart from spiritual discernment are seriously limited in pro-
viding dynamic counseling. Spiritual discernment allows both the professional and the
pastoral counselor to see the person and problem with incredible clarity. Wisdom as-
sists the counselor in knowing just how and when to apply God’s truth. Wisdom knows
that truth principles without divine timing and trusted relationships are first resented,
then resisted, and ultimately rejected.
The privilege of encouraging, equipping and caring for others on God’s behalf,
whether as a pastor or professional, is the heart and soul of Christian counseling. It just
does not get any better for those who have been called to serve Christ by caring for the
hurting and broken among us.
Ken Nichols, Psy.D.,
is the President of ALIVE Ministries (Always
Living In View of Eternity, aliveministries.net), a counseling, consult-
ing and conference ministry. He has authored many counseling-related
books and booklets and served with Dr. David Jeremiah in local
church and counseling/educational ministries for 25 years. Dr. Ken
also worked with the AACC as Executive Director for the credentialing
department for five years. He and his wife, Marlene, have three children
and six grandchildren.
