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christian counseling today
Vol. 21 no. 2
weather the storm. This is where lay counselors
can make all the difference.
As licensed clinicians, we strongly advocate
the need for highly trained, properly equipped,
thoroughly competent and authentically
Christian therapists. However, we are equally
fervent about the important role of the local
church and its responsibility to function as God’s
ambassadors of compassion and reconciliation.
Webster’s dictionary defines the term compas-
sion as a “sympathetic consciousness of another’s’
distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” The
word is derived from the Latin
pati
(to suffer)
and the prefix
cum
(to bear alongside). Much
of the literature on this subject underscores the
critical value of the counseling relationship in
conjunction with caregivers who are frequently
in close proximity to the emotional suffering
and resulting grief of those they minister to on
a regular basis. This is the core of the coun-
seling and people-helping alliance—an essential
component to recovery and restoration.
From a biblical perspective, compassion can
be viewed as one of the distinguishing charac-
teristics of Christ and His own relational style.
There are numerous Old and New Testament
passages that reference this model (Psalm 103:4
and 135:14, Isaiah 49:13 and 54:8, Jeremiah
42:12, Micah 7:19, Matthew 15:32 and 20:34,
and James 5:11). Christ Himself, in rebuking the
Pharisees because religious form took precedence
over their concern for others, said, “… I desire
compassion, and not a sacrifice…” (Matthew
12:7). In taking this admonishment to heart,
the decision for many pastors and churches may
then become, not “
If
we should begin to provide
ministry in these areas,” but “
How
and
where
should we start?”
Historically, lay counseling originated from
a combination of pastoral practice, theology
Group training builds a sense of
unity and allows God to work
“in” you so He can effectively work
“through” you. As an extension
of the Church body, these are
vitally important steps in the
process because caring for the
downtrodden is a
sacred trust
.