THREE WAYS THE CHURCH CAN CARE FOR AND PROVIDE COUNSELING TO HURTING FAMILIES:
1. Families Ministering to Families Families need to be in community with other families in the church. There are many practical benefits when this happens, but a huge one is care and counseling. This will account for two-thirds of the needs that families have. Bedtime struggles, the basics of biblical discipline, and how to navigate media usage in the home are all topics parents can help one another with.
I’ ve found that families ministering to families happens organically as they spend time together and get to know one another. Sunday morning discipleship classes, small groups, serving together, and church gatherings all provide opportunities for families to be in relationship with one another so that care can occur.
Families need a biblical vision for what relationships look like in a congregation, and one way this is accomplished is by teaching the“ one another” passages in the Bible. The phrase“ one another” occurs 100 times in the New Testament; of those, fifty-nine times are specific commands teaching how to, or how not to, relate to one another. Obedience to these commands forms the basis for Christian community and care for one another. Here are a few of the“ one anothers” that should shape our care for each other:
Love one another( John 13:34) Honor one another above yourselves( Rom. 12:10) Build up one another( Rom. 14:19) Care for one another( 1 Cor. 12:25) Serve one another( Gal. 5:13) Bear one another’ s burdens( Gal. 6:2) Bear with one another( Eph. 4:2) Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other( Eph. 4:32) Look to the interests of one another( Phil. 2:4) Teach one another( Col. 3:16) Comfort one another( 1 Thess. 4:18) Encourage one another( 1 Thess. 5:11) Show hospitality to one another( 1 Pet. 4:9) Pray for one another( James 5:16)
I don’ t know about you, but I would love to be part of a church that strives to live out these relational principles!
Care for others is often messy, is rarely convenient, and it requires sacrifice, but it’ s such a joy to both give and receive. Let us avoid centralizing all care in a congregation through the pastor and staff, but rather equip the saints for the work of ministry to one another.
2. Community and Support Groups Community group and support group leaders are the front line of pastoral care and should be pastored and equipped with great intentionality. Community groups often take the form of
CARE FOR OTHERS IS OFTEN MESSY,
IS RARELY CONVENIENT, AND IT REQUIRES SACRIFICE, BUT IT’ S SUCH A JOY TO BOTH GIVE AND RECEIVE. a Bible study or an adult Sunday morning class. The individuals who lead these groups have opportunities on a weekly basis to care for the needs of others. The leader should create the kind of group that is attentive to the needs of others, provides the margin so that care can occur, and leads by example in caring for others.
One of the most effective ways to navigate specific, recurring needs is to establish a support group around a topic. Our church offers support groups for parents who foster and adopt, for divorce care, and for teen mothers, as well as Grandparents @ Prayer( covers a wide variety of topics). The Bible gives the church a special call to care for individuals when their family falls apart or when someone finds themselves without a biological family. The Bible states,“ God sets the lonely in families”( Psalm 68:6 NIV). We are told to“ visit orphans and widows in their affliction”( James 1:27). We have found support groups to be an effective way to do this as a church.
3. Pastoral Counseling Biblical counseling addresses the problems we experience as we live in a sinful and broken world. Counseling is the problem-solving side of discipleship. Biblical counseling is a Word-based ministry, based on the Bible, just like preaching. Preaching is giving truth to a wide audience. Counseling is giving biblical truth to a specific audience. One of the reasons the counseling load in today’ s churches is so heavy is because our preaching is so light. Biblical counseling is the private ministry of the Word of God applied to the specific needs of individuals.
The primary goal of counseling is maturity in Christ through repentance, trust, obedience to God, and reconciliation with others. The focus of biblical counseling is righteousness. Sometimes, a family member’ s sin creates
44 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW