Correction and Update

I received a nice note from an old friend. He asked me to clarify my last post about the power of ordinary people. Let me assure you that I am not attacking clinical counseling and clinical counselors. Rather, I am promoting the need for many more churches to train non-professionals to better care for hurting people. I am thankful for the opportunity to clarify the issue.

I am not suggesting that Christians need to avoid counseling by professional psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers and counselors. To the contrary, I was a Licensed Counselor for many years before I retired. I founded a Christian in-patient hospital unit for adults and one for adolescents. We still operate Life Way Counseling Centers with professional therapists who do a great job.

Professionals are necessary and they fill a critical need in the community. The problems I see are several.

1. Some people insist that only professionals can be helpful to those in distress. That is untrue. Laity can be trained to care and counsel effectively.
2. Some counselors try to train laity but they focus wrongly on making them "little professional counselors" with lots of information and theories that professionals need but lay folks do not.
3. Some churches resist training or referring to lay care givers. This is a mistake. Every Pastor needs to know how to refer members to AA and Al Anon.

Your church can be a great healing community if you train your people to care. This will enhance the spiritual, emotional and relational health of the entire church. It will make your people better care givers and provide alternative ways for them to get counseling.