Free guide for church leaders
5 Mistakes Churches Make with Counseling
And the one that causes the rest.
Most churches know they should care for hurting people. Almost all of them are trying. So why does the same story keep repeating? After thirty-five years of counseling alongside churches, we have seen that nearly every breakdown traces back to one mistake. Most of us were trained to make it.
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Five pages. Each mistake, what it costs, and what to do instead. Free.
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You already know what this costs
The referral was supposed to be the answer.
Someone asked for help in March
It’s August. Nobody is sure who followed up, or whether anyone did.
You referred out and never heard back
The counsel contradicted what you preach, or the person came back more confused than when they left.
Willing leaders burned out
The deacon who took on the marriage in crisis hasn’t offered since. Good people were handed weight they weren’t equipped to carry.
What’s inside
The five mistakes, and what to do instead of each one
- 1Treating the referral as the finish line. The one that causes the rest.
- 2Outsourcing to counseling that is Christian in name only. Why contract-fixing isn’t covenant care.
- 3Letting well-meaning advice go bad. What happens without training or a partner.
- 4Thinking it has to be all or nothing. Counsel everything, or refer everything.
- 5Overlooking the people who have already been through it. Your best care leaders may not look the part.
The guide closes with the Intentional Care Pathway. Effective care needs three things. Most churches have one or two.
“When I went to seminary, we were trained that referral was the best way to care for people and the best way to protect our priorities in ministry. It sounded wise. It still does to most pastors I talk to.”
Tim Allchin, D.Min. · Executive Director, Biblical Counseling Center · pastored 13 years before BCC
Care can be better a year from now.
Start with the guide. It takes ten minutes to read and names the thing most churches never say out loud.
Get the free guideBiblical Counseling Center · HELPING churches care for PEOPLE · About the Care Network
