Table of Contents

Ministry Matters

by Wayde I. Goodall

Most people in crisis seek the help of a minister. Ministers’ counseling situations might not be in the same format that professional counselors use. They may counsel in the church foyer, at the altar, across the restaurant table, or on the telephone. But every minister is a counselor.

When I was in Bible college studying for a life of pastoral ministry, I decided to stay a little longer and receive extra training in psychology. I felt then, and I still do, that if I was going to serve people all my life, I needed to understand human behavior as much as possible. My skilled, Spirit-filled professors carefully explained mental illness, emotional pain and trauma, the devastating results of those who have been abused, how to help those with an alcohol or substance abuse problem, and numerous other dysfunctional and psychological issues that people face.

My eyes were opened. I realized that not only do we preach Christ to our congregation each week, but the church could also serve as a catalyst of emotional healing for those who are wounded and broken psychologically. Since then I have watched person after person become stable in life as they surrendered to the lordship of Christ, become involved in a loving congregation, and at times, receive Christian counseling.

Jesus used the word counselor (parakletos) when He described what the Holy Spirit would do for us (cf. John 14:16). Parakletos (literally means one called alongside to help) can mean comforter, strengthener, counselor, helper, adviser, advocate, ally, and friend.1 As pastors, missionaries, or evangelists, we need the Holy Spirit to help us as we endeavor to strengthen, help, advise, and be the friend to those we serve. The Holy Spirit helps us be sensitive to those who are emotionally weak, understand the depth of their problems, and know how to advise.

Charles Spurgeon said, “The great King, immortal, invisible, the divine person called the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit: it is He that quickens the soul, or else it would lie dead forever; it is He that makes it tender, or else it would never feel; it is He that imparts efficacy to the Word preached, or else it could never reach farther than the ear; it is He who breaks the heart; it is He who makes it whole.”2 We need to depend on the Holy Spirit not only as we preach and teach but as we speak to people one-on-one. Oswald Chambers said, “The Holy Spirit does not obliterate a man’s personality; He lifts it to its highest use.”3

As ministers we need to also utilize trained Christian counselors in our communities. Unless ministers have received professional training, they will need to refer many situations to skilled professionals. Those who are mentally ill, suicidal, clinically depressed, or have deep emotional pain brought on by childhood abuse are only a few of the types of people that need professional help. We can work hand in hand with Christian counselors for the common goal of helping hurting people become whole.

Wherever I pastored, one of the first things I did was to find the Christian counselors in the city and become acquainted with them. I wanted to hear about how they came to Christ and how they felt about the Word of God. I wanted to know where they received their education and what state certification they held. Knowing this information was critical for referral and liability reasons, because not every counselor has the necessary certification for state approval.

In this issue of Enrichment, there are excellent articles and interviews from skilled leaders in the body of Christ. Let these experts come alongside you and help you minister to the “precious ones” that you serve.

ENDNOTES

1. Donald C. Stamps, ed., The Full Life Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1990), footnote on John 14:16, 1624.
2. Edythe Draper, Draper’s Book of Quotations for the Christian World (Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1992), 315.
3. Ibid.

Wayde I. Goodall, D.Min., is executive editor of Enrichment and coordinator of the Ministerial Enrichment Office, Springfield, Missouri.