Articles for tag: Pastoral Counseling

January 1, 2024

Christian Standard

Investing in Your Leader’s Mental and Emotional Health

By Tim Harlow  It’s worth pointing out that I was not asked to write about a deep doctrinal issue, or leadership, or how to respond to a difficult social problem. No, I was asked to share about the benefits of therapy for Christian leaders.  I own it.   I needed therapy. I need therapy. I have had very few seasons of my life when I had my stuff together.   In fact, I wouldn’t be where I am today without the occasional counseling help I’ve received, specifically from the good folks at Blessing Ranch Ministries.  I’ll share a specific example from a

May 1, 2022

Wes Beavis

Charles Darwin and the Restoration Movement

By Wes Beavis What relevance does Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory, have to the Restoration Movement? A lot. As a clinical psychologist, I spend most of my time counseling RM ministry leaders. I can attest to the relevancy of Darwin’s oft-quoted phrase, “survival of the fittest.” Simply put, those organisms that can adjust favorably to their environment are the ones that survive. If they can’t adapt, they die out. Finding Support in Autonomous Churches This “survival of the fittest” concept is very much a part of our movement’s construct. Pastors who can adapt and overcome their prevailing difficulties

February 12, 2020

Christian Standard

Longtime Kentucky Pastor Makes Leap to Greater NYC Church

By Chris Moon From Keavy, Ky., to Long Island, N.Y. The change in environment and culture—at least within the United States—probably doesn’t get more drastic than that. And that’s exactly the jump that Tommy Lanham made. The longtime Kentucky pastor is now in his fifth month as co-pastor of Glen Cove (N.Y.) Christian Church, a small congregation on Long Island, about 15 miles northeast of Queens. Lanham says the culture shock wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. “We always had heard that New Yorkers are rude,” he told Christian Standard. “That has not been our experience at

August 23, 2013

Christian Standard

Your Church Is Like a Family

By LeRoy Lawson Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue Edwin H. Friedman New York: The Guilford Press, 1985 A Failure of Nerve: Leadership in the Age of the Quick Fix Edwin H. Friedman New York: Seabury Books, 2007 Friedman”s Fables Edwin H. Friedman New York: The Guilford Press, 1990 Where was Edwin Friedman”s Generation to Generation when I needed it? It”s out of print now, published in 1985, but fortunately still available in used books at Amazon.com. I would have missed this one if it hadn”t been for a highly regarded minister friend who said, “This is

August 23, 2012

Christian Standard

Interview with John Craycraft

By Paul Boatman John Craycraft is executive director of the Chaplaincy Endorsement Commission (CEC) for the Christian churches/churches of Christ. Prior to his 2006 appointment, he served 16 years in local church ministries, and 26 years as a Navy chaplain, retiring as a captain.   How does chaplaincy differ from ministry in the local church? In the congregational ministry you may see children born, grow up, get married . . . you live a life cycle with them. In any chaplaincy you are with people for only a limited time and then you may lose track. Ministry may be really intense, but the

June 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Interview with Kent Paris

By Paul Boatman Kent Paris, author of Means of Grace: A Primer for the Understanding and Care of Souls Affected by Homosexuality, is a Christian counselor in Champaign, Illinois, specializing in gender confusion issues.   Can you summarize how your unique ministry calling developed? I didn”t seek it out. It was not how I envisioned my life or vocation. As a new Christian in the 1970s, I was working with a street ministry. I attended a conference of the newly formed organization Exodus, attended by about 100 people who had come out of the gay life. Having struggled with homosexuality growing

November 18, 2010

Christian Standard

These Seniors Served Overseas

By Doug Priest A few years ago men from Eastside Christian Church in Fullerton, California, made a two-week trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand, to work with Joni and Nangsar Morse at their rural training center called Eden Center. People from near and far go there for periodic training and to work on its rice farm. A dormitory was needed where people could stay when they came to Thailand from Burma, Tibet, and China, so the Men on a Mission group, as they were called, worked with the Morses to determine the materials needed for such a project. The items were

June 21, 2009

Christian Standard

The Marvel of Metaphor in Teaching and Counseling

  By Larry W. Bailey   The talented, courageous king had sinned against God and his neighbors. He had committed adultery and schemed to assure the death of his lover”s husband who was serving in the king”s army. King David needed to be confronted, and a prophet of God was assigned the task. Nathan did not shout at the king, cite the commandments David had violated, or detail the error of his ways. Rather, he told David a simple story that included a person of power, a humble servant, and a lamb. There were two men in a certain town,

February 22, 2009

Christian Standard

Just What Is Christian Spirituality?

by Neal Windham In 1993, while returning from a Society of Biblical Literature meeting in San Francisco, I had a deep encounter with the living God. Having picked up Henri Nouwen”s In the Name of Jesus, I was confronted very directly with a question of terrifying significance: Had my life and work counted for anything, anything at all, or was I just playing games? That night, somewhere around 35,000 feet, God used one of the truly great Christian spirituality writers of the 20th century to begin stripping away layer upon layer of my selfishness and conceit. Since then I have

March 9, 2008

Christian Standard

Policy on Confidentiality (a Proposal)

By Tim Woodroof and Leland Vickers Policy statements are frequently viewed as imposing unnecessary structure and tending to give churches a more corporate flavor. However, developing a policy statement in an area as critical as how we interact with those who are hurting provides a method of doing much preplanning and prevents some of the mistakes made in the heat of an emergency situation. Below is the text of a brief policy statement being proposed for our home congregation. As church leaders (elders, ministers, staff, counseling volunteers), we welcome and encourage members and friends to come to us with spiritual,

March 9, 2008

Christian Standard

Your Church”s Confidentiality Policy

By Douglas A. Spears In the early 1990s there was a startling increase in the number and intensity of lawsuits against ministers and churches. Big-city seminars sponsored by the American Bar Association on topics such as “Tort Liability of Charitable, Religious, and Nonprofit Institutions” and “Tort Liability and Religion” helped show lawyers how to successfully sue clergy and churches. Today we are not surprised when we see the church (or members) in court. In the last 25 years we have seen more court cases involving ministers, church leaders, and churches than ever before. What might be most surprising is that

December 2, 2007

Christian Standard

How Hope International University Is Training Second-Career Ministers

By John Derry Hope International University (www.hiu.edu) Among the many challenges faced by growing and active churches is, “How do we find enough qualified servant-leaders to meet the needs of our congregation?” Demands on the pastoral staff make it difficult to devote the kind of time required to prepare comprehensive training sessions that address critical issues. At the same time, emerging leaders with outstanding potential are assuming more responsibility and desire to refine their ministry skills. They recognize the importance of doing their jobs well, are eager to put new ideas into practice, and want to be sure they have

December 2, 2007

Christian Standard

How Emmanuel School of Religion Is Training Second-Career Ministers

By Robert F. Hull Jr. Emmanuel School of Religion, Johnson City, Tennessee (www.esr.edu) Like most seminaries, Emmanuel annually welcomes older students transitioning into vocational ministry from other careers. Most of these students are interested in traditional degree programs, including three who entered in the fall. ESR is also eager to serve those who can come to campus for only short periods of time or can benefit from the educational opportunities the school exports to churches. Campus-based programs will increasingly be centered in three new institutes that have already begun to sponsor some programs ideal for second-career ministry staff: The Institute

November 11, 2007

Christian Standard

Three Stories, One Problem

By Darrel Rowland The student minister starts his car, already planning how he will unbuckle his seat belt, zoom onto a nearby causeway, and veer over the guardrail into the lake . . . The senior minister silently envies the ailing neighbor he”s visiting, wishing he could trade places with the terminal cancer patient . . . The church leader, alone one night in his small apartment, pulls out a steak knife and stares at his wrists . . . CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s editors asked for an article on sexual misdeeds by church leaders and ministers. So why are we talking

December 3, 2006

Phil LeMaster

marital counseling

The High Cost of Marital Counseling

Marital counseling can be “free” for couples but costly for ministers. Phil LeMaster outlines the risks and offers wise limits—preaching the Word, referring when needed, counseling couples together, and guarding one’s own marriage.

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