1. WHO ARE THE COUNSELORS?
Our counselors fall in two general categories:
SoulCare Counselors. First, we have our SoulCare counselors. Our SoulCare counselors are trusted members of Calvary who have been trained to handle your struggles and hurts. They counsel as a volunteer, which means there is no financial charge. However, we do ask that you make a good-faith effort at personal growth and engage in the biblical counseling process if you are counseled by one of our SoulCare counselors.
Masters Level Biblical Counselors. Second, we have partnered with a few biblical counselors who have extensive experience and a Master’s Degree in biblical counseling. A couple of these counselors are members of Calvary. Others are a part of biblical counseling ministries outside of Calvary but align with Calvary’s doctrine and approach to biblical counseling. These counselors provide biblical counseling as part of their paid vocation, but Calvary is happy to provide financial assistance to Calvary members who would be helped by these counselors.
2. WHAT KIND OF COUNSELING IS OFFERED?
We strive for our counseling to be biblical. By calling it biblical counseling, we mean it will be shaped by these values:
- God’s Glory. We understand life to be ultimately about God’s glory and God’s story, so, we seek to be God-centered in our speech and goals.
- Dignity of All People. Because all people have been made in the image of God, we take suffering and sin seriously and encourage people to take personal responsibility for their actions.
- Cross-Centered. We understand the Cross and the Gospel to be the ultimate solution for all of life’s challenges. Therefore, rather than point people to a program, theory, or experience, we want to point them to Jesus.
- Maturity in Christ. We counsel to help people mature in Christ, rather than help them manage their problems. We have a goal for all people: living out who we are in Jesus.
- Heart Focused. We acknowledge the complexity of suffering and sin and seek to uncover, with the Spirit’s help, a person’s heart, their motivations, and how they have been affected by circumstances and relationships.
- Bible Driven. We believe God’s Word is authoritative and relevant for all of life’s issues. As such, we believe that everything we do and say in counseling is ultimately rooted in Scripture.
- Church Oriented. We believe God changes us as we engage His covenant community. Counseling does not replace a Community Group or coming every Sunday to Worship, but counseling does help us engage honestly with that community.
3. WHAT ARE SOME ISSUES COMMONLY ADDRESSED IN BIBLICAL COUNSELING?