rogram
Robert J. St. Clair
peated failure. God can speak in each case through His Word. W ill you know just where to turn? M u c h o f t h i s w o r k will, of course, be routine calling. Its re sults will be invaluable to the pas tor and will transform the spirit of the church. The experience will do wonders for the counselors. Every member should have an opportunity to leave this work at any time if he feels he cannot carry on. After every three years each member should retire for one year to review his work. A sense of ar rogant self-importance disqualifies a Christian from this form of serv ice. Above all, it should be clear that in assisting the pastor this committee of Christ’s servants can not work at cross-purposes with him without bringing shame upon the church. This committee should look to the pastor for leadership. Now think through these sugges tions. How can you be a good Christian friend even though you are not officially consecrated as a counselor or a deacon? How do you like visitors from the church to act when they visit your home? What time of the day do you like to be visited? What do you like visitors to do when you are ill? Under what conditions do you like the family to receive a visit from a church representative? Has a visit from some Christian brought you closer to Christ the Lord? Can you think why? Is there anything you can do to bring a committee of counselors into being in your church? END.
the pastor would do well to read The Neurotic Personality of Our Time by Homey, So You W ant To Help People by Wittenberg, Pas toral W ork and. Personal Counsel ing by Dicks, and the magazine Pastoral Psychology. The pastor will wish to meet with his committee in a manner that best suits the local church sit uation. Serious and urgent prob lems demanding pastoral or psy chiatric care should be brought to the attention of the minister imme diately. Criticisms should be shared with the minister in private. If a counselor gossips about anyone he has visited he should be removed from the committee immediately. Gossip in a church is utter sin under any circumstances. Visitors should be trained in the use of prayer and Scripture read ing. Prayers should be simple, clear and to the point. Sermons should not be disguised as prayers. In praying we are not groping for pretty phrases. W e are asking God for faith, hope and guidance. W e are expressing our confidence in Him. The choosing of just the right Scripture for the occasion is an in spired art. Some souls will be de feated, some will be bereaved, some will fear old age, some will worry over insecurity, some will fear they have lost their salvation and eter nal inheritance, some will be anx ious over ill health, some will be upset over wayward children and some will be disappointed over a lost opportunity or crushed by re
others how easy it is to solve their problems. It is a very easy thing for a needy soul to sense that his helper needs aid more desperately than he does. Supportive therapy consists of consolation, advice and appeals to a joyful perspective but it should be generally avoided by lay Chris tian counselors. If a soul avers that he merely feels a bit discouraged, one is tempted to resort to support ive therapy to provide an emotional “ lift.” The danger is that feelings of discouragement may hide a deeper problem which will not be brought to the fore. A counselor can share the joy of the Christian life without attempting to act like a cross be tween D. L. Moody and a religious buffoon. Simply be pleasant. Smile. Be natural. Go as a friend. Respect the person you are visiting. Listen carefully. You are not a psycholo gist but a friend. Be conscious of the presence of Him who does the healing, the strengthening, the guiding. You are solely an instru ment of the Holy Spirit. A visitor should never probe. He should not ask q u e s t i o n s . The length of time he visits depends on his good judgment and should not be less than 10 minutes and rarely more than 50 minutes. Pastors who do the training of their committee will usually feel inadequate. Unfortunately, there are few good evangelical books in the field. What the pastor reads he will have to evaluate carefully as he goes along. W ith this in mind,
13
The King's Business/September 1957
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker