Counseling and Theology: Dual-Degree Opportunities

Spotlight -- Lewiston, Maine

What is Mercy Ministry?

The answers that come most readily to mind -- soup kitchens, clothing closets, shelters, and diaconal Samaritan Funds -- do not fit many settings where issues such as addictions, looming debt or bankruptcy, and abuse hide behind the affluence of brick-veneered homes with three-car garages. In our tidy but often relationally void neighborhoods, families, husbands, spouses, and children all too easily succumb to destructive patterns because of the easy anonymity. Talking to neighbors about one's personal difficulties is often not a viable option -- but talking to a counselor is something completely different.

The Open Door of Counseling

This is why some churches and church plants, like that in Lewiston, Maine, are looking at opportunities that biblical counseling offers in these contexts. Per Almquist (MDiv '99), a church-planting pastor in Lewiston, says, "Initially when I started thinking about bringing on a counselor, it was in terms of the general need for biblical counseling as part of the ministry of the church. However, God has His own plans. As we learned about the community here, we were told that there were three big needs: addictions, family issues, and recent immigration/different populations within the community." Per began dialoguing with fellow seminarian Ken Morris (MATS, MAC '99).

Per explains, "Ken's task is to establish a counseling center that is under the oversight of the Session. Our goal is to bring additional counselors to the center to allow us a greater ability to bring the power of the Gospel to broken people in central Maine and perhaps beyond. The counseling center will be set up with its own name with Ken as the director, but it is a ministry of the church and the staff will all be employees of the church."

The US and Counseling Services

While it is impossible to be exact about the total amount that the US (as a whole) spends annually on counseling, mental health services, and substance abuse treatment, if trends have continued over the last decade, the US Government itself is now spending upwards of $125 billion annually for such services. These statistics reveal something of the great longing and need that people have. The great pastor and teacher D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote in his Preaching and Preachers that "as preaching goes down personal counseling goes up" (p. 17). Such realities reproduce exponentially among a largely un-churched people.

The offer of Christian counseling services, like those available through the Lewiston church-plant, does not return void. Homes and hearts previously closed to more traditional outreach ministries open in light of such hope. Yet, this not simply a switch-and-bait tactic that uses real counseling services to draw people into a pre-packaged evangelism track. But opportunities for Gospel proclamation abound in these sincere offers of help.

Per goes on to explain, "The counseling center that Ken is establishing is to be a part of the church directly addressing two of those three main needs in our community. It is also part of the church's vision to love the community in that it will be open to any in the community without regard to church membership or their belief in Christianity. The church wants to bring the power of the Gospel to the needs of the community and trust God to work through His Gospel for His glory and not just our growth."

Pastoral Preparation and Counseling

Covenant Seminary currently has 81 students in the Master of Arts in Counseling (MAC) program -- as many as 15 of them in dual-degree programs (i.e., those that incorporate broader theological training with counseling experience) at any one time. Per and Ken represent just one example of how the incorporation of biblical counseling offers new opportunities for Gospel ministry in places previously unresponsive to more traditional mercy ministries. If you know of open positions for theologically trained counselors, or want to get a list of up-coming and recent dual-degree students, please contact Joel Hathaway, director of alumni relations and placement, at joel.hathaway@covenantseminary.edu.