COUNSELING
What It Is
Biblical counseling is a part of the discipleship process that ministers to people who have had some hurt, sinful pattern, or mis-guidance that has removed them from the normal Christian growth processes.
Biblical counseling involves understanding the problems of living in a fallen world that are common to all, then finding practical solutions from the truth of the Scriptures to solve them. Through the power of the Gospel, faith, and submission to the Holy Spirit, we help struggling people apply those truths, experience healing, and grow more to be like Christ.
The Bible is used both to define the problems and to develop methods for solving them. We believe that the Bible, given by God, is inerrant, authoritative and sufficient for life and godliness. When properly interpreted, it reveals to the believer all the truths necessary for one to understand his need for Christ, how he can please the Lord, and how to live in a God-honoring way regardless of the circumstances, whether comfortable or painful.
Our Goal
Our goal in the counseling ministry is to provide quality, Christ-centered, Biblical counseling to individuals, marriages and families who are hurting and seeking guidance and healing. Our vision for counseling is larger than a few one-on-one meetings with a counselor. It is very unusual for lasting change to occur in isolation. We encourage the counselee to be involved in the life of their church in a variety of ways (attending church services, small group Bible studies and engaged in serving in the church in some way) as we meet with them. If they do not attend a Bible teaching church, they will be encouraged to attend BBF during their counseling.
The counselors at BBF are men and women, staff and non-staff, who have received (or are currently receiving) formal training under the guidelines of ACBC [Association of Certified Biblical Counselors] to keep the quality of our counseling as Biblical as possible. They are not licensed psychologists, psychiatrists or therapists, but rather function as Biblical counselors.
Why Biblical Counseling
We are confident that the Bible has all of the information necessary for life and godliness [2 Peter 1:3]. There are no problems that the Bible fails to address either in general or specific principles. Our counselors are not infallible, nor do they pretend to know all there is to know about Biblical teaching and its application to life. They are, however, well equipped and competent to help people change through the power of God’s Word and Spirit when they are willing by faith to apply Biblical principles [Romans 15:14]. The counselors will make a point to differentiate between God’s commands and their suggestions.
What We Do
We offer free counseling to our members and the community. This counseling is offered as a personal service, and not as a member of the BBF staff. The counselor will regularly assign homework to give further practice in the principles discussed in the counseling room. The homework is an important part of the counseling process and helps the counselee learn to be “self-counseled through God’s Word. We believe growth happens as you pursue Christ-like living in every aspect of your life, and homework is how we keep track of, and encourage, that growth. The faithful completion of homework assignments is necessary to the effectiveness of counseling.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is an important aspect of the counseling process, and we will carefully guard the information you entrust to us to the extent that the Bible and the state requires. Complete and absolute confidentiality in all cases is not scriptural. Our counselors reserve the right to consult with other members of the BBF counseling ministry for the purpose of providing the highest level of care within the ministries of the church. Counseling involving the persistent refusal to renounce a particular sin may require the disciplinary involvement of the church. If you are a member of another church, we will disclose information about the counseling to your pastor or church leaders only to the extent that is necessary for your spiritual care according to the Bible.