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Redmond, OR 97756

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Association of Pastoral Counselors

Association of Pastoral Counselors

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Introduction:

Pastoral Counseling is about: helping people, no matter who they are, or what the need,

and working together to resolve the need!

Twenty-five years in the making……….

Starting in ministry over 25 years ago has taught me some valuable lessons about God, people, churches and how they operate, and counseling. During this period of time there has been an up swing of many churches and religious groups ranging from the conservative to the … well, the ..…"unusual". I have found through the years that one of the reasons people do come to church to start with is that they are in need of help in some form or another. In the past, many churches were able to do so. Today the tide has changed, and there are more people needing help than ever before. There also seems to be more public agencies and government agencies there to help than there were before. One would think that things would be better somehow.

The truth seems to be that more and more people are in need or needing help and unfortunately falling in between the cracks. The facts are according to the World Food Bank, 10,536 starve to death every day. In addition, in the United States there are more than 1.6 million homeless people. It was once thought that these people were people who somehow preferred to be on the street or not having the motivational skills to find a job. There are always a few in life that desire no better station in life, but today many on the street even have families with no place to go except for the state and national parks. The financial drain for all of this has been astounding. As a result, crime has also increased and prisons are almost at capacity. In the United States there are as many in prison, than there are on the street. One of the reasons these people end up on the street is that many being released from prison have no where to go, no funds to find a place to live, and no phone to leave a prospective employer.

As a result of the disparity, drug abuse and alcoholism has increased. Abuse in the home is on the rise and has increased dramatically over the last fifteen years. This all has brought a huge need for more counseling and counselors as many do not know how to deal with the vast majority of problems in today’s society. Today more than ever, there is an enormous need for pastoral counselors to help people deal with these problems. These problems range from the homeless and those in hunger, to those that need guidance on "how to get through life in one piece."

We in the church have always believed that the need is for Christ. It is true we all need more of Christ. The question then becomes, "why isn’t it working." The answer perhaps dwells in a person’s definition of "who Christ is." If our definition is that Christ is Jesus and He is out there somewhere and we are waiting for Him to save the day, then we will be looking for Him to return to solve the problems. On the other hand, scripture is fairly clear about who Christ is. Jesus is the head, but we are the body. If that is true, then the solution is through Him, working through us.

Pastoral Counseling: Pastoral counseling is simply about working with people that are in need, no matter what the need. Pastoral Counseling is about reaching out in the community to match resources with those in need and help make sure that people that we are desiring to help do not fall in between the cracks. Often times it is these people who need the help and it is these same people that find very little help, neither because they often times do not qualify for public assistance, nor do they have access to funds to pay for help.

Pastoral Counseling is also different from traditional counseling because the focus is on God. It is about walking with people and interceding for them. Pastoral Counseling is about being an advocate for those most in need and being resolved in helping those in need. Scripture tells us that whatever we do to the very least, we do unto God.

Our Daily Bread, Missions Network is a national and international referral network of community and church-based, professional counseling providers, offering care that is distinctively Christian and clinically excellent.

Currently, ODB is facing an overwhelming demand for its referral services. During the last year, inquiry volume at ODB has increased to over 3,000 inquiries per month. Many of these inquiries need referral to a Christian Counseling Professional and many referral requests come in from Christian organizations and managed care companies. Additionally several Christian ministries have approached ODB, looking for a place to refer their callers where they can have the utmost confidence in the care to be rendered. We want to meet these needs with the ODB referral network. In order to do this, we need to add professionals from every major region of the country an all parts of the globe to our network within the next year.

Our desire is to encourage individuals called by God, to get involved in their local communities, to work with churches and other organizations to help resolve the needs of people they serve. For those people called to be a counselor, Our Daily Bread, Missions Organization offer the members of the Association of Pastoral Counselors:

A forum from which to work,
Forms and brochures for use in their services
A working model that they may use in their own practices
Notification as to changes in the laws concerning pastoral counseling
A standard code of ethics and principles that brings uniformity and legitimacy for the public
Educational materials for use in their practice
A network of caring professionals, experienced in dealing local issues
Local referrals
Credibility. Receive a certificate for display, identifying you as a member and your affiliation with a network of the high quality, Christ-centered counseling professionals!

As a member of the Association you are also doing something to help end Hunger, Starvation, and Homelessness in America and the world. We believe as counselors that it is in part our responsibility to end the needless waste of life. We support ODB and Ministries Food Bank (Loaves & Fishes) in its efforts to end the needless suffering.

"God gave us His Son, Spirit, Love, Direction, Purpose, Gifts, and free will. He gave us all the basic tools to either care for Him and others or care just for ourselves.

It is a choice either way, to either learn to work together to solve problems, but at the end, when it is all said and done, our true hearts will be exposed. We are given two things to do, love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.

Pastoral Counseling is about helping take care of the needs of others today while it is Christian education that trains others to care for the future."

"Evil prospers, when good men, choose to do nothing."

I am responsible…..

When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want our hand always to be there. For that I am responsible.

We are responsible both to God

and each other.

Association of Pastoral Counselors