Redeemer Baptist Church

Counseling Ministry Welcome Letter

Dear Friend,

Welcome to the counseling ministry of Redeemer Baptist Church (RBC). We know how hard it is to ask for help, and we understand that it takes courage, faith, and humility to take that step. Our prayer is that the Lord will bless this initial step that you’ve made and our subsequent counseling sessions.

Our endeavor in the RBC counseling ministry is two-fold. First, we aspire to provide the highest quality, Christ-centered counseling to individuals and families hurting or in conflict. Secondly, we seek to equip pastors, elders, and others to learn how to use the Bible to counsel in their local churches. As a result of that endeavor, we may have one or two observers in the session with you taking notes on how to counsel biblically. These observers sign confidentiality forms and are instructed to pray each week for those that they observe.

Forms: Your next step is to read the letter entitled “Redeemer Baptist Church Counseling Ministry.” This letter will help you plan to get the most out of your counseling. Please also read and initial the consent to counsel form and the confidentiality form. Next, you will fill out the personal data inventory form (PDI); please fill out a set for each person seeking counsel. Please allow enough time to complete the documents thoroughly. Bring these forms with you for your scheduled time. If time permits, you may return the papers in advance of your appointment. If you are comfortable doing so, you may return them via email or regular mail. These actions will help your counselor to be more prepared for your next visit.

Cost/ Donations: Counseling is a ministry of the church, and hence there is no charge for the counseling you receive at RBC. If you wish to donate, you can make a check out to Redeemer Baptist Church with “Gift for Counseling” in the memo line. Receipts for donations can be mailed to you at year’s end by our church secretary if you would like.

Resources: Besides the Bible, we may suggest that you utilize books and pamphlets to help you deal with your particular problem. We have some on hand that you may find helpful.

Childcare: We do not offer child care, so we ask that you obtain a babysitter for your children if needed.

Feel free to call the office at (864) 513-3576 or email us at counseling@visitrbc.org should you have any questions at this time.

Please bring a Bible and a notebook to each session.
Pastor Samuel Barber ACBC Certified Counselor

Redeemer Baptist Church Counseling Ministry

How to Get the Most Out of Your Counseling (Please read carefully)

The counseling you will receive is Biblical counseling. RBC counselors are Christians who are specially trained in the Scriptures and their life application. What they say to you will not be based on the systems of men or their ideas. Their goal is to help you apply Biblical principles to the particular problems with which you are struggling. This kind of counseling will help you grow and will leave you with Biblical guidelines for problem-solving for the rest of your life.

Most of the problems that people have involve relationships. A person’s relationship with God is the most important one. Unless that relationship is right, nothing else in life can be altogether correct. Suppose you are uncertain about your relationship with Jesus Christ. In that case, your counselor will be glad to speak to you about it. The other problems that counselees usually have concern people. The Scriptures tell us how God can enable us to relate correctly to Himself and others. During the session, you and your counselor will talk about your relationship with God and to others. A third relationship that often needs to be addressed is one’s relationship with himself. Are you weighed down with guilt or struggling with depression or worry? Scripture not only shows us how to relate to God and others but also ourselves.

Because it is foundational to all that is being done in the counseling session, we suggest that you take time every day to read a portion of the Bible. We also urge you to do your homework regularly. Continuation of counseling is contingent upon you doing your homework. Prayerfully ask God to give you the strength to do what you have been asked to do. Counseling is not magic that takes place during a one-hour conversation, one day a week. It is during the rest of the week that changes must take place. We believe that God the Holy Spirit works through His Word to change lives. Within six weeks or so, your counselor will look for a definite change. If there is no real change, he will want to evaluate the situation to discover the reason.

If difficulties arise during the week:

• Do not panic
• Write about the problem, precisely but briefly
  • Write about what the problem is
  • Write what you have done about it
  • Write what the outcome was and what led to that outcome
• Bring this information to the next counseling appointment

Counselors usually do not counsel on the telephone between sessions. Advising over the phone can be misleading without full consideration of all the circumstances. You need to sit down at a session to discuss the subject thoroughly to help you reach Biblical decisions. If you ever find yourself in an emergency, please call your pastor, doctor, or the police. Each session will be approximately one hour in length. At the end of each session, your counselor will schedule your next appointment. If you need to change or cancel an appointment, please call as soon as possible to rearrange the counselor’s schedule. We encourage you to attempt to come to every session until finished. May God bless you as you strive—by His power—to follow His written Word.

Redeemer Baptist Church Consent to Counseling

Our Goal: The purpose of Biblical counseling is to help you meet the challenges of life in a manner that pleases and honors the Lord Jesus Christ. Our counseling is offered free of charge as a ministry of Redeemer Baptist Church (RBC), Rincon, Georgia. Counselees are welcome to donate to the ministry; however, this is not an expected or required condition for counseling. You have no obligation, expressed or implied, to pay fees for the counseling you receive through RBC.

Biblical Basis: Counseling received through RBC is strictly religious in nature and is conducted under the authority and leadership of the elders of Redeemer Baptist Church. We believe the Bible, consisting of the Old and New Testaments, provides thorough guidance and instruction for faith and life (cf. II Timothy 3:16-17; II Peter 1:3-4). Our counseling is based solely on the principles of Scripture. It does not employ the teachings or methods of modern psychology or psychiatry. RBC counselors are not trained or licensed as psychotherapists or mental health professionals; they do not follow such persons’ practices.

Other Professional Advice

If you have significant medical, legal, financial, or other technical questions, you should seek a competent, independent professional. Our counselors will cooperate with such advisors and will help you consider their counsel in the light of Biblical principles.

We urge our counselees to care for their physical bodies properly and seek medical treatment for all physiological problems. Our counselors will assist you in responding to such issues in a godly manner. Still, our counsel is not intended to replace a qualified physician’s services in treating organic problems.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an essential aspect of the counseling process. We will carefully guard the information you entrust to us. As RBC differs in some respects from standard guidelines regarding confidentiality, we have developed a policy that specifically addresses this issue. Said policy is attached to, incorporated in, and subject to the other provisions of this Consent to Counseling Agreement.

Conflict Resolution – Arbitration

A conflict may develop between a counselor and a counselee on rare occasions. The Bible commands that Christians make every effort to live in peace and to resolve disputes with each other in private or within the Christian Church (cf. Matthew 18:15-20; I Corinthians 6:1-8), without the involvement of the secular courts. Therefore, to ensure faithfulness to this Biblical principle, we require all counselees to agree that any claim or dispute arising under, out of, in connection with, or relating to, the counseling received at RBC or any dispute with a counselor thereof, or with Redeemer Baptist Church, shall be settled by Biblically- based mediation and, if necessary, legally binding arbitration per Peacemaker Ministries. It is expressly understood that, by consenting in advance to arbitration, the counselee waives his or her right to trial in the civil courts.

Having clarified the principles and policies of our counseling ministry, we welcome the opportunity to minister to you in the name of Christ and to be used by Him as He helps you to grow in spiritual maturity and prepares you for usefulness in His body. If you have any questions about these guidelines, please speak with your counselor. Your signature below indicates your informed consent to these guidelines.