Recently I was listening to a podcast, which shall remain
nameless, on the subject of counseling and mental disorders. They pretty much
denigrated psychology and psychotherapy and repeatedly said, “Scripture is
sufficient.” Many people in the realm of “biblical counseling” grab onto the
idea of the sufficiency of Scripture in a way that was not intended by the
authors of most creeds. The Westminster Shorter Catechism states, “The
Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what
duty God requires of man.” Carl Trueman comments:
“In other words, the Scriptures are sufficient for a
specific task: they reveal who God is, who man is in relation to him, and how
that relationship is to be articulated in terms of worship. Even with this
definition, however, we need to be precise concerning the nature of this
sufficiency. In some areas, the Scriptures are sufficient for teaching
principles but not for providing specific details.”
Don’t get me wrong, I believe there is a lot in Scripture
that is helpful and encouraging for those suffering with depression, anxiety,
or other mental illnesses. We should certainly do things like encourage our
brothers and sisters in the faith, pray for one another, confess our sins, care
for those in need, and so on, just as Scripture says. But Scripture doesn’t
have a clear answer for things like:
- Should I take psychiatric medications?
- Should I allow my child to be admitted
to the psych ward?
- Who can best help me to work through
childhood trauma?
While I believe that the local church should be a place
where all the biblical “one another” commands are practiced, I don’t believe
that most churches or pastors are equipped to provide in-depth mental health
counseling. The average church is 70 people, and there are limits to both our
time and our training. Mental illness encapsulates a wide variety of experiences
and needs that can escalate very quickly beyond the abilities of a church
pastor.
We also need to remember that the Body of Christ is much
larger than our local congregation. There are many well-qualified Christian
counselors working in public and private counseling agencies for either
in-person or online options. The ones I’ve worked with have known Scripture
well and they aren’t afraid to include it when appropriate, but they also know
what questions to ask and what advice to give for specific struggles. They go far
beyond “Here’s a verse and a prayer.” I would say that Christians should always
seek counselors who are also Christian because our worldview is important to
us. But they don’t have to be members of the same church or denomination.
For those in church leadership, I make the following
suggestions:
1) Learn the difference between “biblical
counseling” and “Christian counseling”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBmyDw7BGfs
2) Know when to refer to counseling
professionals, who is available in your area, and what affiliations they may
have with credentialing organizations.
3) If there are diagnosable
psychiatric conditions as determined by medical professionals, it’s probably
best to refer to outside counselors. Although the DSM is not infallible or
exhaustive, it does include a lot of very serious information about potential
problems.
From my own experience, I can say that finding a counselor
you feel comfortable with is one of the biggest factors contributing to health
and growth. I’ve met a couple counselors who seemed to have their own agendas
and didn’t really listen to me. I quickly stopped going to them, and it took me
a long time to risk reaching out to someone new. But I’ve had others (one past
and one present) that I’ve enjoyed meeting with regularly, and I’m grateful to
count them as brothers in Christ. I thoroughly believe that God has gifted them
with the wisdom, training, and interpersonal skills needed to minister to
people through ongoing counseling. That is not a skill set that all pastors
have, and I suspect that if pastors do have counseling gifts they will probably
not be satisfied to be preparing sermons instead.
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members
do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ,
and individually members of one another. Having gifts that differ according to
the grace given to us, let us use them…” (Rom. 12:4-6).
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything
as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient
to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the
letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Cor. 3:5-6).
© 2025 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and
all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not
necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.