Counsel and Restoration Ministry
The Body of Christ is made up
of those who can be
“burdened,” “caught in transgression,” “weak,” “fainthearted,” and
“grieving,”
and who must daily face the “schemes” of an unseen enemy. Far from
being a group of people immune to struggle, difficulty
and temptation, we are told in Scripture that those who belong
to Christ will most certainly face
them. The call on the Body of Christ is for us to speak to each other, with
love and great patience, the biblical truth that offers hope, provides
direction,
and summons us again and again to repentance and restoration as
disciples of Christ. Biblical counsel is called
for within the Body of Christ
at countless points: in response to the darkest, most suffocating struggle of
life, or in the hidden place of deepest shame, or in
the midst of a family’s
most overwhelming grief. The truth of God’s Word, spoken clearly and gently in
such circumstances, will have the effect of cool, living water washing over
desperately parched ground. God has always revealed Himself as the Living Water
His people are thirsty for, and Bay Area First Baptist Church will not ignore
the drought around us and in our midst. By God’s grace we will love church
members and community members enough to take them by the hand and lead them to
the Living Water that we also, deeply need.
The Living Water Ministry of Bay Area First Baptist Church will
be best
described as lay biblical counseling. Although oversight will be provided by
the ministerial staff of the church, the counseling will be primarily offered
by trained church members. Volunteers from within the
membership of the church will be provided extensive training and certification
in the use of biblical counseling materials and techniques. The Bible-based
curricula and standardized methods utilized will prepare volunteers to be used
of the Holy Spirit to assist others in
their journey toward healing and
wholeness in Christ. Counseling will be offered through one-on- one meetings,
small group settings and issue-specific support groups. Lay biblical counselors
will be equipped to serve the Body of Christ by lovingly speaking the truth of
Scripture to others during what may be the darkest moments of their lives, or
their areas of deepest struggle. As Christ
sought to restore His creation to
relationship with the Creator, the Living Water Ministry will seek the
restoration of individuals to God, to His church, to their families and to
their communities.
