While the term “counseling” carries much weight and connotations today from the secular realm, Biblical Counseling should be understood as direct, corrective discipleship according to the word of God. Because of this, the purpose of Biblical Counseling ministry at MBC is to glorify God and to equip others through discipleship and training in the word of God within the context of the local church (Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Thess. 5:14).
The counseling received at MBC is based upon scriptural principles rather than principles of secular psychology or psychiatry. When the principles of Scripture are understood and faithfully applied, we are confident that the Christian possesses all one needs for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and the Lord will use His word to encourage the downcast (Psalm 119:25-32; Philippians 4:8-9) and equip believers for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Some foundational and practical expectations of MBC’s Biblical Counseling ministry:
Biblical counseling will be provided by one of our counselors under the supervision of the leadership of MBC. Our counselors are not trained or licensed as psychotherapists or mental health professionals and should not be expected to follow the methods of such specialists.
Because biblical counseling is understood as discipleship under the authority of the local church, God’s word is the sufficient authority for biblical counseling, and heart change and God’s glory are the ultimate goals. We do not adhere to the DSM-5 as an authority for diagnosing or treating issues that the Bible addresses as heart issues.
If there are any concerns/issues regarding physical health, we do not have authority to speak to those, and we will counsel you to visit a medical doctor, as needed.
We strongly encourage same gender counseling, and we have both men and women available to counsel.
All discipleship counseling is done free of charge as a ministry of MBC, although part of the weekly homework assignments may require the purchase of materials that correspond to the counseling.
If you are in need of Biblical counseling, please do not hesitate to call Pastor Matt Tomlinson at 616.784.5905.