Counseling & Discipling

Gary Thomas            Jon Sanne'

Our role in ministering to the body of Christ is “...to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature ... then, we will be no longer as children tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching...” (Eph. 4:12-14).

Our philosophy of counseling/discipling at Calvary Chapel is as follows: pastors, elders, staff, and others equipped in God’s Word are led by the Spirit to listen to needs, questions, and concerns of those desiring God’s wisdom, and share with them the riches of God’s Word with explanation, illustration, and application. Our goal is simply to assist others in learning to walk according to the Spirit.

Counselors and disciplers are authorized by the Word to be “... Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were pleading through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The work of changing lives is left to the Holy Spirit. The role of the counselor/discipler is merely to help others discover for themselves God’s miraculous power to transform lives from turmoil to peace (Ephesians 4:4-7).  We have found that this will occur when a person with a heart willing to yield to the Spirit is presented with God’s Word in such a way that the person is “... transformed by the renewing of the mind" (Romans 12:2). Then they will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

As a practice, women are not counseled alone by men; rather, we encourage women to meet with women and men to meet with men. If a man needs to minister to a woman directly, then a third person acceptable to both the man and the woman should be present.

Spiritual counseling/discipling in the areas of marriage, pre-engagement/marriage, family, personal, financial stewardship, and God’s Word as a whole is a ministry of Calvary Chapel, provided free of charge, and can be requested through the church office by calling 352-4214.