The Preacher Spring 1990

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As you enter the house after an exhausting day, your spouse greets you with news of a call: "The Browns are having trouble again, and they want you to come right over." You wince as you remember the last time you went to help the Browns with their "domestic disturbance." After three hours of crisis intervention, you felt you had made some headway. Now you suspect they're going to want long-term help, but you've promised the board, your spouse, and yourself that you would reduce your counseling load. How can you help the Browns?

After a number of premarital sessions with a young couple in your church, you become convinced they need specialized help in setting up a workable budget. Whom can you get to help?

A 16-year-old girl has just called you, the only one she felt she could turn to. Through her tears, you learn she's pregnant and is considering having an abortion. Her parents don't know yet, and she wants your help. As she's on her way over, you rack your brain to think of others who might help with her parents, with medical care, with practical and emotional support. Who?

Ministers frequently find themselves lacking either the time or the qualifications for a given situation. They need to make a referral. But most of us have never been trained in making referrals. Having served both as a pastor and as a full-time counselor, I've seen the matter from both sides. Here are some insights into the three questions pastors usually ask.

In deciding whether to refer a person to someone else, I ask three questions:

Do I have the skills necessary to help this person? This doesn't mean I have to have professional training in every area of need presented to me. It does mean I want to be sure I'm the right person at the time. ...

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