COUNSELING OUTSIDERS
Greg Wilson
October 1, 1989
In a world full of stress and uncertainty, some pastors find that people from outside the congregation ask for counseling-premarital counseling, family counseling, vocational counseling, counseling for emotional problems.
Says Ken Schamens, pastor of Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Anderson, South Carolina, "It reached the point where I had to decide: How much time can I spend counseling nonmembers?
"My calling is to minister the Word and sacraments to the members, equipping them to become disciples," Schamens said. "But at the same time, I feel it is also part of my calling to be available to those who are in need, whether they belong to my church or not. It's a real conflict."
Is it part of a pastor's duty to provide counseling to anyone who asks?
Reasons pastors say no
Some pastors have concluded that at times saying no is best for the pastor, the church, and the person seeking counsel.
Rick Collins, pastor of Cornerstone Assembly of God in Anderson, South Carolina, said he learned this lesson firsthand when a local employer asked him to counsel a troubled employee. The person was a total stranger to Collins.
"I had some reservations, and I told him that my time was limited, but I agreed to do what I could," Collins said. After the initial meeting, Collins determined the worker needed long-term counseling, something he had told the employer he could not provide.
The employer, however, urged Collins to provide whatever help he could. So Collins set up an appointment for the worker with a full-time Christian counselor and provided the time and meeting place of a local support group he believed might help.
His advice went unheeded, the worker lost his job, and Collins got the blame.
"It was an uncomfortable situation," Collins recalled. ...
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