LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Christ-Centered Ministry versus Problem-Centered Counseling
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Christ-centered ministry encourages spiritual growth and depends on the Lord to do the
work in each individual through His Word and Spirit. Therefore, one can confidently assure
believers that this ministry is more effective, long-lasting, and spiritually rewarding than
problem-centered counseling for those who are willing to go this way. For those who follow this
Christ-centered ministry there will be spiritual growth, even if certain problems at hand are not
resolved.
Because Christ-centered ministry utilizes all that should already be available in every Bible-
believing church where Christians are growing in the Lord, it avoids what we call the “onerous
ones” that typify problem-centered counseling. We briefly touched on these onerous ones
earlier. However, we will expand on them here to clarify some major differences between
Christ-centered ministry and problem-centered counseling for the purpose of encouraging
believers to take courage in exercising their gifts, talents, and responsibilities for ministering to
one another without fear or intimidation from the counseling world.
One to One
Problem-centered counseling is typically a one-to-one relationship. Sometimes couples and
families are involved, but the relationship is generally artificial and restrictive. The counseling
relationship itself usually does not extend outside the counseling room.The relationship lasts as
long as counseling is being provided and normally does not extend to other involvement, even
in most biblical counseling centers. Problem-centered counselors commonly do not involve
themselves with counselees outside the counseling room.That is why both psychological and
biblical counselors sometimes use intake forms requesting a great deal of personal information.
Because this relationship is generally isolated, the counselor and counselee can be selective as
to what they want to reveal about themselves. In fact, as we mentioned earlier, research shows
that counselees often lie to their counselors and protect themselves by concealing important
information.
The great advantage of Christ-centered ministry is that it is not limited to an artificial one-
toone relationship where one has the problem and the other supposedly has the solution. In
the Body of Christ all are growing together.There are many Versus Problem-Centered
Counseling opportunities to know one another and to interact in genuine relationships. When a
believer is experiencing problems, more than one person may be involved in ministering to that
individual. One may be teaching. One may be reminding. Another may simply be extending
support and fellowship. Another may be helping in practical ways.Another may be exhorting.
Another may be admonishing. And, in a few cases, some may be exercising the responsibility of
disciplining a fellow believer for the sake of restoration. But, all can be praying and encouraging
the individual in the direction of the Lord. And, through all this, all are growing together and the
relationships may deepen with one another as well as with the Lord.
One Day a Week
Problem-centered counseling is generally one-to-one, one-day-a-week, but rarely outside
the office. Someone pointed out the paradox of the counseling relationship by saying that while
the relationship is extremely intimate at times, the counselor has no interest in seeing the
counselee outside the office. Many problem-centered counselors, including biblical counselors,
avoid other contacts with their counselees, who cannot see the counselor outside the
prescribed one-day-a-week, unless additional appointments are made.
In Christ-centered ministry the possibilities of seeing one another and communicating by
phone are only limited by the number of individuals available. As mentioned earlier, Christians
can choose when and how often to meet together for personal ministry. In the body of Christ
this can be done freely without the one-day-a-week time constraints of problem-centered
counseling
One Hour
In addition to the one-to-one and one-day-aweek errors in most problem-centered
counseling, there is generally the fifty-minute hour limitation. Why a fifty-minute hour or
similar restriction? The time restriction is a device to meet the needs of problem-centered
counselors to regulate the flow of counselees for convenience and sometimes for income. This
relationship governed by the clock benefits the counselor, not the counselee. And, if the
counselee is late, the already reduced hour is further reduced; if the counselee is desperate and
needs more time, it is already taken by other counselees.
Christ-centered ministry is governed by love rather than the clock. Giving time to a fellow
believer is a way of saying, “I care about you.” And because the ministry is shared among
believers, it supersedes what is available or affordable in problem-centered counseling.A local
church is not bound by the one-to-one, one-day-a-week, one-hour relationships of problem-
centered counseling.
One Week after Another
One-to-one, one-day-a-week and one-hour shortcomings of problem-centered counseling
are amplified by one-week-after-another. As mentioned earlier, Mesmer and Freud began what
reVersus Problem-Centered Counseling sulted in today’s problem-centered counseling. Freud’s
system of psychoanalysis actually involved three to five sessions per week and lasted over a
period of years. Thus he set the pattern for long-term therapy.Today many problem-centered
counselors continue to retain counselees over numerous weeks, months, and even years in
spite of research that shows no advantage of long-term counseling. Long-term counseling
relationships also deteriorate into dependency relationships. People in problem-centered
counseling often become dependent on their counselors rather than on the Lord.
In contrast, Christ-centered ministry emphasizes dependency on the Lord Himself, and in a
church where the ministries are functioning and the gifts are operating, the mutual care and
encouragement of fellow believers are there to assist all believers in their ongoing walk with
the Lord. Rather than a long-term artificial counseling relationship there is a relationship of
mutual care in which believers are available to encourage one another as they are growing
together in Christ.
One Fixed Price
The one-to-one, one-day-a-week, one-hour, oneweek-after-another errors of problem-
centered counseling lead to one fixed price that is charged (or a donation that is expected).
Some biblical counselors charge fees or request donations for their services for some of the
same reasons as psychological counselors. The establishing, billing and collecting of fees (or
encouraging of donations) are a significant aspect of most problem-centered counseling.
Because of salaries to be paid, the one fixed price (or donation) becomes a necessity that limits
the relationship. If one cannot pay his bill (or contribute) the relationship is usually over.The
money paid (or donated) must match the mark in the appointment book and the hand on the
clock. After all, a problem-centered counselor who charges a fee must fill enough appointments
to make a desirable income.
There is no example in Scripture for charging a fee (or asking for a donation) for ministering
the Word of God by the grace of God to a brother or sister in Christ. Someone might protest
that a minister is paid a salary. But that is a false analogy. The true analogy would be charging
someone a fee to attend church. Christ-centered ministry is freely given just as Jesus gave freely
of His life and love. He said, “Love one another, as I have loved you”(John 15:12). When Jesus
sent His disciples to minister, he said to them, “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matt.
10:8). Believers are to reach out to one another in love, friendship, and mutual care as they are
all growing together as members of one body.
One Right after Another
One right after another fits right into the one-to-one, one-day-a-week, one-hour, one-
week-afteranother, and one-fixed-price onerosities. In problem-centered counseling there is
usually a progression of one person right after another. Counselees know others have preceded
them and others will follow. No one has set a limit on how many counselees per day one
counselor can effectively Versus Problem-Centered Counseling manage. Counseling eight hours
a day, five days a week, with large numbers of people always has and always will lead to
superficial relationships lacking genuine compassion, even in the biblical counseling office.
There is no biblical example for one-right-after-another, problem-centered counseling. No, not
even the example of Moses, since he was judging disputes between people, rather than getting
into the pattern of problem-centered counseling as practiced today. In Christ-centered ministry,
the personal ministry load can be spread among many believers. There is no need for one-right-
after-another or the other onerous ones. There is often a temptation for the pastor or a paid
staff member to carry the load of personal ministry. When this happens, one right after another
can weaken the overall ministry, overburden the pastoral staff, and be affected by the onerous
ones. Believers need to learn to minister to one another and to receive ministry from each
other rather than depending on the pastor or a staff counselor for such help.
One Up/One Down
The one-to-one, one-day-a-week, one-hour, oneweek-after-another, one-fixed-price, one-
rightafter-another are eclipsed in problem-centered counseling by the tragic onerosity of the
one-up/ one-down relationship, with the counselor considered as the expert with the gnosis to
perform the cure. This artificial hierarchy of the expert over the needy one is unbiblical and not
supported by the research, as we have demonstrated elsewhere.
Rather than an expert being responsible to fix the problem, Christ-centered ministry draws
both the seeker and the helper to the Lord for wisdom and transformation. When the Lord calls
one believer to minister to another believer, both are seeking the Lord in meekness and
humility. Believers may be especially gifted to minister to one another in the faith, but all (even
those in leadership) stand on an equal plain at the foot of the cross. Indeed, it is the Lord who
truly accomplishes the restoration and sanctification of the believer.
Our Goal
Our goal is to remind believers of their call and empowerment to serve in the Body of
Christ. Obviously not all the necessary information regarding Christ-centered ministry is in this
short book, but the Lord will bring forth what is missing through the Holy Spirit, the Word of
God, and the Body of Christ as you seek to serve Him. He will give you opportunities to grow
spiritually and serve according to His will, through His Word, and by grace through faith.
We seek to encourage ministry and to discourage the use of problem-centered counseling.
We seek to encourage dependence on the Lord and His Word to minister to one another in the
Body of Christ, without intimidation by or dependence on biblical counseling manuals,
workshops, seminars, degrees, or certificates. We hope to see ministry shared among believers
in their local fellowships with their focus on Jesus Christ and the Word of God. The Lord will
enable them to serve as they Versus Problem-Centered Counseling are constant in prayer,
diligent in Bible study, and marked with the humility of a servant’s heart and as they are ready
to serve without having to be in a superior position or to have a title of superiority. Ministry
among believers should be constant and ongoing, which will result in souls beset with problems
seeking the Lord through His Spirit, Word, and Body rather than turning to counselors trained in
psychological or biblical counseling. We hope this book will encourage you to participate in
what God is doing and will do in the lives of His children. What a privilege to be included in the
mighty, miraculous work of God in one another’s lives. All believers have opportunities to
minister to fellow believers to encourage them along the way.
What a blessing it would be if there were an end to problem-centered counseling and a
restoration of Christ-centered ministry in the Body of Christ. Restoring Christ-centered ministry
should lead to the end of both the psychological and biblical counseling movements in the
church.
We urge those who call themselves biblical counselors to move away from
problemcenteredness and to abandon and condemn the unbiblical practices of: charging fees,
operating separated from the church centers, using psychological integration, belonging to
psychological or integrationist organizations, using the terms counselor, counselee, and
counseling, and practicing one or more of the other onerous ones.
As we have said, “The biblical counseling movement must die.” It must die to the unbiblical
practices, to which it has been shackled and been reluctant to condemn. It must remove itself
so that Christians in local congregations can minister as they should, without outside
intimidation or interference. Pastors, elders, and church leaders must bear the responsibility for
such a move or admit they have failed at what they have been biblically called to do. Christians
in their local congregations are also responsible to encourage and be open to such a move and
to be involved in such ministry as a helper and/or seeker. We hope and pray that our small
voice, along with others who already truly minister biblically, will be heard and heeded.
If you are one who is experiencing problems of living and looking for assistance, find
someone in your local church who can minister to you. Find someone who is mature in the faith
and is walking with God the way you desire to walk. Ask that person to come alongside,
minister the Life of Christ, speak forth the truth of God, encourage you in your walk with the
Lord, and earnestly pray.
If you are a Christian, know essential biblical doctrines, are walking according to your new
life in Christ and growing in the Lord, you already have what it takes to minister the Life of
Christ to a fellow believer. You have a living God, the source of all life and healing. You have His
living, enduring, abiding Word (1 Peter 1:23-25), which ministers truth to the mind, direction
and encouragement to the will, and grace for the emotions. Christ-centered ministry is not a
position of expertise (one-up-man ship Versus Problem-Centered Counseling) but one of side-
by-side seeking the Lord. It does not lead believers into the downward spiral of problems, but
rather upward to the Life of Christ and the Word of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Can you think of anything more worthwhile than to serve God in your own family, in the
Body of Christ, and in the world? Every person in whom the Holy Spirit lives is enabled to serve
and can say with Paul, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13)?
Take courage! God will indeed work His own good pleasure in and through His children.
