In addition to counseling within my local church for over forty years, I have been involved in biblical counseling ministry to people outside of the church since 1993. While the Lord uses counseling ministries for good, one danger of relying upon outside counselors is that it can become a substitute for the ongoing soul care offered by sound biblical churches.
Ideally people receive soul care in their local church—this is the best place for God’s people to seek soul care as the elders/pastors shepherd God’s flock (1 Peter 5:1-5) aided by other mature believers (including gifted godly women who counsel women Titus 2:3-5). One advantage of this approach is that church leaders should already know their sheep—as opposed to outside counselors who must start relationships afresh. Those who have been living life with the counselees have been “watching the video” while outside counselors are only able to see a snapshot of the problem.
Another reason for counseling to take place in the local church is that the church has necessary resources to help those who are struggling spiritually. These resources include the public means of grace, faithful shepherds, and the entire body of believers who are
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