From CCEF Executive Director Tim Lane: How many times have you heard someone say, “I need help but the last place I would ever go would be the church?” CCEF exists to completely reverse that statement. We want people to think of the church first whenever they need help. That, in part, forms the basis for the current article, “One Church’s Story.”

Let me share the evolution of this current article and how it has developed over time. “One Church’s Story” began as a workshop at CCEF’s conference in 2003. I did a workshop on the importance of the local church and pastoral care. Soon after that, some of the ideas became a part of the curriculum training that Paul Tripp and I were doing in different places in the country. When Paul and I were co-writing How People Change, we adapted it and made it a composite narrative of many churches we had interacted with from 2001-2006. Finally, it was imported into a JBC issue (Summer 2006) which featured articles written by church leaders casting vision for a robust understanding of counseling and care at every level and layer of the local church.

Why is all of this significant? CCEF’s mission is two-fold; 1) to restore Christ to Counseling and 2) to restore Counseling to the Church. One of the unique aspects of CCEF has always been the importance of the body of Christ and the normal means of grace for the process of sanctification. While more intensive, formal counseling is very important, the need for local churches to be equipped and able to care for people is equally important. We still strive to broaden the definition of counseling to include a person’s normal daily life within the body of Christ. We are also eager to provide resources to equip the body of Christ to be the first place - and not the last place - a person thinks about when they are struggling and need help. It is a big challenge, but one that CCEF is eager to take on!

Click here to download "One Church's Story" (PDF)

This article is adapted from How People Change, Chapter 16, "One Church's Story," by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp. Copyright © 2006 by Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp. Used by permission of New Growth Press and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of New Growth Press. How People Change may be purchased at  www.newgrowthpress.com.

To see other products in the How People Change series, including the workbook and leader’s guide, click here.