Mobilizing an Army of Wise Counselors
“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Eph. 4:11-16).
What if we could train up and equip the saints to help each other speak the truth in love with more skill and compassion at every level in the church? Move equipping and care from intentional to intensive discipleship as described in Ephesian chapter four? This passage on pastoral care jumped off the pages of the Scriptures and into my heart over 20 years ago. I was convicted that we who are well trained can’t just counsel to counsel—we must counsel to equip. The teams I worked with started adding apprentices (counseling trainees) and advocates (friends of the counselees) to every counseling session. Twelve Stones Ministries and Soul Care Consulting developed internships and coaching cohorts. It was one of the best ways to replicate care. I did not fully realize initially that these additions also improve the quality of care. What we have learned is that to have a soul care culture, it is not enough to train formal counselors. It would not be sufficient to only have staff help the most hurting in the church. It’s like trying to win a war with just artillery and no ground troops. We needed trained formal counselors, but 80% of the work of soul care belongs to godly friends and the front-line leaders.
Living in the New Covenant age is an unprecedented privilege. But it calls us to something less obvious: the unprecedented power and responsibility to live on mission (Col. 1:28-29). The early church knew this, and converts lived radically differently from the culture they resided in. They were known for their faith, prayer, love, deep devotion to God, and deep unity with one another (Acts 2:42-47). Paul reminds us that this new ministry was given to them by God through the sacrifice of His son (Eph. 5:2). It came with a new commission and a new commandment (Matt. 28:19-20; 22:37). Every believer has that call.
Not Just More Counselors but Better Structures of Care
While more and more leaders see soul care as an every-believer ministry (Rom. 15:14; Heb. 3:12-14), that does not mean they have a plan to equip, support, and supervise their people. It is the mission of most churches, and it’s not for lack of vision that it is falling short in many. It’s the “trellis work”—the care structure is missing. You have pastors and lay volunteers with no discipleship pathway, no clear milestones, no middle-level leaders to coach or train, and no well-developed leader pipeline. Training and care gaps must be identified and filled. The house needs more than a basement and an attic. Making disciples is not the same as maturing disciples. Maturing disciples means a well-thought-out discipleship philosophy and lay leaders that are well-trained, supported, and supervised. Soul care-oriented discipleship at every level targets a deeper dependency on God and His Word, compassionate caregivers who gently restore believers caught in habitual sin (Gal. 6:1-2), and co-sufferers who help those in enduring trials (2 Cor. 1:3-5).
Help Others Make the Paradigm Shift
When the Bible refers to a “godly counselor,” it is, in essence, synonymous with a disciple maker. Let’s redeem the word “counsel.” Biblical counseling has helped equip modern-day disciple-makers with an unmistakable conviction that the Word of God is sufficient, authoritative, alive, and transforming in a way that surpasses self-help, psychology, or human wisdom. A good disciple-maker is someone wise enough to go to God’s Word for help and hope (Rom. 5:1-2); someone humble enough to pray and depend on God’s Spirit for change (Col. 1:3-8); and someone who cares enough to ask—not presume or judge quickly (Prov. 18:13; 2 Cor. 1:3-7). This “informal counsel” can and should happen in discipleship groups, community groups, sitting at a meal, or in coffee shops and living rooms.
By now, we can see that the Bible makes it clear that every believer has an extraordinary call to love and serve (Gal. 5:13) and extraordinary tools to do so (2 Cor. 10:3-5). So why the gap of care? Why the false dichotomy of discipleship and biblical counseling? Because the world has hijacked the word “counsel,” and the average follower of Christ needs more training. But who is sufficient for these things? The good news is there are great opportunities for formal counseling equipping with several biblical counseling organizations. The bad news is the informal equipping has not caught up yet. The best news is that your sufficiency to care as prescribed in the New Covenant Church ultimately comes from the Lord (2 Cor. 3:4-6).
A Culture of Care
I believe we can and should create a community and culture of soul care that is both attractive and active and will set us apart in unity and love like no other organization on earth (John 17:20-23). But to be candid, it’s not going to happen in your typical consumer-driven, Sunday-only church. It takes strong biblical leadership, a plurality that catches and casts this clear vision, a clear and noncompeting philosophy of soul care discipleship, and a few years of diligent equipping to accomplish (Eph. 4:11-16). It is time to empower every believer to carry with them the job description of a wise counselor. Only then will we not just have good counselors or an authentic community but also a growing culture of soul care.
Questions for Reflection
- How does understanding your calling to “counsel” as a believer reshape your approach to loving and serving others?
- Reflecting on the concept of “trellis work” in church care structures, what are some common challenges churches face in equipping, supporting, and supervising lay volunteers for soul care ministry? How can church leaders identify and address these gaps to cultivate a culture of discipleship-oriented soul care?
- How might you personally contribute to redeeming the concept of counsel within your discipleship groups, community interactions, and personal relationships?
Editor’s Note: Part One of “An Extraordinary Call to Every Believer” by Garrett Higbee can be viewed here.
