Biblical Counseling at URC
Unpacking the Riches of Christ through soul care, disciple-making, and leader training.
The Counseling Ministry at URC exists to provide biblically informed, wise, compassionate, Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered care and training so that each congregant is enabled to live by God’s Word leading to “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). Our desire is to help the church glorify God, make disciple-making disciples, and save the lost by:
· Counseling individuals, couples, and families
· Training counselors, elders, and growth group leaders
· Introducing congregants to a biblical model for discipling, counseling, and one-anothering. We believe that Christians are continually giving advice and counsel to others (Ephesians 4: 15-16); some formally, but all of us in normal relationships and conversations. We want to help all of us do this well.
Biblical counseling is face-to-face conversational ministry of the Word in which we minister the grace and truth of Jesus Christ to specific people and issues in the power of the Holy Spirit leading to life transformation. We seek to love people wisely so that they learn to deal with the problems of life in a way that promotes God’s glory and their spiritual growth.
What kinds of counseling issues do you deal with?
We would be glad to talk about any life-challenging problem you are facing. These include marital and other relationship issues, anxiety and depression, anger, addictions, eating disorders, OCD, grief, spiritual problems, etc.
How do I seek counseling?
You can contact Pat Quinn through email or phone (517-351-6810, ext. 19) anytime. He will have you fill out a counseling questionnaire and then contact you. Depending on availability, Pat would then either meet with you or refer you to another trained URC counselor.
I am interested in getting training in biblical counseling. What do I do?
Training counselors is a big priority. We usually offer at least two training opportunities each year:
· Counseling Model and Methods
· Counseling Topics and Issues
· Biblical Counseling Internship— more intensive training including reading, writing papers, counseling observations, and individual or small group tutorials
Contact Pat Quinn for more information.
What kind of training do URC counselors have?
URC does not offer state-licensed therapy, but rather, biblically-based Christian counseling. The Director of Counseling, Pat Quinn, has a Master’s degree in Bible and Theology from Calvin College and has taken graduate level counseling courses from the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) in Philadelphia. He earned their Introduction to Biblical Counseling Certificate in 2010. Pat also has many years of experience as a Bible teacher and counselor at a Christian school. He serves as an elder, lay preacher, and worship leader at URC. Pat trains lay counselors at URC using curriculum from CCEF and other resources.
