Do you want to learn more about starting a counseling ministry in your church?
Do you wonder what that would even look like? As you get excited about the possibility, do you worry about liability… the emotional sustainability of your leaders… the uncertainty of counseling ethics for a lay-based ministry?
Are you unsure about how to bring up this potential new ministry with church members and leadership?
If you answered “yes” to these questions, we invite you to join us for this webinar series.
We are developing a Cohort experience (dates TBD) for churches wanting to launch G4 or GCM ministries. Attending this educational series will be a prerequisite for the Cohort experience.
Do you want to learn more about starting a counseling ministry in your church? Click To TweetFAQs
- Is this the same series you taught in the Spring? It is the same basic content, although we have re-organized and refined the sessions based on the feedback we received.
- Do I need to attend all of them? Yes, as each webinar builds on the previous one(s). You can see the full series outline below.
- Is there a cost? The webinars are free.
- How long is each webinar? We designed this to be a “lunch and learn” style experience. We will start promptly at 1 pm EST, with the webinar lasting approximately 45 minutes, followed by Q&A. We will finish at or before 2 pm EST.
- Is there homework? Just log in and learn.
- Is this for pastors or lay people? The webinar series is for the person(s) who would oversee the G4 and GCM ministries at your church. This might be a paid staff member or a lay volunteer.
- What are G4 and GCM? See the series outline below.
Schedule
August 18
Webinar 1: Where Are We Starting? Where Are We Going?
RSVP Here. This first webinar sets the stage for the series. We will affirm the things that get churches excited about starting a counseling ministry. We will put into words the things that make churches hesitant to start a counseling ministry, including liability and sustainability. Finally, we will explain how G4 and GCM were designed to help churches wisely navigate these challenges.
August 25
Webinar 2: What is G4?
RSVP Here. G4 is a group-based counseling ministry that provides a context for participants to invest a season of their life in overcoming a life-dominating struggle of sin or suffering. Most groups utilize a curriculum built around a nine-step model of sanctification that addresses their primary life struggle (i.e., addiction, depression, eating disorder, grief, trauma, etc.).
You can learn more at summitchurch.com/G4.
September 8
Webinar 3: What is GCM?
RSVP Here. Creating a Gospel-Centered Marriage (GCM) is a five-part seminar series designed to facilitate pre-martial mentoring and serve as a marital enrichment resource. If a couple is in significant marital distress, they would need marriage restoration level care, which is beyond the scope of GCM. However, GCM could serve as a helpful resource in the aftercare phase of their marital recovery.
You can learn more at summitchurch.com/GCM.
September 22
Webinar 4: Five Levels of Counseling
RSVP Here. “Counseling” is a word like “dog.” It has a broad semantic range. “Dog” can mean everything from Poodle (a cat that barks) to Great Dane (a horse that people let live in their homes). Similarly, “counseling” can mean everything from “every helpful conversation” to “a professional relationship with a credentialed helper.” In this webinar, we will discuss the five levels of formality that can exist with counseling and identify G4/GCM as level-two ministries.
October 13
Webinar 5: Ten Unintended Challenges… And Opportunities
RSVP Here. “But what about…?” This is the common refrain at this point in the journey. We will explore 10 common challenges that emerge when a church creates a counseling ministry. With each challenge, we will also discuss the opportunities that emerge when the challenges are faced in an honest, proactive way.
October 27
Webinar 6: Ethics, Spectrums, and Formality
RSVP Here. What is different about having a friendship conversation as opposed to a level-two, lay counseling conversation? As the role of the helper becomes more formal, the expectations of how helpers handle the privileged information they receive changes. We will pinpoint where G4 and GCM exist on the spectrum of formality.
November 10
Webinar 7: Ethics, Expertise, and Jurisdiction
RSVP Here. In this webinar, we will help you identify where G4 and GCM exist on the spectrums of expertise and jurisdiction. You should now be able to differentiate how your emerging counseling ministry is distinct from friendships, your church’s general discipleship ministries, and professional counseling services in your community.
November 17
Webinar 8: Preparing a Launch Plan
RSVP Here. The final webinar walks you through a six-step launch plan for G4 and GCM. Understanding this plan helps you communicate well with church leadership, recruit and train volunteers, and complete other wise steps before you put a “counseling” tab on your church’s website.
If you desire more guidance than this final webinar provides, we encourage you to join us for the Cohort experience.
RSVP
Before you RSVP, we recommend putting all the dates on your calendar to ensure that you don’t miss one of the sessions.
Click on the RSVP links above to register. You will need to RSVP individually for each webinar you are planning to attend.
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