GRACE CHURCH SOULCARE
Soul Care is a ministry of care that potentially affects every part of a healthy, growing church. We would most simply define Biblical Soul Care as speaking the truth in love in your circle of influence. It is unique to the local church as it is anchored in the Word of God, dependent on the Spirit of God, and practiced in the community of believers.
Biblical Soul Care is more than a model of biblical counselling. It is intentional and intensive discipleship and deep, authentic fellowship. It is something we all should do at the level we are equipped. It is not a new idea. It is living out the "one another" commands in the Scriptures.
The Core values of SoulCare are that it is,
- Christ Centred – The person of Christ, His preeminence, the gift of His life given to us (Colossians 1:15-20).
- Biblically Grounded with Truth & Grace – We get principles for life and godliness from the Bible and we want to give counsel that is a blend of both truth and grace (John 1:14).
- Spirit-led – The real counsellor is God, who meets us through His Spirit. We want to be careful to give heed to His guidance and not simply let our experience dominate the direction of our counsel (John 6:63).
- Prayer Saturated – Humility and dependence on God are shown most clearly through prayer. We want to practise and model both humility and dependence throughout the counselling process (Colossians 4:2).
- Community Based – God calls us to live life in the context of His people. Care, encouragement, exhortation, and healing happen most fruitfully in the church community (Hebrews 10:24-25).