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Assignment on Crisis counseling ( bmc51)

Submitted to : Rev. Lalhriatkima
Submitted by : Lalhmingsanga
Topic: CHURCH: AN ENABLING PRESENCE IN THE MIDST OF CRISIS

Introduction:

In the New Testament, that community gathered by God through Christ is identified as People of
God, New Creation, and Fellowship in faith and the Body of Christ. Today this community of
God is universally called 'the Church'. Jesus used this term only twice (Mt. 16:18; 18:17), and
this becomes the important name for the followers of Christ today. The goal of the church is
growth in the spirit of each person. This group "provides an assurance atmosphere of acceptance
and through its faith in the risen Lord. It provides healing and reconciliation. Therefore the
ministry of the church is for the setting up of God's shalom in the world. The only master and
Lord of this community who continues his mission is Jesus Christ through this community,
preaching good news to the poor, proclaiming release to the captives, restoring sight to the
setting blind at liberty those who are oppressed, proclaiming the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk.
4:18-19). The purpose of the church is, 'to increase among men love of God and love of
neighbors’. 1

Church as an agent of healing: Firstly, the church is the body of Christ. Christ is the head of
the church and Christ is the healer. Christ’s work in the atonement and our redemption included
taking up our infirmities, bearing our sin and having us healed by his wound. (Isaiah 53: 4-5,
Peter 2: 24, Matthew 8:16-17) These passages refer to both physical and spiritual healing that
Christ has purchased for his people.

Secondly, Christ gave the church the Great Commission as inherited from the apostles. In
Matthews version of the commission, the church is to take disciples of all nation, baptize them
and tech them to obey everything, Christ commanded them including divine healing (Matthew
28: 18-20 cf 10:7). In Mark version of the commission, they are to preach the good news and
baptize. Those who believe and are saved will have these sign accompanying them: driving out
of demon, and placing hands on the sick to get well among others sign. Thirdly the church is
empowered by the Spirit. The empowerment of the Spirit that was promised and eventually
fulfilled in the day of Pentecost did not end with the apostles. The Holy Spirit his gift including
healing and working of miracles are very much alive in the church till today.2

Church as reconciliation: The Church is the place where witness is given to the foundation of
all reality in Christ. The Church is the place where it is proclaimed and taken seriously that God
has reconciled the world to himself in Christ. The space of the church is not thee in order to
1
Ezamo Murry, An Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling(ISPCK: Delhi, 2005) 35-36.
2
Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapeds: Zondervan
Publishing House, 1994) 1063.
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fulfill for territory but precisely to testify to the world that it is still the world, namely the world
that is loved and reconciled by God. The fundamental message of the church is one of
reconciliation state that “reconciliation is an ongoing spiritual process involving forgiveness,
repentance and justice that restores broken relationship and systems to reflect God’s original
intention for all creation to flourish”. The church becomes prophetic when it creates and sustains
a reconciled community. The task of the prophetic ministry of the church is to nurture and
nourish an alternative consciousness to the dominant culture around us. Reconciliation with God
must be demonstrated by genuine reconciliation within the church and by continuing a ministry
of reconciliation to the world. 3

Church Ministry toward the overcoming of crisis:

All aspects of a church’s life reveal pastoral need and afford opportunities for care,
whether by clergy or by other members. In addition to illness, bereavement, family problem, and
other such needs, congregations also generate pastoral needs as result of living and working
together as a community of faith.. The function of the church is sometimes compared with the
four walls of the church building, namely worship, fellowship, education, and evangelism.
Through these the function the church prepares people to live in harmony with the will of God.

Church service/ Fellowship: None should be excluded from the scope of its ministry. There
must be elements which speak to saint and sinner, member and visitor, old and young. The
“church services” conducted by Jesus certainly set this pattern. The despised tax collector was as
much a part of this worship experience as was the pious Pharisee. The Savior’s ministry reached
out to both. Christians met together to receive spiritual renewal through worship so that they
could go out to confront their world with their Christ. This was the total task of the total church. 4

Preaching: It is central part in church service. Preaching is not merely sharing knowledge or
teaching how to live but is also the medium for the powerful Word of God. Through it, the Holy
Spirit can effect change, give grace to weak and weary sinners, give a relief for those facing
crisis and elicit faith in the hearts of God’s people.

Prayer: In church service, congregation offers a word of prayer. Since prayer is the way in
which man cooperates with God, it gives the people to have assurance and strength to overcome
the entire problem.

Sacrament: The Sacraments of Initiation are vital to the life of a Christian as they are the
foundation of a Christian’s life. The Sacraments of Initiation welcome the members of the
Christian community into the life of Christ and give us purpose and a sense of belonging into our
true family. When the church perform Eucharist, the spirit of Christ dwells with the church
people, the people can get healing spiritually or physically because Christ is the living bread.
3
https://www.academia.edu/35069753/The_Church_as_Alternative_Community_A_South_African_Perspe
ctive accessed on 17th September 2020.
4
Eugene L. Stowe, Ministry of Shepherding (Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City: Missouri, 1976) 70.
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Teaching: Teaching all that Christ taught, therefore, includes instruction in doctrine, but it also
includes helping people to get along better with God, with others, and with themselves. These are
issues which concern almost everyone. Some learn from lectures, sermons or books; others learn
from personal Bible study or from discussion; still others learn from formal or informal
counseling. At the core of all true Christian helping, private or public, is the influence of the
Holy Spirit. He is described as a comforter or helper who teaches “all things,” reminds us of
Christ’s sayings, convicts people of sin, and guides us into all truth.”5

Counseling: As a way of helping people, counseling seeks to stimulate personality growth and
development; to help individuals cope more effectively with die problems of life, with inner
conflict and with crippling emotions; to provide encouragement and guidance for those who are
facing losses or disappointments; and to assist persons whose life patterns are self-defeating and
causing unhappiness. In addition the Christian counselor seeks to bring people into a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ and has the ultimate goal of helping others to become first
Disciples of Christ and then disciples of others.6

A ministers help to those in crises and losses has four aspects the general ministry of
pastoral care, informal crisis counseling, short term (one to five sessions) formal crisis
counseling, and longer term counseling and therapy to help persons repair the psychological
causes and/or consequences of severe crises. The general ministry of pastoral caring is a ministry
of presence, listening, warmth, and practical support. Trained lay carers can and should share
responsibility with the pastor for this important and demanding ministry.

Short-term crisis counseling, informal or formal, is needed by persons who could

mobilize their coping resources more quickly, and handle their crises more constructively with
some help in reality testing and in planning effective approaches to the new situation created by
the crisis. Formal longer-term counseling are needed by those who are so traumatized and
immobilized by overwhelming losses or multiple crises that they are unable to mobilize their
coping resources without therapeutic help.. Modern approaches to crisis and grief counseling are
derived from the pioneering work of Erich Lindemann in his 1943 study of bereavement among
survivors and relatives of those who died in the tragic Coconut Grove fire in Boston. In the years
since that study, crisis intervention methods have been perfected as they have been used by
counselors to help persons cope with a wide variety of crises, changes, and losses. The core
experience in both crises and grief is that of loss. A loss or the threat of a loss is always involved
in crises. Feelings of grief are a part of all major life changes, transitions and crises. In most
crises and losses, there is separation anxiety, feelings of identity confusion, and the necessity of
developing new ways to meet one's basic emotional needs.7

5
Gary R. Collins, Christian Counselling: A Comprehensive Guide ( Word Books Publisher: Texas,1980)
16.
6
Collins, Christian Counselling: A Comprehensive, 20.
7
Howard Clinebell, Basic Objective Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling ( Abingdon Press:
Nashville,1984), 190-191)
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Church response to then COVID 19 crisis today:

The COVID 19 crisis presented us with an immense challenge in this paradigm. The
civil authorities stopped the physical gathering of Christians in churches, and ecclesial
authorities endorsed this. In response, the churches adjusted to the order but in a variety of ways
to maintain visibility and witness.

Many churches switched to online service through internet platforms. Some turned to
mass media of radio and TV services. In doing this they continued the preaching of the word of
God and shared prayers. Others still who lived outside the internet and mass media orbit adjusted
into the household and family worship sessions. They were home alone but were sustained in the
theological assurance of Christ’s presence in our times of need. So, in such crisis moments,
people who wanted to draw closer to God found connections through mass media and online
platforms.

Conclusion:

In the Church no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere.
As a sacrament of unity and thus a sign and a binding force for the whole human race, the
Church is the place where illegal immigrants are also recognized and accepted as brothers and
sisters. Solidarity means taking responsibility for those in trouble. For Christians, the migrant is
not merely an individual to be respected in accordance with the norms established by law, but a
person whose presence challenges them and whose needs become an obligation for their
responsibility ‘…I was a stranger and you welcomed me’ (Mt 25:35). The task of the church is
not only to present constantly the Lord’s teaching of faith but also to indicate its appropriate
application to the various situations which the changing times continue to create.

Bibliography:

 Collins, Gary R. Christian Counselling: A Comprehensive Guide. Word Books Publisher:

Texas, 1980.
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 Clinebell, Howard , Basic Objective Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling . Abingdon
Press: Nashville, 1984.

 Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand

Rapeds: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994.

 Lartey Emmanuel Y., In Living Color: An Intercultural Approach to Pastoral Care and
Counselling. Jessica Kingsley Publishers: London, 2003.

 Murry, Ezamo An Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling. ISPCK: Delhi, 2005.

 Stowe, Eugene L. Ministry of Shepherding. Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City: Missouri,

1976.

 https://www.academia.edu/35069753/The_Church_as_Alternative_Community_A_South
_African_Perspective accessed on 17th September 2020.