The Big Picture - 2005 AACC World Conference

I have just returned from the AACC World Conference in Nashville, TN. The last time I attended one of these was in 1992 there were about two thousand attendees. This year, there were seven thousand Christian counselors, pastors, and lay leaders in attendance. Eleven overflow hotels were needed to handle the demand.

I was blessed to hear the likes of Larry Crabb, John Ortberg, David Jeremiah, Gary Smalley, and Tony Evans as keynote speakers. I also attended seven workshops on specific topics ranging from “Hot Potatoes in Christian Counseling,” offering help on how to avoid legal and ethical pitfalls, to “Compassion Fatigue,” focusing on stress and burnout among caregivers. My heart was refreshed daily by awesome worship, testimony, and a renewed sense of our call to serve God in our work as counseling professionals.

There are currently over fifty thousand AACC members in the US and similar organizations are already going strong in many foreign countries. We heard speakers representing them from Germany, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Canada. For the most part, the Church around the world is embracing Christian counseling as an instrument of God to heal and strengthen His body, to bring hope to the lost, and to equip many for service. I want to share that affirmation and encouragement with ACC’s staff, the Board, and our faithful supporters and say how honored I was to be at this conference. In my heart, you were all there with me.

The vast majority of those with whom I spoke were either in private practice, agency work, or church-based counseling centers. We at ACC have things in common with all of them. There were audible moans whenever the topic of insurance came up. Nonprofits were all feeling the pinch of funding limitations, especially since the hurricanes. Church-based centers were struggling with liability and privacy issues. Yet most felt sure of their call and are counting on the faithfulness of God in going forward.

We also heard special guests from the gulf region. AACC is aiding in the effort to help not only the victims, but also the helpers, most of whom are exhausted. One of the guests from LA was Tommy Tenney, author of The God Chasers. He has helped to organize a network of pastors from the hurricane regions. They face unique challenges as their congregations are spread all over the country. We saw a video interview with one of them showing the devastation to his home, the church, and the town. His people are calling him from wherever they are to seek direction and comfort. They repeatedly asked for our prayers. An impromptu collection yielded nearly $80,000. Many attendees signed up to offer help in various forms. You can visit www.aacc.net and click on Project Care to learn more about how many have responded to this tragedy.

I hope this brief summary of my time there will bless and encourage you all. I also hope it will remind you of the scope of the Church, of God’s kingdom, the nature of the battle we fight, but especially of the promise we have from Scripture in Zachariah 4:6—

Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts.