The View - From Both Sides

ACC therapist, John Shuler, has earned both a divinity degree and an MA in counseling. He has served as a youth pastor but now works as a Licensed Professional Counselor. John has seen the need for a partnership between ministers and therapists from both sides.

Having worked in both ministry and counseling, Shuler has a passion to fuse the two together. “I see the mission of the church and of ACC as being under the same umbrella. Both are interested in meeting a person where they are and helping them grow. The goal of discipleship is to become more Christ-like. Emotional baggage often holds back that process.”

“We see more and more fractured lives today,” John continued. “We hear stories of every type of abuse. Divorce abounds with the rate of failed marriages as high within the church as outside. The needs can be overwhelming.”

Pastors are described as shepherds caring for their flock. In counseling, a pastor often confronts issues which are beyond his training or simply need more time than he has available. From his personal experience as a pastor, John shared that “as the shepherd, when I referred a person for counseling, I was entrusting one of my sheep to the care of another. Trust was a major concern. Having confidence in that clinician or center was essential.”

The other issue for pastors which John discussed is their own care. “Pastors are always counseling people, every day, with each word they speak, or each conversation in which they participate. They are always feeding and caring for others. Eventually they will feel burned out. As the shepherd, however, leaning on the sheep is not generally an option. Having a place of trust and confidentiality where they may grow and heal is vital. Associates in Christian Counseling can be the pastor a pastor sometimes needs.”

In Mt. 23:27 Jesus Himself warned against being “whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones.” John believes that the church is meant to be a healing community where weakness may be shared and healing can occur. Pastors and the counselors at ACC can be powerful partners on this journey.

©Associates in Christian Counseling, all rights reserved.

John Shuler, MA, LPC, will be ACC’s staff clinician working at the Surry Christian Counseling Center.  If you  would like more information about the ministry of Associates in Christian Counseling at either location, please call:336-896-0065 (Winston-Salem) or 336-789-7405 (Mt. Airy)