Mission Statement and Statement of Faith
Mission Statement
To facilitate provision by Christians
of quality counselling and pastoral care
The Board aims to build an Association which:
- Honours God and follows His leading
- Creates and maintains a good reputation
- Sustains high standards in accreditation, training and ethical matters
- Serves its members' needs efficiently
- Represents its members' interests to government, churches, professional bodies and the general public
- Continues to be accountable to its members
- Plays a full part in the international development of Christian counselling.
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To fulfil its aims the Board will: - Commit itself to prayer for the work of the Association and to the development of well informed prayer groups nationwide
- Refine and develop its disciplinary systems so that they are fair and efficient and will show that standards are being upheld
- Review existing criteria, and where necessary develop new and higher levels of training and accreditation
- Continue to value and develop the staff of the Association
- Develop the regional structure and work towards giving members the opportunity to attend meetings in their locality each year
- Share information and resources with those seeking to develop similar associations in other countries
Statement of Faith
The Association affirms the central truths of the Christian faith as expressed in the Bible and historic creeds. God is one and this unity is revealed to man as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The ACC recognises this and specifically the Lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture in all areas of belief and practice.
The Association acknowledges that there are different emphases within the various Christian counselling traditions and recognises that some Christian approaches are more at ease than others in drawing on insights from secular theory and practice.
Definitions - Basis of Christian Counselling
It is not our purpose to make all Christian counsellors think the same or counsel in the same way. However, we do expect our counsellors to have a specifically Christian worldview. A Christian counsellor works with overall assumptions that underpin his or her counselling. These may be implicit or explicit. They should be consistent with:
- What the scriptures reveal about the nature and activity of God - that He is both the creator and judge of human beings and their redeemer in Christ.
- People being created in the image of God - although, because we are fallen and sinful, they are in need of God's redeeming grace.
- Christ as the one true Saviour and Lord. Through His life, death, resurrection and the gift of the Holy Spirit, God has made available all the resources of His grace to rescue people, heal them and bring them to maturity and wholeness.
- God's work of justice and mercy in the world and His love towards all people.
- His work of rescuing people, even though they do not deserve it, and bringing them to faith and maturity in Christ, through the work of the Holy Spirit.
- The reality of a fallen world where suffering, pain, guilt, fear, broken relationships and fragmented communities occur.
- God's desire for His people to work to bring healing and wholeness of spirit, mind and body.
Christian Counselling
In light of the above, we may define Christian counselling as "that activity which seeks to help people towards constructive change and growth in any or every aspect of their lives through a caring relationship and within agreed relational boundaries, carried out by a counsellor who has a Christian worldview, values and assumptions".
