Sunday, March 1, 1998

Pastors less likely to counsel parishioners

By LORETTA FULTON / Abilene Reporter-News

A joke around seminary used to be that "the local Baptist preacher was the poor man's psychiatrist."

Now the local Baptist preacher, and all other ministers, are much more likely to send their church members to a real psychiatrist or counselor when problems arise.

Mike Stedham, executive director of First Baptist Church's Ministry of Counseling and Enrichment, is both a Baptist minister and a licensed counselor and understands the shift that has taken place among the clergy.

From the days that Stedham heard that joke at seminary, he has seen a new attitude and different circumstances develop.

"It's more acceptable and more financially feasible," to get professional counseling today, said Stedham, who has been head of the local counseling center for 20 years.

One problem for ministers today, although not as pervasive as some might think, is that they face malpractice lawsuits, something unheard of in previous generations. Of greater significance is a lack of time and lack of training for proper counseling.

The term "clergy malpractice" was virtually unheard of until 1988, when the California Supreme Court ruled in a landmark case, Nally vs. Grace Community Church.

The parents of Kenneth Nally, a young man who committed suicide, sued his church for negligence, charging that, as counselors, the pastors should have helped prevent the suicide. The court ruled in favor of the church, saying that spiritual counselors need not be held to the same standard as secular therapists.

But local ministers and counselors say a lack of time and insufficient training are greater deterrents to ministerial counseling than fear of being sued.

Mike Schirle is pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, but he's not a counselor, so he doesn't hesitate to refer his members elsewhere if he thinks they need professional help.

"I say upfront I may need to refer them," he said.

Although the fear of lawsuits isn't constantly on Schirle's mind, he realizes the threat is real. People have seen "every pastoral scandal possible" and are aware that those people are as subject to lawsuits as anyone else.

To avoid any hint of impropriety, Schirle and other ministers take precautions.

"I have to be very careful," Schirle said. For example, he always leaves his door open when counseling a woman.

"It keeps me accountable, and shows I'm trying to go the extra mile in trying to prevent a problem," he said.

Although Schirle understands the circumstances, he's not happy about the environment we live in today. He can no longer fully minister to his flock as pastors once did.

If Schirle has to refer a member elsewhere, the impression may be that "What I'm doing is saying, 'I don't want to help you,'" he said.

Not only is the church member denied the pastor's help, the minister, too, is shortchanged by not being a part of the healing process.

"There is no greater satisfaction than that," Schirle said.

Many people want a spiritual dimension to their counseling and feel that secular counseling comes up short. In Abilene, however, that isn't so much of a problem with the First Baptist ministry and Pastoral Care and Counseling Center, started 25 years ago by a Baptist minister, Dr. John DeFoore.

Both centers are open to the public and affordable, charging clients on a sliding scale dependent on their ability to pay.

"We will under no circumstances turn anyone away from our doors here," said Dr. Jim Sulliman, executive director of Pastoral Care and Counseling Center.

Although lawsuits weren't a serious consideration when the two local centers were founded, two other reasons cited by minsters were: lack of professional training and too many demands on overworked clergy.

"They could only devote so much of their time to counseling" Sulliman said. '

For most churches, hiring a full-time licensed professional counselor was out of the question, so DeFoore conceived the idea of a local center, staffed by professionals, where referrals could be made.

Twenty-five years later, Pastoral Care and Counseling Center is still providing services.

Both Sulliman and Stedham emphasized that ministers still provide counseling services but now are more likely to realize their limitations and refer people to professionals.

Sulliman compared it to referring a person for medical services when needed. For example a husband might seek counseling because his wife is suffering from cancer.

"Obviously that's something that a minister could and would provide great help for," Sulliman said, but the minister wouldn't try to outline a treatment plan, leaving that to medical professionals.

Having a church-affiliated counseling center benefits both the client and the minister who refers him, said Stedham, director of First Baptist's counseling center, which has been a part of the church since 1977.

"Our direct connection with a church gives ministers a sense of confidence," Stedham said.

Stedham agreed that ministers today mainly refer people because of their lack of training in counseling and a lack of time. But, he said, the threat of a lawsuit also figures into the mix.

"We certainly have to be much more accountable for ourselves," he said, and noted that a magazine titled "Church Risk Management" can be found in most church offices.

Another reason people are more likely today to seek professional help is that mental and emotional illnesses have come out of the closet. A new generation of ministers has seen the legitimate role of professional counselors, Stedham said.

Also, the idea that if you are suffering mentally you must not be "religious enough" is vanishing, Stedham said. Ministers no longer tell people that if they just prayed harder and attended church more often everything would be OK.

"That's the sort of thinking that has changed," Stedham said.

That doesn't diminish the power of prayer, Stedham said. In fact, he said, "a Christian counselor may be the answer to the prayer."

Some people, however, may be turned off by a counseling center associated with religion, particularly if they have had bad church experiences.

"There are people have been wounded by the church," Stedham noted.

That association has led officials at Pastoral Care and Counseling Center to consider changing its name, Sulliman said. The name may have a bad connotation for some and it can be confusing.

However, Sulliman said the name has never been changed because "we would be losing the essence of who we are." Counseling at the center is "always on the basis of Christian principles first and foremost," he said.

All ten staff members at the center are licensed so clients can expect professional counseling with faith as the basis, he said.

At First Baptist's counseling center, religion is not mentioned unless the client brings it up, Stedham said.

"No one has ever said, 'you tried to cram religion down my throat,'" he said.

On the other hand, Stedham said he would encourage a client to speak to a minister or priest if he believed the problem were spiritual. When he's talking with a client, Stedham said he tries to tune into whether the problem is clinical or spiritual.

As he listens he asks himself, "What exactly is this person dealing with?"

No doubt, that's the same question a minister asks when listening to a parishoner's problem.

Depending on the answer, the minister may well refer his "client" elsewhere.