I am thrilled to recommend to you the launch of Bridgehaven Counseling Center. I am always in need of gospel-based, competent counseling to be able to recommend, and Bridgehaven serves that need.
I couldn’t imagine a better summation of what I’d want to see in a counseling center than Bridgehaven’s four core principles. They are:
1. The Necessity of the Gospel – The gospel changes everything! And apart from the gospel, no change, however dramatic, will last. If we believe that the gospel really is the good news about how our lives can be restored, then it must be at the center of our efforts to provide counseling.
2. The Centrality of the Local Church – Growth happens in community, and Christian community is found in the local church. Counseling programs thrive when they are intimately connected to the life of the local church, both feeding and being fed by it.
3. The Sufficiency of Scripture – God has provided us with the most reliable textbook regarding care for the hurting and the suffering—the Bible. Too often we abandon the Bible when it comes to deep struggles, as if Scripture were only relevant for minor problems. Bridgehaven believes that a deeper understanding of Scripture is sufficient to address every hurt and every need.
4. A Balanced View of Sin and Suffering – All of us are both sinners and sinned against. Until we admit to both of these realities, overcoming past hurts will never be possible. As a pastor, it is comforting to know that when my people face emotional struggles that come the suffering of a failing body or challenging relationships that Bridgehaven approaches those situations with the compassion of Christ.
I am confident that Bridgehaven will be an instrument (as a referral source and the resources it produces) for Christian professionals—doctors, social workers, attorneys, teachers—to leverage their workplace influence with hurting people for lasting gospel influence.
I personally know the counselors at Bridgehaven—godly men and women like Neale Davis, Omar King, and Kathy King. With their compassionate hearts and the gospel-centered vision of this ministry, I am excited to see what God will do!
While the Summit Church has been instrumental in getting this center off of the ground, the counselors are not Summit representatives per se. They see themselves as partners to you in your ministries, and will encourage any you send their way to be faithful to your church.
Thanks for what you are doing to reach this great city!
J. D. Greear
Lead Pastor, the Summit Church