ICHTHYSroe is different from many other counseling organizations because we do not exist solely for the purpose of treating illnesses.  We are more akin to the original church that existed for practical spiritual/physical growth, than contemporary counseling centers that are established for mental health care (in the same way that Biblical counselors are more akin to the original pastors who were focused more on redemption of specific struggles than preachers focused on general doctrinal instruction or counselors fixated on symptom management).  This is not a matter of right or wrong, or better or worse, but a statement of why community is given such a prominent place on our ministry’s site and in our collective hearts.

Our counseling is geared towards cultivating community because individuals grow when connected to the body of Christ.  It is union with Jesus that matters most, but it doesn’t stop there.  Each one of us needs to be heard when things get hard.  We must not be silenced.  Each one of us needs to receive heavenly wisdom that is right and true.  We must not be humored or allowed to follow the natural course of self-centered esteem or actualization.  It is this ongoing dialogue that we worship God by honoring those made in His image.  Putting too much stock in people is bad, but so is having too little interest vested in one another.  God made us crowns of glory and joy for one another (1 Thess 2:19-20)!

We model out how to remain open to meeting every day with those who can share spiritually and physically in God’s presence (Heb 10:24-25), despite how hard it gets from our intra- and inter-personal challenges, because the entire point of Biblical counseling is to (a) build trust by opening up to one another, then (b) build one another up in ways that we can’t on our own, so that we can (c) build God’s Kingdom here-and-now together.   We nurture cohesion among homogenous (people who share similar struggles) and heterogeneous (people who learn vicariously through diverse life experiences) groups, facilitate workshops for organizations, and maintain culturally-relevant discussions among family-in-Christ.