A social contract is basically what people agree to in terms of how to interact with one another. As a biblical organization, we not only adhere to, but desire and choose to uphold, expectations of one another that can be very different from what you will be offered by mainstream society and the people you usually interact with. This difference can be so stark a contrast, that it bears stating and confirming with one another explicitly.
Our Submission to the Highest Standard
Firstly, we commit to God and following His Word. We submit to the Bible’s precepts as the ultimate authority. When there are differences in opinions, we go to God and seek His opinion and judgement and ruling—His opinion is what matters because He is the Judge and Ruler of all the kings of the earth (Rev 1:5). Jesus is our model and we imitate Him through the power of His Holy Spirit and the truth of Holy Scripture (3 John 1:11).
We defer to the Bible (as always), and in particular when there are issues between children of God (Matt 18:15-20). Counselees/supervisees can and should:
- seek to resolve matters by speaking/listening earnestly with their counselor/supervisor first (Gal 6:1-5; Matt 5:23-24),
- jointly request guidance/assistance from the supervisor of the counselor/supervisor (Heb 13:18-19); and only then if still necessary,
- jointly submit to mediation by a Christian body (not a secular one; 1 Cor 6:1-5) that is trained to restore the relationship objectively with God’s loving wisdom (2 Cor 5:18-19).
Our Commitment to Virtue-Based Ethics
We commit to serving one another through virtue-based ethics and not fear-based ethics: placing one another’s interests above our own (Phil 2:4) and bearing one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2). We speak the truth lovingly to build one another up even/especially when it’s challenging (Eph 4:14-16). It is greater to give than to receive and so we are called to work hard (Acts 20:35) for:
- you as the boss, since we are servant leaders who reverse power dynamics to counter the top-down force of this world and lift up others from the bottom-up, (Mark 10:42-45; so that you tell us what you need and how you want us to help);
- you as a brother/sister-in-Christ first and foremost, and we agree with secular organizations that multiple-roles (a.k.a. dual-relationships) are a natural manifestation of being in a small tight-knit community where other identities (e.g., friends, family, neighbors, co-workers) are either of lessor or no relevance (Mark 3:33-35), and boundary crossings are not only necessary but advantageous;
- you as covered (i.e., anonymous) and only known as a child of God where sessions are held with full confidentiality in a confessional booth style (alternate names with video off) so that you can be free to share only what is relevant/necessary (Rev 2:17); and
- you as a sophisticated client expecting practical guidance, that goes beyond just a sympathetic ear (which requires recognizing social determinants of mental health (e.g., traumatic experiences) and understanding how emotions are the language of the soul, without insistence of one’s subjective thoughts/feelings as truth; Jer 17:9) in order to generate insight.
Our Obligation of Personal Responsibility
Thirdly, we commit to the process of personal sanctification. We recognize a high level of locus of control and responsibility—as is inherent in the free will that God gives us (Rom 8:12-14)—and therefore take the initiative to grow in:
- humility to recognize that we can’t rely on our default characters/abilities and therefore purposefully seek to grow in God’s mercy and grace (Prov 15:33) by embracing godly sorrow when we fall short and godly determination to rise up and do more/better through Him;
- wisdom by understanding/applying the entire Bible, sifting for God’s common grace in evidence-based practices as part of formal academic programs and/or through open-access research, and learning your experiences (through less/selective talking and more/curious open-ended non-judgmental motivational interviewing and Socratic questioning; Prov 20:5);
- love by caring for others the way that you need and not how we may want as fellow sojourners on this journey together (through higher attunement, empathy/validation, and synchronicity; Luke 11:11);
- integrity that allows for mutual consent to having every conversation in front of God (and therefore also able to be recorded for supervisory accountability; Phil 2:15), and requires accurate reporting of hours where mandated (e.g., criminal/family courts, licensing authorities, academic programs; Rom 13:5); and
- discipline in doing more than what is expected—especially more than what is expected of those who do not follow Jesus (Luke 6:32)—and even doing more than what we were able to do at the beginning of the journey (1 Cor 15:10).
“Covenant Rainbow” | Imperfect Photography by Imperfect Ronnie | (Gen 9:12-17).
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