Church Assistance Program

EFI’s Church Assistance Program allows participating churches to respond to the needs of their own members and local community by making counseling services readily available. Churches may partner by offering space for EFI counseling or by providing funding for counseling services or a combination of both.

For further information on establishing a church partnership or assistance program, please call Dr. Van Valin at 466-EDEN (3336).

SUMMARY OF CHURCH ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Eden And The Church
Eden Family Institute has been providing professional Christian Counseling and Psychology services to the community and church membership in Hampton Roads since 1994. From its conception Eden Family has sought to partner itself with area churches and ministries to provide both affordable, and valuable mental health services, for these ministry members. Although these partnerships take on many different forms, the Church Assistance Program has been shown to have a significant value in terms of mental health services and stewardship, for the local ministries that take part.

The Need For Christian Counseling Services In The Church
The basis for Eden’s philosophy for practice with churches is based on a theory and model developed by Gary Sweeten of Life Way Ministries. The model provides a description of the needs of a flourishing congregation, the helping activities that a church can provide, and rationale for professional relationships needed for referral. Sweeten presents a 5-tier description of the mental health needs of congregates within a local church. He proposes that 20 to 30 percent of church attendees may likely benefit from professional Christian counseling at some time or another. These presenting problems may often be beyond the expertise of local lay counselors, and could likely expend much of the pastor’s time, as he or she, attempts to stabilize these more serious mental health issues. Specific percentages of individuals typically falling within different categories of need and service provision will be presented. Statistics and funds involved in churches attempting to establish an on-site professional counseling service are provided to demonstrate the disproportionate relationship between number of sessions per week per family and available hours and salary of a church counselor.