It’s important to meet frequently with a medical doctor to make sure your body is healthy. In a similar way, there are also times when it’s good to meet with your pastor in order to receive care for your soul. That’s why a pastor used to be called a “doctor of souls” (or in German, a “Seelsorger”).

Pastoral counseling differs from the expertise of a doctor (or a trained mental health professional, for that matter), who is trained to care for the body and/or mind. Instead, a pastor is trained to specifically apply the law and gospel to one’s conscience. The law is the commandments of God. One of its purposes is that it condemns sin. The gospel is the declaration of the good news about Christ and His justification of all people. A conscience needs to have a proper application of both of these teachings in order to be healthy.

During the divine service, God uses His called servant to provide spiritual care to the whole congregation. But there are also times when one’s conscience still feels uneasy, or a difficult situation or relationship doesn’t change, even after weeks of coming to church. That’s a good indicator that a more personalized application of God’s Word is necessary. Whenever you feel that way, or find yourself in a situation that’s challenging, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your pastor, or a fellow believer in Christ.

God deeply cares about you, and He wants to bring healing to your soul.

Conversations you can have with your Pastor:

• Applying the gospel to a conscience troubled by sin.

• Connections between mental and spiritual health.

• Pre-marital and marital counseling. (Including issues with sexual intimacy).

• Christ-centered parenting.

• Relationship problems.

• Theological questions.

• Helping with referral to mental health professional if needed.