Christian psychotherapy is an important resource for individuals and church bodies alike. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is a referral source for such services and defines its usefulness by its compliance to Biblical doctrine, as well as use of scientifically sound principles and practices. To protect the integrity of the church referral process, the Minnesota South District of The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod requires affiliated clinicians to exercise spiritual wisdom by compliance to the following doctrinal statement and spiritual health issues.
All LCC counselors subscribe to the following Bible based Christian Counseling Covenant:
I believe in the Scriptures as the inspired and trustworthy Word of God, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of human beings, and the final authority for all matters about which it speaks. I believe in one God, creator of all things and eternally co-existing in three persons — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and His substitutionary death provides the only ground for justification, forgiveness, and salvation for all who believe. I believe that the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration and renewal for believers in Christ, that He makes the presence of Jesus Christ real in believers, and that He comforts, guides, convicts and enables believers to live in ways that honor Him. I believe that ministry to persons acknowledges the complexity of human beings as physical, psychological, social and spiritual beings. The ultimate goal of Christian counseling is to help others move to personal wholeness, interpersonal competence, mental stability and spiritual maturity.
- Divorce
- that the clinician recognizes marriage as a covenant relationship to God and each other and is meant to last a lifetime.
- That therapy is used to heal the wounds of relationship and work toward forgiveness and reconciliation.
- that divorce is not promoted but may be worked through as a choice of the client and most likely due to the Biblical mandates of infidelity and desertion.
- Abortion
- that the clinician recognize life as given by God at conception, respected as holy and precious, and not promote its physical end by medical intervention for reasons other than the severe medical implications for the mother.
- Homosexuality
- that the clinician recognize sexuality as a gift from God, created woman for man for the purpose of heterosexual expression of love and procreation in marriage.
- that the clinician will not promote alternative views to the Biblical mandate for God's plan for sexuality.
- Pornography
- that the clinician recognize the holy and sanctified intention of sexuality in marriage and not promote, encourage, or make use of inappropriate sexual material for educational or other therapeutic purposes.
- Euthanasia
- that the clinician recognize the sanctity of life and not support or encourage purposeful demise of life outside the realm of Christian principles.
I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understood the above stated covenant. I further acknowledge that I am in agreement with and choose to abide by its Christian principles in my therapeutic work with individuals and families. I also certify that I am a member in good standing of a Christian Church. I also recognize my own professional expertise as acquired through education and supervision and will not practice beyond those boundaries.