Biblical Counseling
Comfort, hope, and wise counsel from the Scriptures
…that we may present every man mature in Christ.
At Fairview Bible Church, we believe that the Bible was designed for our practical instruction and is sufficient to equip and mature believers. Being the defining authority for doctrine and discipleship, the Bible, in conjunction with the Holy Spirit and the caring body of Christ, is sufficient for every spiritual, relational, or emotional problem.
Offering biblical counsel is one component of the church’s mission to make disciples of Christ—to see people come to know Christ and to make Him known. Our goal in counseling is not to remove any and all difficulty from life, but to offer comfort, hope, and wise counsel in order to help people respond to trials in a way that glorifies Christ, and causes the believer to grow to better know, love, and obey Christ.
As with all discipleship, the majority of counseling is done informally, on an ongoing basis, in the daily life of the body of Christ. If you’d like to meet for counsel for a specific situation, please feel free to contact Pastor Preston.
Pastor Preston's training
Christopher Preston holds a Master of Divinity from Shepherds Theological Seminary in Cary, NC, and has trained with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
David Powlison helpfully summarises what biblical counseling is all about in his statement of affirmations and denials.
Helpful counseling resources
If you want to understand what biblical counseling is for
Books
- A Theology of Biblical Counselingby Heath Lambert
- Ordinary: Sustainable Faith in a Radical, Restless Worldby Michael Horton
- Depression: Looking Up from the Stubborn Darknessby Ed Welch
- When People Are Big and God is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Codependency, and the Fear of Manby Ed Welch
- Respectable Sinsby Jerry Bridges
- The Pursuit of Holinessby Jerry Bridges
- Anger, Anxiety and Fear: A Biblical Perspectiveby Stuart Scott
- Finally Free: Fighting for Purity with the Power of Graceby Heath Lambert
Online
- Association of Certified Biblical Counselors
- Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation
- Biblical Counseling Coalition
- Institute for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship
- Association of Biblical Counselors
- Biblical Counseling Institute
Looking for reading on the Christian life more broadly? The elders keep a longer list of recommended resources.
Get in touch