The Local Church. Christian Family Institute was founded in 1977 for the purpose of providing Christian Counseling to the body of Christ. Christian Family Institute was originally started with the assistance of local churches with a variety of denominational labels. Though each member of the staff of Christian Family Institute is an active leader in a local evangelical church, Christian Family Institute does not represent any single church or promote divisive doctrine to clients who seek our assistance. Christian Family Institute is committed to being a resource to all churches. Consequently counselors at Christian Family Institute are committed to respecting the denominational and theological commitments of our clients and those who refer clients to Christian Family Institute.

We recognize that the church holds an important place in the lives of believers. The church has as its purpose to provide instruction, facilitate fellowship, be a place of worship, encourage, and provide emotional support. As counselors, sometimes clients express conflicts with their church. It is important for us as counselors to first encourage problem-solving in the relationships we are in before exploring other options. We respect the unique authority that the local church holds in the life of the believer. Working with the church and issues at the interface with the church is a delicate relationship requiring good communication to maintain this relationship. This is further complicated by the fact that some clients do not wish for their church or pastor to know of the problems they face. The client owns the right to confidentiality, and their wishes on this matter are respected.

Christian Family Institute is committed to integrating a strong biblical faith with the latest developments in the fields of psychology, marriage and family therapy, counseling, and medicine. Christian Family Institute is not only committed to providing care to Christians, but also professional counseling services to those who are non-Christians, and may be wounded and are alienated from the church.

Christian Family Institute recognizes the importance and the authority of the local church in the life of believers. Christian Family Institute counselors recognize that they are not pastors, nor are they a substitute for a pastor in a person’s life. Counselors at Christian Family Institute refer clients back to their pastors when clients are wrestling with theological issues or decisions that may be contrary to the teachings of the local church. Pastors are routinely invited to come to Christian Family Institute with members of their congregation when pastoral care may also be necessary. Whenever clients are wrestling with decisions such as divorce, we recommend that those clients consider discussing that issue with their pastor or church leadership.

Marriage. Christian Family Institute is committed to marriage and to helping people be successful in marriage. Because the bible condemns divorce except under certain circumstances, Christian Family Institute is committed to preserving marriages and assisting people to make their marriages healthier whenever possible.

Free Will. We are aware, however, that God has granted men free will to choose their own path. Though our bias is in the direction of biblical decision making in all walks and aspects of life, we recognize that our clients have the freedom to make decisions that may be absolutely contrary to scriptures teaching. As Christian counselors we believe it is our duty to help Christians recognize when their decisions are contrary to the teachings of the Word of God. Beyond helping people recognize what their church may teach, or what the bible may teach, we do not believe it is our right to impose our views in a coercive way or a manipulative way on our clients.

Moral and Controversial Issues. On a variety of controversial issues, counselors at Christian Family Institute hold to a biblical perspective. We believe that the Bible is trustworthy and speaks with reliability and authority to the difficult issues of morality and life decisions. We also believe that the truth of scripture must be applied with grace and not condemnation. We are committed to loving and caring for those who struggle.  We are also committed to inviting clients to consider the wisdom of scripture as it may apply to their lives. We are strongly committed to restoration and reconciliation. If clients are open, we attempt to assist people to find forgiveness from their Heavenly Father, and to find reconciliation to one’s fellow man. We are committed to helping people overcome the guilt that sin produces in their life. We are committed to helping those who are disenfranchised from the church or have been wounded by Christian people find healing for their wounds and reconciliation back to the church. We are convinced that the institution of the church was ordained to foster spiritual, emotional, and relational health. To that end whenever possible, we attempt to assist our clients in considering the church and its healing resources for their lives.