Counseling Ministry
Purpose Statement
The focus of the Counseling Ministry is to provide a safe and caring environment for individuals and married couples to discover Christ-centered answers to personal struggles and relational challenges. Our volunteer Church Counselors have gone through extensive biblically based counseling training and receive ongoing supervision. A key part of Church Counseling is to bring God’s truth, hope and healing to whatever situation the Counselee faces.Saddleback Church is committed to serving and caring for the needs of our community and church family. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it the challenges of providing care while maintaining health and safety for those we serve as well as our volunteers. Currently, our church offices and active in-office counseling remain closed, however, we are actively looking at creative ways in which we can provide safe and confidential care as a church while abiding by the laws and standards put before us. In the meantime, we appreciate your patience and invite you to consider some of the following ways Saddleback is providing supportive care alternatives to counseling:
• Saddleback has amazing Support Groups that are meeting online. For more information: https://saddleback.com/care/supportgroups
• Saddleback Church always has a Minister of the Day (MOD) available to take phone calls for people who need to talk. To speak to the MOD, call the church at 949-609-8000 and ask for (or follow the prompts on your phone for) the MOD. If you leave a message, your call will be returned.
• For a referral list of licensed Christian therapists doing weekly counseling, please email this request to churchcounseling@saddleback.com.
• Celebrate Recovery is meeting online and in-person at Lake Forest Campus. For more information: https://saddleback.com/event/113175511000/celebrate-recovery-lake-forest-
If you are able to wait until the Counseling Ministry reopens and would like to be speak with someone about possibly being placed on the waiting list, call the Counseling Ministry at 949-609-8387. Leave your name, number, and some days/times when you can receive a call back.
INTERESTED IN BECOMING A SADDLEBACK CHURCH COUNSELOR?
The role of a Saddleback Church Counselor is to provide free, Christ-centered counseling to individuals in our church and our community who are seeking guidance for a variety of issues including: marital & family relationships, communication & intimacy, grief & loss, anger & bitterness, interpersonal struggles, and parenting- with an overall emphasis on spiritual development. All training currently takes place at the Lake Forest campus and counseling care is currently provided at both the Lake Forest and Anaheim campuses.
If you are interested in serving as a Saddleback Church Counselor, the first step is to attend the Church Counseling Training (CCT). The training is a 28-week class that teaches counseling skills and the application of a Biblical Counseling Model. In addition, the participants are trained in how to provide counseling care regarding a variety of different issues. Following completion of the CCT, individuals are invited to apply to become a Church Counselor. If you are interested in more information, or to sign up for future email updates regarding our next available class, please email us at churchcounseling@saddleback.com.