# From The Editor From The Editor Language: en Original issue: The Heartbeat of the Remnant, Summer 2018, Number 2 Source pages: 3, 11 Read article: Original PDF: Summer\-2018\-Remnant\(1\)\.pdf [The Heartbeat of the Remnant, Summer 2018]() Greetings of love in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ\. We trust you are in good health \-3 John 1:2\. It is also our desire that each of you are enjoying a healthy, vibrant relationship with our Lord\. His goal is that each of us would “draw near to Him” \(James 4:8\) in a true and living way so that we might have an abundant life, \-see John 10:10\. In February of this year, several of our board members were asked to travel to Manitoba, Canada to share with four churches regarding how churches can help the struggling individuals in their midst\. Later, in April, several of us were again asked to travel to Colorado to share with believers there on the same issue\. This is one of the burdens we, as a board and as a church have—that of churches helping their own “in\-house”, instead of continuing to follow the normal method of “out\-sourcing” \(to counseling centers\) those needing help\. There are many people today who are struggling to find their way in life\. When I was a youth I was only aware of at most probably ten counseling centers that were openly used by the conservative Anabaptists\. Of course, there were always the Psychologists and licensed counselors, but the centers which were specifically geared towards the views and needs of the Plain People were few and far between\. However, the waiting lists of folks “needing” the services of these facilities kept growing until it didn’t seem right to make them wait so long when they were in such dire straits\. Thus, churches organized committees, worked with their local zoning boards, and passed the offering plate, all in an effort to build one more counseling center—thereby doing their part to help stem the overwhelming tide of folks needing help\. I am aware of somewhere between 20 and 30 facilities, centers, or organizations that have sprung up over the last 20 to 30 years\. That’s roughly one such institution per year for the last 25 years\. This is only the centers that are specifically geared towards the plain people; it is not counting all the ones that have been established with a focus on the evangelical community\. It also is not counting all the state\-approved faith\-based programs\. Recently, I heard of one such center that was built *in* a plain community, *by* the plain community, and *for* the plain community\. I was told this facility cost roughly half a million dollars to build and get into operation\. Consider that—only one of these centers costing half a million\. How much have some of the rest cost? Then what about all the ongoing costs that are necessary to operate one of these places even for just one year? There is all the staff, all the food, all the utilities, and all the maintenance\. Traditionally, the plain people have been known to be very frugal and thrifty with their money, very ingenious with figuring things out that are simple and that work, and very industrious in their work ethics and accomplishments\. So, what if in this area of “helping people” there would be a way to do it that would require less effort, less money, less people, and less land set aside? What if there wouldn’t be a need to send people away to become trained counselors, thereby saving that money and time? What if there was a way to help those within our own churches that was simple enough that any Christian could be involved? Finally, what if there was a way to help the struggling individual in a manner that brought about change that was much quicker, longer lasting, and that brought about unity in the local church body and was focused on reconciling estranged individuals with each other and with God? Lately we have been trying to formulate some of our burdens and goals about this whole issue into a simple concept so it’s easier for others to understand\. For now, we came up with the idea of focusing on and using what we are calling a “Discipleship Model”, instead of the normal “Counseling Model”\. We believe this model is more closely in line with what we see in Scripture and this is the method we have endeavored to use for the last number of years\. We have made a lot of mistakes and have learned a lot through trial and error\. However, with multiple years of experience behind us we can safely say that the more we follow the clear teachings of the Bible on these matters, the more issues are resolved, the more people find peace and rest, and the greater the unity a local church fellowship experiences\. We find that by using the term *Discipleship*, instead of *Counseling*, or *Soul Care* \(or any one of the various other common terms people use today\) there is a dramatic change in understanding about what is happening\. Here are some of the biggest differences we see in the two models\. ### The Counseling Model - The problem is seen as unique and specialized - The person is perceived to be a victim of circumstances or abuse - The counselor is expected to be a professional or at least a trained specialist - The problem is perceived to be a major issue requiring many intense hours over many weeks or months - It is expected to take an extended amount of time to remedy \(i\.e\. many, many meetings\) - Usually only one side of the story is listened to—the counselee - Usually the rest of the family is kept at arms\-length and in the dark - Many times, communication with close family members is forbidden or at least censored - The focus is on the feelings or the emotions - The meetings take place behind closed doors and are strictly confidential - Usually the “hurting” person is met with alone—one\-on\-one ### The Discipleship Model - The problem is seen as being a normal outcome of living in a fallen, sinful world - The person is understood to be a normal human being that was either sinned against or they simply need to be converted or have their mind renewed according to the Truth of God’s Word\. - It is best to have more than one person involved in the discipleship and all are understood to be walking together through the specific problem, each one recognizing that they are made of the same stuff \(Psa 103:14\) and passions \(Jam 5:17\)\. - The problem is recognized to be a normal struggle of humanity, requiring the work of the Holy Spirit to convict, enlighten, and change - In most cases, resistance to God's Word, His Spirit, and His transforming power is understood to be the only hindrance to change happening in a person's life\. Therefore, the longer a person resists, the longer it takes for change to occur, both in the present and ongoing\. - The problem is understood to arise within relationships, therefore the immediate family is included in the time spent together—that way the problem is seen quicker and everyone involved can be discipled on their part - Communication with close family members is imperative to bring about more real and lasting change - The focus is on the heart, which Biblically includes: the mind, the will, and the emotions—not on emotions alone - The meetings take place in measured privacy, but all necessary parties are kept aware of issues that arise - The “hurting” person is NEVER met with alone for multiple reasons - Communication with close family members is recognized as being a part of *understanding the problem and finding a solution* - The meeting involves the home ministry or someone appointed from the home church, so they can continue the discipleship within the local church body\. Sometimes this is not possible due to specific circumstances, so it is considered on a case\-by\-case basis\. However, discipleship that excludes the local church leadership is always understood to be the exception\. We, as a church, have continued to see the blessings and benefits of “helping” hurting people in this way, even the more serious cases of lifetime emotional struggles, major family and marriage struggles, mental disorders, and suicidal tendencies\. We have found that God is willing to be faithful and show Himself strong if all parties involved are willing to allow Him to work unhindered\. We have found many other churches that have also been understanding the problem and the answer in this way and have been successful in helping their own people in a similar manner\. ### The Vaccine Dilemma In the last two magazine issues in our Doctor’s Column, Dr Miggiani has been writing about vaccines\. This has raised some discussion and concern\. In answer to all the various thoughts, we only wish to say, “Please keep reading and wait until we get to the end of the series before drawing any final conclusions\.” You can be assured of one thing, Dr\. Miggiani is in no way wanting to be a social justice warrior for the cause of those either pro or con vaccines\. He simply feels a deep concern about some of the dangers \(physically & spiritually\) on both sides of the issue and he is focused on trying to present the facts as clearly as he knows how\. For this we ask your patience and kind understanding as we continue sorting our way through the issue\. ### The Flat Earth Over the last several years we have been hearing a growing ripple of murmuring from numerous circles on this issue\. For one reason or another it seems there is a global push on the subject\. Thus, when we saw this article published in the Nature Friend magazine, we thought it would be a benefit to reprint it, thereby putting a number of facts on the table in order to keep us from being swayed by every wind of doctrine\.