Why we pay outsiders to counsel our congregation members: investigating the motivation for funding a congregational assistance plan

ABSTRACT

A Congregational Assistance Plan (CAP) is a formalized mechanism of counseling, premised on the model developed offering support to workers, Employee Assistance Programming, except for members of a church community. This Canadian study involved 44 church leaders representing both urban and rural congregations. Participants reported that they used church funds to pay for CAP for both spiritual and pragmatic reasons. CAP is viewed as an extension of the church’s ministry while also recognizing it was an economically efficient manner to help members of the congregation with psychosocial issues they did not feel comfortable sharing with ministers and deacons and often issues deacons. Ministers did not have the ability or comfort with which to assist.

KEYWORDS:

• Canada
• congregation
• counseling
• faith
• funding
• mental health

Disclosure statement

Marg Smit Vandezande and Mark Vander Vennen are both employed by Shalem Mental Health Services, the sponsoring organization of the Congregational Assistance Plan discussed inthis article.

Notes

1. Codes are included to indicate the ranges of respondents.