The Pastoral Counseling and One-on-One Ministry Policy (POL-COUNSELING) establishes guidelines and expectations for pastoral counseling, discipleship, mentoring, prayer, and other personal ministry interactions conducted under the authority of 1st Free Will Baptist Church of Park Hills.

The church desires to provide compassionate, biblically grounded pastoral care while maintaining appropriate boundaries, accountability, visibility, and safety for everyone involved.

This policy applies to pastors, employees, church officers, ministry leaders, volunteers, teachers, mentors, and others providing counseling or personal ministry under the authority or approval of the church.

The policy addresses the nature of church counseling, appropriate meeting locations and boundaries, counseling with minors and adults, transportation, digital communication, confidentiality, documentation, professional referrals, and reporting inappropriate conduct.

Policy Code: POL-COUNSELING

General Board Approved: May 31, 2026

Document Status: Official Church Policy

Important Information #

Counseling provided by the church is pastoral and spiritual in nature unless otherwise stated. Church leaders are not necessarily licensed professional counselors, therapists, medical providers, attorneys, or financial advisors.

When circumstances require professional, medical, legal, or emergency assistance, individuals should be referred to appropriate outside resources.

Pastoral counseling and one-on-one ministry should take place in appropriate, observable, and accountable settings. Ministry workers should avoid isolated, secretive, or unnecessarily private circumstances, particularly when counseling minors, vulnerable adults, or members of the opposite sex.

Counseling or mentoring involving minors should ordinarily occur with parental or guardian knowledge and appropriate adult accountability. The policy provides for urgent circumstances requiring immediate care while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

Meetings should generally occur on church property or in appropriate public or semi-public locations, during reasonable hours, and where others are nearby or can observe general activity.

Electronic communication related to counseling or pastoral care must remain appropriate, accountable, and consistent with the church’s Electronic Communication and Social Media Policy.

Confidentiality and Accountability #

Confidentiality is important in pastoral care, but it is not absolute.

Information may need to be shared when required by law, when abuse or neglect is suspected, when someone may be in danger, or when appropriate church leadership, safety, legal, or accountability responsibilities require involvement.

Ministry workers should not promise absolute secrecy.

When counseling interactions are documented, records should be factual, limited to necessary information, and maintained securely.

Concerns involving inappropriate counseling conduct, boundary violations, manipulation, emotional dependency, sexual misconduct, or other unsafe behavior must be reported according to the church’s Abuse, Misconduct, and Incident Reporting Policy.

This policy is part of the church’s Policies & Best Practices Manual and is subject to the church’s Constitution and Bylaws.