Independent Fundamental Baptist

There are waivers in respect to when a professional counselor can contact the authorities if one believes the patient may be harmful to oneself or others; however, one should never contact the entire congregation and share information about employment, health, and mental illness with the congregation without the consent of the individual. Even when the individual provides consent, that could still put one on shaky legal ground. The best thing ministers can do would be to refer the matter of a professional state licensed psychiatrist. If the psychiatrist and attending physician find no other medical causes, then the person can be referred for counseling by a psychologist, medical social worker, nurse, or vocational rehab counselor, or college career counselor.

I have mixed feelings about group counseling on these situations. In some ways, it can help. But there may be people who are not yet ready for this who can’t be objective either cause they are so supportive or their situation or are so hostile to it. Many people who are recovering need a supportive environment that’s neutral. That’s not always easy to find. People want to help but may not know how to help. Sometimes it is necessary to relocate to get the help. We didn’t have the internet back then so we couldn’t network with one another. College application fees vary so even if there are colleges who may work with students from a particular IFB school, it wasn’t easy to find out which ones did and apply to them. The IFB groups would cut off their members entirely once they left. Then in some parts of the country that were very hostile, they would enter environments where they were basically treated in a way that ignored or tried to destroy that faith altogether. Some may feel this way. However, I think there are many who still want to have faith. When the school was constantly in the news in addition to having radio stations cut off their programs at least temporarily, which happened in the 1980s, one became very isolated. There are some who fared better than others if they had a supportive environment. It wasn’t easy to find that supportive environment even when people wanted to provide it. Counselors had to have experience dealing with these issues. Also people feel uncomfortable talking about this. In some environments, counselors could get into trouble for even discussing religious issues too. I think it’s important to put the entire situation in perspective with good as well as bad. Some may say there is no good. Some may say there is no bad. Most experiences in one’s lifetime have both. I’m sure I’ll hear criticism for this comment from those who find no bood or no bad. Sometimes something can seem psychological that actually has a physical origin. Things are not always what they seem to be, and it take s a professional counselor with medical surpervision and a medical background to be able to know when other referrals may be necessary as well as a definite thorough physical exam. There can also be referred pain issues or even technology that differs in one region from another. In some of the mainline denominations, state licensure is necessary for ordained ministers. Some mainline denominations also have their own medical staff. In others, there may be situations which are separate. It’s really important to have a professional team approach which respects the individual’s confidentiality within professional boundaries. Iti also takes counselors in some cases that are trained to detect learning disabilities. Some schools are better than others in working with students with learning disabilities. Some are more subtle than others as well. Many community colleges are quipped to detect and assist students with learning disabilities who may have compensated and made it through the system in elementary or high school. Many community colleges can be good bargains financially also and may be ideal for students who need to live near home and or may not know what they want to do. This goes for private junior colleges too. Some schools may offer small classes with low student teacher ratios. Many parents want to send their children to larger schools or whatever school somebody recommends but that’s not always the school that’s best for a teenagers. Sometimes a year or two working prior to going to school can help somebody appreciate the value of money or get a taste of working in different environments. I’m very skeptical of this one solution for all mentality I see.

I am not talking about situations where a church is hiring somebody on the pastoral staff or as a teacher. In those situations, the applicant gives consent for background information to be shared about one’s academic background, job experience, and aspects of one’s faith and family. This is the information that often is disclosed when a committee and church consider candidates. I am mentioning situations where a church tries to restrict a person from leaving or perhaps transferring outside their network by damaging one’s reputation unnecessarily. While I wasn’t the victim, I was in the congregation and knew that the pastoral staff at this IFB Church should not have shared this information to the congregation when the individual was leaving the church. I realized something like this could happen to me. I don’t think these churches realize that their members may see “The Writing on the wall”. It happens in secular situations too. There were two situations on the church level that happened that caused me to question everything and that’s when I left, but I left gradually. I also knew had I stayed, there would have been intense pressure to either return to the same college and/or go to one of the others recommended by the church. I haven’t gone back to either the university or the church in over 30 years either. I have been to churches that would not consider doing w hat was done in these two particular situations. I’m aware that this is a common practice among unlicensed pastors. If they were licensed, it wouldn’t be tolerated without disciplinary action. The basic attitude is “Don’t say anything. It didn’t happen to you. Stay out. Don’t be concerned.” Another prevailing attitude is “If it’s the Lord’s work, we can do anything we please whether or not it’s the law.” Is this really what Romans 13 says? I question that. We live in a Democratic Republic which gives us lots of freedoms. We can go to any church we want relatively easily also. That’s not true in other parts of the world. The type of information I want d isclosed is the type of information that’s commonly listed on resumes.

I’d change the title of the former minister from the particular church I posted from ordained minister to IFB Campus recruiter. At that point in my life, while I was vaguely aware that college recruiters existed, I really made the association with recruiters in relationship tocollee and professional sports, not religion. As I look back in time though, many years later, his focus was primarily on either BJU or Hyles Anderson. Even many recruiters look at the student and try to learn a lot about the student prior to helping an individual find the best choice of a college or university which meets one’s needs. I got the impression he met the needs of the particular college campuses he was recruiting just like company recruiters seek applicants for a particular industry.

What is the difference between what I discuss in my posts and when many churches recommend colleges and universities supported by their denominations or affiliations? I mentioned a company recruiter at a job fair. A company recruiter will tell the applicant to visit as many booths of other companies as possible. One will look at the resume to see if they are hiring for the position or qualifications posted on a resume. Many denominations do offer their members tuition discounts and scholarships. This is common. What is different is that the minister does not forbid a student from considering another school. Also most ministers at most healthy churches I’ve visited will not single out an individual publicly either or definitely will not share private information in public without consent. One must ask if the person giving consent understands what one is doing and is capable of giving that consent. Also one must pay attention to signs that a person might be reluctant to discuss this matter and should not push it and respect the individual’s decision. Another area where I feel there are abuses are in the sciences and math. I think those students have special gifts that others do not have, especially in the more advanced applications. I know there is a lot of mention of the gifts in the Bible in the book of Acts. We think of “spiritual gifts.” We don’t think of scientific or scientific people as a population in need of reach. We think of foreign c ountries. We live in a country which is very high-tech. I think it’s very important that churches realize that high tech students do have a place in the church as well as in the secular world and that these gifts must be developed wherever they exist. If we exclude the scientifist or mathmetician from our church by only referring students to schools with arts and humanities programs, we don’t develop that gift. That person we exclude could be a missionary outreach to the science and math community. That person may be needed in our own schools whether they are public or private. That person goes out to the job world and can be a ministry in one’s personal witness by one’s actions in a secular community. That person needs a college campus which is regionally and professionally accredited. Many do have medical programs. Medical school is only one aspect of the sciences. I’m talking about other fields too. We think of not using gifts in respect to money or perhaps art and music. I think it expands to other areas, and in our high-tech continent, it expands to those who are endowed in the high-tech areas of science and math. This can, overtime, cause one to lose interest in the fellowship with other Christians and with churches. Many schools do have religious organizations on or near campus too. Often many churches announce their graduates and list the schools where they are applying or attending or their alma maters after graduation. It’s not only important at graduation, but also during high school during preparation for college. Some programs require an early decision by a certain grade level. I know there is a schism with many churches in respect to the sciences and maths. Also many teaches don’t know how to teach them in a way that they are comprehended or enjoyed by students. I like sports. Not everyone was created to be a college or professional athlete or even a performing artist.