The Harvester Biblical Counseling Ministry (HBCM) functions under the oversight of the Harvester Presbyterian Church of Springfield, Virginia, a particular church within the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). HBCM provides counsel based upon the Bible to individuals, couples, parents and children on a variety of issues including depression, anger, bitterness, worry, fear, anxiety, and various interpersonal problems involving husband and wife issues in marriage, parent and child issues in the home and relationship issues in a work environment. The ministry has been functioning since 1988 and is neither a business nor a profit-oriented activity. Counselors who serve do so without any charge or fee. The time and energy is provided as a service to God and is seen more as a discipler and disciplee relationship rather than as a counselor and counselee relationship.

Disciplers (counselors) are trained in the use of the Scripture and will use biblical principles to address the full range of God's truth so as to allow the peace and joy to be received that God promises to all who turn to Him. The counselors work in teams but recognize that the most important member of the team is the Lord, Himself, in the Person of the Holy Spirit who will convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Ministry is affiliated with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC). Basic elements of each session include (1) understanding the problem (data gathering), (2) providing hope, (3) investigating any change needed, and (4) identifying any practice needed to be established by the counselee or, more properly, disciplee.

In addition to counseling, HBCM also provides training in Biblical Counseling to both individuals and to churches as well as serving as an organization which sponsors academic internships for those in a college or university program which requires apprenticeship experience. Basic courses for the training include Biblical Principles for Living, which uses the syllabus Self-Confrontation [edited by John Broger of the Biblical Counseling Foundation (BCF)], and Biblical Counseling Training.

Biblical Principles for Living Class

Does the Bible give us any direction for living the Christian life? Does it tell us more than "Just say NO to sin?" The answer to both is YES. The class Biblical Principles for Living is taught annually. Its purpose is captured in the subtitle of the text: A Manual for In-Depth Biblical Discipleship. Contact the Church Office [email - 703-455-7800] for more information.