About the book

Comments by church leaders, professionals and
business people

Rev Christopher D Harisson, (BTh, BTh.Hons)

There is a tremendous need for Christian counselling in our country. I believe that the local Church is the hope of the world. Every local congregation can be used by God to offer Christ’s hope and healing to our broken and fast-changing world. I have known Leon for many years as a Christ-centred counsellor, an innovative minister and a person called to this ministry. In this book he offers practical steps to assist local congregations to serve people in the Name of Jesus through setting up Counselling Ministries that are distinct from the other important role of Pastoral Care. Leon and I have shared the vision of Counselling Houses across the land. Our partnership in the local church has nurtured that vision so that it has now become a reality. God is doing a powerful work through people called to counsel those who are hurt and traumatized. I commend Leon on his passion and work to empower people in this key ministry.

Senior Minister, Bryanston Methodist Church, Johannesburg, South Africa,
www.bmc.org.za.

Dr Callie Hugo

The counselling profession is excited about the release of a first time publication – Centres of Healing by Rev Dr Leon Klein. The need for guidance in the establishment of structured and self-sustainable church and community based Counselling Centres made this publication a necessity. The challenges of the post modern electronic era in which we live are of such a nature that people need access to counselling on a day to day basis. The specific emphasis on supportive care in the church creates a different environment or space. The use of private and expensive counselling services put counselling services out of reach for the majority of people in the community. This initiative makes it possible for these necessary and basic services to be accessible to those who need it most. Bryanston Methodist Church, through its ground-breaking work facilitated by the National Counselling Centre Development Ministry, (NCCDM), is to be congratulated on their leadership in the field of local church-based Counselling Centres.

Chairman: SAAP and Head of Pastoral Counselling and Psychology, University of South Africa – UNISA, hugocj@unisa,ac.za

Rev. Demetris Palos. (BA, BD)

Dr. Leon Klein, an experienced and dedicated Family Therapist and ordained Methodist minister, in his book, Equipping Local Churches to be Centres of Healing, draws on a wealth of personal experience and insights. This is a masterly, and timely, resource for all churches to discover and realise their potential to offer a relevant and Christ-centred Counselling Ministry, whatever their limitations. Dr. Klein offers a “Step by Step” process for churches to examine and determine the critical counselling needs in their own context; it captures a vision of what the church should and can offer in setting up a “practical, workable and self-sustainable Counselling Ministry” and to identify resource persons within their own church constituency as well as in the wider community.

He offers insights on what pitfalls to avoid, as well as what priorities and criteria for integrity and effectiveness to apply. After each “Step” there is a Check list of “Action Steps” by which the participants in this process are able to monitor and evaluate the process. A crucial component of this publication is the offer of a resource which underpins this publication, and that is the back-up of the National Counselling Centre Development Ministry, which he directs. This is based at Bryanston Methodist Church and serves all churches and, indeed, the whole wider community. It is operative on a national scale.

I am sure that this book will prove to be of immeasurable worth to any and every church wishing to play a relevant and effective role in counselling and I commend it to every Church Ministry Training Centre, clergy and lay and to all churches.

HIV/AIDS Ministry, Bryanston Methodist Church, Johannesburg, South Africa,
www.bmc.org.za

Pastor Grant R Walton

We have greatly appreciated and benefited from our relationship with NCCDM and Dr Leon Klein. For some years now, we have recognized the pressing need to establish an integrated centre of healing in our local community. NCCDM is helping to make that a reality. Dr Klein’s experience, and willingness to freely share it with others of like mind, has proven invaluable. This book, containing his practical wisdom and insight, will become a valuable tool for every local church that desires to minister effectively to broken and hurting lives.

New Creation Family Church, Johanesburg, South Africa,
grant@newcreation.co.za

David and Loraine Wilkinson

Traditionally one would approach the church when in need of emotional support -unfortunately that has not always been possible. Many pastors have not recognized the need for "psychology". And as a result, many of their members who sought pastoral psychological help and not received it have turned away from their spiritual homes to seek help elsewhere. Many pastors feel threatened by counsellors who may end up knowing more about their congregation than they do, and would prefer to run a closed ship. The very characteristics that the Bible warns us about, then comes into play -jealousy and selfish ambition. We have been in Christian counselling for over 20 years, and how we have longed for the church to acknowledge the value of Christian psychology, and the missed opportunities of leading souls to the Lord through this ministry. We cannot express our gratitude enough to Dr. Leon Klein who has had the wisdom to remove the dynamics that would jeopardize a church based Counselling Ministry by giving them autonomy and at the same time having synergy with their church. We feel very privileged to be part of this groundbreaking work which will mean that both Christians and non-Christians; lay and professionals; clergy and congregants; volunteers and fulltime Christian workers, together, will once again be able to go and be a representative of the Lord's House for help, healing and transformation.

Registered Counselling Psychologist, Geneva Road Counselling Centre,
Wellspring Villages of Healing, counselling@absamail.co.za

Jane Anderson

On Tuesday, 24 February 2009, accompanied by my minister, Rev Dr John Bailie, I had the privilege of meeting Dr Leon Klein for the first time. The meeting was to gain the much needed guidance in setting up a Christian Based Counselling House at North Rand Methodist Church. This meeting was the start of a very valuable process. We left the meeting feeling inspired and clear in terms of the direction we needed to take. We were ready for action. At our meeting we were given the step by step process and sound practical advice to enable us to establish our own Counselling House. Dr Leon Klein’s mentoring was rewarded as he was able to be with us at the official commissioning of the North Riding Counselling House on 5 April 2009. We are very fortunate and blessed to have the full support of our minister in this ministry. Partnering with NCCDM has enabled us to feel equipped and confident to step up to the challenge to serve the hurting people in our church and community.

Counselling Leader, North Riding Counselling House, North Riding Methodist
Church, Johannesburg, South Africa, Bailie@wol.co.za

Yvonne Underwood

The Lonehill Counselling Centre started in January 2006, with only one fulltime counsellor. With the assistance of NCCDM and the Bryanston Counselling House, it has now become a fully fleshed and operational Counselling Centre with fulltime counselling, administration and lay staff. We have counselled over 1200 people to date and trained more than 50 lay counsellors. Dr Klein and the NCCDM team, together with the Bryanston Counselling House team have assisted us with all the basic requirements necessary to become the Centre of Healing we are today. Many of those, whom we have counselled, were from the community and not necessarily from our local church. As a result of the care offered by our centre many of these previously “unchurched” became members of our church. Our centre also runs various counselling courses; a 24 hour emergency phone service; a hospital ministry, as well as a counselling outreach programme to communities in need of these services, such as Refilwe, an informal settlement. We would never have progressed this far without their support, encouragement, leadership and unfailing commitment of NCCDM.

Counselling Co-ordinator, Lonehill Counselling Centre, Lonehill Methodist
Church, Johannesburg, South Africa, www.lonehill.org

Mothupi Kgopa

The Diepsloot Counselling House is a twelve roomed multidisciplinary Community Counselling Centre and was built in 2008. It started with a joint vision of NCCDM, Bryanston Methodist Church and Rotary Rivonia/Sandton, Johannesburg. The centre is fully operational and is managed by a qualified social worker and staffed by an administrator, a HIV/AIDS counsellor, final year university intern students and a number of trained volunteer lay counsellors. Diepsloot remains one of the poorest townships in South Africa. This status quo will see more and more people striving for a better life they see in surrounding suburbs. Here, one meets beautiful people with ambitions of owning companies, becoming Miss South...