Pillar Three
For the church, and for those who serve it.
Chaplaincy, marriage ministry, training, teaching, and resources for the church.
Teaching is not treatment. What happens in this pillar is education. It is not counseling, not diagnosis, and not treatment.
What lives here
Premarital counseling
A six-session course for couples preparing to marry. Curriculum, an assessment, and workbook exercises you do together. See the course.
Chaplaincy
The ministry of presence, under its own written standards.
Wedding officiating
Ordained ministers of RCA officiate weddings across California, often for couples who complete the premarital course. See wedding officiating.
Education and training
Courses, seminars, pastoral-care training, and mentorship of counselors in formation. Raising up the next generation is part of why we exist.
Community teaching and events
Workshops, conference speaking, church partnerships, and public teaching on care and mental health from a biblical frame.
Resources
Written, recorded, and published materials advancing the mission.
The practical details
- What this is not
- Not counseling. Not diagnosis. Not treatment. Not an emergency or crisis service.
- Licensure
- These are ordinary religious and educational activities of a religious corporation. They need no exempt setting and no license to offer lawfully.
- Cost
- Priced as a whole rather than by the hour, and set by the Board. Any surplus serves our exempt purposes, including subsidizing counseling for people who cannot pay.
- Who it is for
- Churches, ministry leaders, counselors in formation, couples, and the wider community.
If you are in danger or thinking of harming yourself or someone else, please do not wait for a class or an email. Call or text 988, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room.