GraceLife Biblical Counseling
The Heart Behind It
Life in a fallen world breaks people. Marriages grow cold, grief settles in and won't lift, anger surfaces in ways we swore it never would, anxiety tightens its grip, and old sin patterns prove far more stubborn than we expected. Sooner or later, most of us need someone to sit down with us and help.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
We believe God has not left His people without that help. He has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His church. Biblical counseling is simply the conviction that these are enough: that Scripture actually speaks to the struggles people carry through the door, and that God uses ordinary conversations shaped by His Word to change hearts.
This is not advice-giving, and it is not a lecture. Counseling begins with careful listening. A good counselor asks a great many questions before offering much of an answer, because loving someone well requires understanding them well (Proverbs 18:13). Only then does the counselor bring Scripture to bear on what is actually there.
And the goal is not behavior management. Behavior matters, but the heart is where real change happens: what you love, what you fear, what you trust, what you are convinced is true about God. When the heart is met by the gospel, the rest follows. Our aim is that you would find Christ sufficient, and be transformed by His Spirit into His likeness.
You are worse off than you dare admit, and more loved than you ever dared hope. That is the ground every counseling conversation here stands on.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
What We’re Committed To
Scripture Is Sufficient
God's Word is not a supplement to real help. It is the help. Scripture speaks to the exact struggles people bring into a counseling room, and it is living and active enough to reach the heart.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Christ, Not Therapy
We don’t try to relate you to ourselves for healing, but to Jesus Christ. Lasting change comes from the Spirit’s work through the Gospel, the renewing of our mind through the truth of scripture, not the counselor’s cleverness.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Romans 12:2
Care Within the Church
You were never meant to change alone. Counseling here is tied to the life of a local congregation: preaching, prayer, ordinary friendship, and the people who will still be there when counseling ends.
“Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
Honest About Real Life
Biblical counseling does not wave away hard things. Grief, abuse, depression, addiction, medication, and physical illness are taken seriously, understood biblically, and met with truth and compassion.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15
What Counseling Here Is, and What It Isn’t
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom.”
What It Is
Careful Listening
Many questions before much of an answer, so counsel fits your actual life.
Intensely Practical
Real work between sessions, not just conversation in the room.
A Ministry of the Church
Free to members, regular attenders, and active participants.
Confidential
Carefully guarded, within the limits we state up front.
A Season, Not a Fixture
Aimed at an end, leading back into the ordinary life of discipleship.
What It Isn’t
Licensed Psychotherapy
We are not mental health professionals or health care providers.
Medical Care
We give no medical advice, and never advise changing a medication.
Legal or Financial Counsel
For those matters, please see an independent professional.
A Dismissal of Suffering
Real pain, physical illness, and trauma are taken seriously here.
An Emergency Service
When someone is in danger, call 911 or 988 first, then tell us.
We are certified through the ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) or IBCD (Institute of Biblical Counseling and Discipleship), or are working toward certification under supervision. They are not licensed psychotherapists or mental health professionals, and should not be expected to follow the methods of such specialists.
How It Works
Nothing about the process is meant to be mysterious. Here is what to expect from the first email to the last session.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Reach Out
Contact the church office and let us know you'd like counseling. There's no polished way to ask. A short email is enough.
Personal Data Inventory
You'll fill out our intake form before your first session. It helps your counselor understand your history and your situation before you sit down.
Informed Consent
Before counseling begins, you'll read and sign the Informed Consent Agreement, so nothing about how we counsel is a surprise to you.
Weekly Sessions
You'll meet with a counselor, usually weekly. Sessions involve listening, Scripture, prayer, and homework to work through between meetings. A trainee may observe, and an advocate may attend with you.
Conclusion & Discipleship
Counseling is a season, not a permanent arrangement. When it concludes, the goal is that you keep growing in the ordinary life of the church.
Who It’s For
Counseling is available to members, regular attenders, and active participants of GraceLife Church. Where we have capacity, we also serve those from other churches.
If you attend elsewhere, we’ll ask you to bring an advocate from your own church: a leader or someone in spiritual leadership there (for women, a woman in that role). We believe your home church should remain the primary place you are cared for.
For counselees under 18, we require parents to be involved in sessions, homework, and accountability.
What It Costs
Free for members, regular attenders, and active participants of GraceLife Church. You may need to purchase study materials for your own use.
For those who remain members or attenders of another church, a suggested donation of $60 per session helps offset facility and administrative costs. Donations go directly to GraceLife Church and are not tax-deductible.
Financial hardship options are available on request. No one is turned away because they cannot pay.
“You received without paying; give without pay.”
If You Are In Danger
Counseling is not an emergency service. If you or someone you love is in immediate danger, or is at risk of harming themselves or someone else, please call for help right now. Then tell us, because we want to walk with you through it.
- Emergency:911
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline:988(call or text)
- Alabama Domestic Violence Hotline:1-800-500-1119
- Morgan County DHR:(256) 301-8800
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
We follow written protocols for domestic abuse, child abuse reporting, and risk of harm to self or others, in keeping with Alabama law and our duty to protect the vulnerable.
The Documents
Additional internal protocols, including our procedures for domestic abuse, mandatory reporting of child abuse, and risk assessment for threat of harm, are maintained for us and are available on request.
Take the First Step
You don’t need to have it figured out or know how to explain it. Send us a note, and we’ll go from there.
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
1311 19th Ave SE, Decatur, AL 35601