Are you trying to decide between investing in coaching or counseling? The path of a Christian entrepreneur living by faith is often shaped by unique challenges that stretch beyond typical professional hurdles; the integration of obedience to God, faith, values, and purpose can make decision-making and goal-setting complex and deeply spiritual.
When faced with stagnation or uncertainty, seeking assistance becomes a matter of professional development and a spiritual quest. Two common avenues for support are counseling and coaching, and understanding their distinct roles is crucial for steering your journey of growth and impact.
Seeking Professional Support
I deeply value professional support. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. However, before considering the differences between counseling and coaching, it’s important to point out the value of both.
As proven methods and strategies are applied to business operations and growth, a similar mindset must be adopted for the visionary’s well-being and development.
As your sister in Christ, I encourage you to explore both outlets—biblical counseling and business coaching, to maximize your output, productivity, and success factor.
The Inconsistency of Independence
Like me, most dreamers, creatives, and visionaries often think and work alone in silence, and many don’t have outlets to share their findings and ah-ha discoveries. We’re competent, intelligent, and well-versed but usually loners because we protect our space and time.
Christian entrepreneurs are often celebrated for their trailblazing faith-driven spirit and capacity to take risks, yet this independence can create blind spots, burnout, and barriers to growth.
Soulful, seeking support is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom, humility, and commitment to success. God wants us to involve others in our struggles. He doesn’t want us suffering in silence when help is available.
The Power of Accelerated Growth
Professional support, particularly in coaching, accelerates life and business growth and delivers results more effectively than solitary efforts.
As with any investment, the returns on personalized guidance can be substantial, leading to enhanced relationships, business performance, and personal fulfillment.
So, I pose the question: How much does it cost to stay where you are for another year, two, or three?
Therefore, to get unstuck by an expert, always look for a compatible specialist when you have a specific concern. When you work with a specialist equipped to dig into your pain and stagnation depths, a cure is unlocked in your soul.
You’ll need someone whose concentrated studies will bring you closer to living and identifying with your new nature in Christ and the war against the world, flesh, and the devil.
When you work with someone who understands what you’re going through and has a working and practical knowledge of how the spiritual affects the physical, you’ll find clarity and grow by leaps and bounds.
understanding counseling
I’m no expert at explaining counseling, but according to my research, counseling is a profession dedicated to the care and healing of the soul. But I’d be careful with that definition because anytime the soul is mentioned, it’s spiritual, and many ungodly and new-age practices use the word soul.
Trained counselors, often with advanced degrees, apply various therapeutic techniques to help individuals navigate multiple challenges.
They primarily focus on mental health and well-being.
Most deal with the mind and emotions (soul).
Counselors employ a toolkit of therapeutic techniques, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (C.B.T.), psychoanalysis, and mindfulness, to address specific disorders, traumas, or life crises.
The ultimate goal of counseling is to alleviate suffering, promote mental health, and provide the tools for emotional resilience.
Unless your counselor has roots in Christ, some professionals can base their teachings on the science and psychology of self, case studies, research, the inner child, and education that doesn’t align with God’s truth.
The Apostle Paul had to deal with false teachers boasting about their skills, abilities, and affiliations. It was all fleshly boasting and didn’t count for spiritual growth. So, he shared with the church at Philippi not to put confidence in the flesh because they were still promoting circumcision as opposed to freedom from it in Christ. They were adding works-based salvation. In this context, I’ll use the application to remind you that we put our confidence in what Christ has done and is doing in our lives. We can’t trust or depend on our flesh for transformation.
Philippians 3:1-4 NIV Further, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. 3 For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
The wrong emphasis and counseling techniques can lead you to disconnect from The Holy Spirit’s transforming teachings—the power source—and leave you depending on your flesh and willpower. But, we have the faith to push on and endure through Christ’s sufficiency not our own.
However, most sound Christian or Bible counselors are great choices for helping you in your areas of struggle. I believe in using Biblical principles in practical application as long as they don’t override God’s authority.
They can help you in areas that a coach isn’t equipped to uncover, such as trauma, grief, abandonment, rejection, and various other diagnoses.
Before you go to a coach or counselor, always seek God first. First, the Holy Spirit is our Counselor and gives us the wisdom to handle any situation. His Word is truth, and He will sanctify us in it, John 17:17.
Jesus leaves us with peace that surpasses all understanding unlike anyone or anything can give, and The Holy Spirit is our counselor.
John 14:25-27 NIV says, “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
The Therapeutic Space
Counseling typically occurs in a therapeutic setting, such as an office or clinic, where the environment is designed to be conducive to healing and self-discovery.
Trust and confidentiality are cornerstones of the counseling relationship. They foster a sense of safety for clients to explore their deepest concerns and fears.
These days, counseling is also performed over video conference.
Some counseling is provided in a non-profit community or your local church, while others are private and take cash or insurance.
Understanding Coaching
Coaching, on the other hand, is centered on personal and professional development. While some parallels exist between coaching and counseling, coaching is not a form of therapy but a partnership designed to help clients realize their potential through ongoing accountability, make and achieve goals, and implement lasting change.
Coaching operates from the belief that everyone is naturally creative, resourceful, and whole.
Cure 4 the Soul uses Biblical principles for soul work, goal-setting, and planning through our Dream Big Goals programs. This work is about growing spiritually and incorporating practical solutions for overcoming strongholds and unhealthy mindsets to get you unstuck and on the path to success. We believe you’re whole in spirit if you’re born again by the blood of the Lamb—Jesus Christ.
Christian Coaches act as facilitators, aiding clients in empowering themselves to answer their own questions, which leads them in the direction of their aspirations and visions.
Coaching techniques include powerful questioning, goal setting, and accountability structures.
A coach may draw from various methodologies, such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (N.L.P.) and positive psychology, to support their clients in making significant life and business transformations.
The primary objective of coaching is to empower clients to create actionable plans and achieve measurable results they’d otherwise struggle to create solo.
However, our coaching for Dream Big Goals is based on submission to God’s will, obedience, faith, and applying Biblical principles for success.
To see if Dream Big Goals Accelerator, the one-on-one coaching program we offer for Christian visionaries, please book your free strategy call today.
Key Distinctions
The distinctions between counseling and coaching are not always clear to the layperson, but they are significant, particularly in their approach, focus, and ultimate goals.
Goals: Healing vs. Growth
Counseling’s primary aim is to facilitate healing, whether by dealing with past traumas, managing mental health issues, or resolving life challenges that impede one’s ability to function or find joy.
Coaching, on the other hand, is forward-thinking. It concentrates on setting and attaining goals that lead to growth and success in a particular area.
Our coaching uses a hybrid approach. Since we involve soul work (examining why you’re stuck as it relates to your mind, will, and emotions from a spiritual perspective), our hybrid approach has long-term transformation benefits as we deal with the whole person.
Our coaching helps you reach your destination through a purpose-driven mission of seeking God’s wisdom first and incorporating it into obedience.
Approach: Reflective vs. Action-Oriented
Therapists often take a reflective approach, encouraging clients to explore and understand their inner workings and the root causes of their difficulties.
Coaches, however, are action-oriented. They challenge and support clients to take steps to propel them forward and achieve their desired outcomes.
Since our specialty is serving Christians who have lost a business in the past, are looking to transition from a corporate job to start a business, or are looking for more support to focus and align their existing business with purpose—we’re sensitive to care for their needs.
Our coaching believes that we’re dealing with a person’s spiritual foundation.
Because our business is built on Christ and entails purpose, service, and mission, we use a white-glove approach to help you overcome the problems that plague the soul.
When a believer is stuck, we must get to the root, which means seeking God and getting to the heart of the cause to move on. This involves digging into the past.
Our customized coaching option deals with you—the spiritual person—to help you see the spiritual warfare and strongholds that keep you from success.
which is right for you?
Whether counseling or coaching is appropriate depends on your current needs, circumstances, and objectives. Christian business owners should consider their pressing needs, individual experiences, spiritual journeys, and challenges in life and entrepreneurship.
Most counselors offer free consultations, which are a great way to determine whether you’re compatible.
There’s been a trend of fellow believers scheduling calls with professionals to get free business advice or ghosting them at the time of the appointment. Doing this to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ doesn’t represent God.
Is Counseling Biblical?
Some Bible teachers and scholars are against any counseling outside of sound Biblical counseling, and they can share why, according to the Bible.
James 5:16 NIV Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Proverbs 27:17 NIV As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Considerations for Christian Business Owners
The faith aspect can further influence the choice between counseling and coaching. Those seeking support for spiritual crises, brokenness, pain from the past, grief, or existential questions may initially find a Christian counselor to be of more significant assistance.
They provide an unbiased outlet for you to talk about your feelings.
Conversely, Christian coaches, trained in biblical principles and with business acumen, can offer a unique blend of spiritual guidance and practical wisdom.
Identifying Your Needs and Goals
Reflect on your current situation and the changes you wish to see in your life and business. If your primary concern is dealing with a specific emotional or psychological issue, counseling may be the appropriate starting point.
However, coaching is the better match if you seek clarity of purpose, a hard look at your business stagnation, and require support in strategizing and executing plans.
The complex nature of the Christian entrepreneur’s journey demands thoughtful consideration of the forms and sources of support that best serve personal and professional growth.
Whether you opt for counseling, coaching, or a blend of both, taking that step toward professional guidance signifies a commitment to a deeper, more meaningful existence and an enhanced ability to lead with purpose and vision.
In coaching, our CURE framework, a cornerstone of the Dream Big Goals Accelerator program, has helped numerous Christian business owners achieve their dreams and impact the world.
This transformative model will give you the clarity you need to execute your plan and provide a path to accelerated growth.
As you navigate the support landscape, consider reaching out to begin your coaching journey. An initial session can often clarify the benefits of coaching for your life and business.
It’s not about acknowledging our weaknesses but leveraging our strengths with the help of someone who has walked the path before us. Be bold in your pursuit of growth; the rest will follow in harmony with your faith and purpose.
Soul Actions:
Seek The Holy Spirit first for help with any area in your life.
Pray and ask God if hiring a counselor or coach suits you.
Please ensure that whomever you hire has a firm foundation in Christ and the core orthodox essentials of the Christian faith.
