|
Christian Counseling
as Ministry in the Czech Republic
Parakletos: A ministry to the Church, the Pastors, and the Communities of
the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe
Dan Green, Ph.D. & Pavel Raus, M.S. (2001)
Parakletos: a Greek Word meaning to come along
side, support
The failure of communism and the liberation of Central
and Eastern Europe brought
many changes, opportunities, and hardships. After approximately 40
years of official atheism and the oppression of the Soviets, preceded by
the years of occupation during World War II and other occupations for
prior centuries, many are unaware of the good news, the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Currently, there are more Christians worshiping Jesus
Christ in Communist
China than in all of Europe. Even in the “Christian countries” of
Western Europe, the influences of the
Enlightenment, Modernism, and Post-modernism have
relegated Christianity to a state church, a political and cultural
institution. Beautiful cathedrals are often used as music halls, museums,
or civic buildings. Christianity is something for the old women, the naďve
or ignorant, or the weak. Europe, once the geographical and cultural
center of the church of Jesus Christ, is now a mission field.
CZECH REPUBLIC – HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN
CHRISTIANITY
Christianity came to Bohemia in 863 with the conversion
and baptism of many Czech princes and
warriors by the Bishop of Ratisbon. The Czech Republic
is the home of Jan Huss. His challenges to the church leaders of
the Roman Church in 1410 are the essentials of our current evangelical
faith. Hus has come to represent the Czech people and today a statue of
him has a dominant place in the old towne square in the heart of the
capitol city of Prague. Commissioned following the establishment of
Czechoslovakia after World War I, the statue has represented the strength
of the Czech people to resist the control of the oppressive occupiers
that have
shaped so much of the Czech history. The statue was the site of the
announcement of the formation of a communist government, viewed by many
at that time
as a victory for the common man and separation from the former
occupying Germans. After the Soviet invasion of 1968, students covered
the statue in black cloth. The authorities
did not remove the cloth in fear of the
people.
Huss has become a symbol to the Czech people but not for
his faith but rather as one who stood up
to the oppressors. The communists seized this image
and rebuilt the Bethlehem chapel, the location of his ministry. The
few years of independence brought by the work of Huss and his followers
was ended by the counter-reformation, cumulating in the battle of White
Mountain in 1620. With little or no separation of church and state, the
invading Catholic Austrians not only occupied the country but killed and
displayed the remains of 23 Protestant Czech leaders. Crosses in the
cobblestone town square mark this spot to this day. The church, and
Christianity, became associated with oppression and occupation.
Christianity was often viewed as a cultural event, irrelevant to daily
living
THE CURRENT STATE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC
Czech culture is fully secularized and while religious
statues adorn many historical
buildings, bridges, and community spaces, they are viewed
merely as works of art from a bygone era. Materialism has replaced other
value systems as the Czech people seek to catch up with the west in
lifestyle and opportunities. A phrase heard around Prague and expressed
with enthusiasm is “Czech is a free country”, indicating the multiple
opportunities and choices available. This freedom of choice is valued and
thus commitment to any specific idea or value system is seen with
caution, distrust. There is freedom for
the expression of ideas but a great reluctance
to embrace any one world view.
The years of oppression, secularization, and materialism
has left the Czech people
hungry for real relationships. Czechs are slow to open up,
to display vulnerability in relationships. Yet, there is a deep longing
for authenticity. The Czech people value the dignity of the person. This
has been demonstrated in their art, literature, and drama throughout
their history. Now, they seek to know and
become persons who are more than ideas,
more than concepts or philosophies but rather are congruent, people
who live consistent with their own ideals, values, and beliefs. As is
common with oppressed people groups, the Czech people are reluctant to
trust yet long for safe relationships.
It is this desire and need for authentic relationships
that the Church of Jesus Christ can
effectively minister to the Czech people. Czechs do not
trust churches, are leery of organized philosophies, and generally shy
away from institutions. However, they long to have meaningful
relationships, find answers to problems in living, and develop community.
People who
will not consider visiting a church or religious meeting or who
stay very guarded and defended as they debate religious philosophies will
be open, vulnerable as they address their problems and challenges in
living. The gospel of Jesus Christ is relevant to their longings, their
needs. Like Jesus with the woman at the well, the Church of Jesus Christ
can provide living water to a thirsty people.
TODAY’S NEEDS
Material – improving in many places, great poverty in
other places – even in the most affluent areas, only minimal resources
available for education – few written Christian materials in indigenous
language
Relationships – desired, trust issues following the
Nazi, Stalin, and communist eras –
cultural guardedness, hiding of vulnerability
Spiritual
– abandoned, minimized
Analysis
of Needs
Society – in process of rebuilding, but on what
foundation? Many seeking to catch up with the economic success of Germany and
other western nations. Others seeking
meaningful activity as they learn to exercise choices
not previously available to them. Authentic relationships desired
and sought in the arts and community. Is the Church relevant?
Church – isolated with simplified answers for complex
problems, often not understanding the new
problems presented by all the social, cultural,
and economic change.
-
Pastors –
few resources and great demands on them
-
Lay Leaders – developing but with little training
-
Church in transition as government support will be
withdrawn and the local church has
been dependent upon government funding
-
Young Christians/New Believers: God opened many
doors in the 80's & 90's, many came to Christ and now, it is time for
Church development and maturation
-
Build support structure
-
New
believers brought new types of problems
-
raised in atheistic culture, often several
generations removed removed from church
-
often from broken families lacking role models
-
seeking
authenticity, relationship, truth, love more than concepts, theology, dogma,
tradition
-
New Generation has grown up in a different world
than the older generations
-
Economic opportunities
-
Increased choices
-
Competing world views openly available
-
Competing
values in culture
-
New
believers are struggling to make faith real in their lives.
After trusting the Lord for salvation they find it hard
to let the Gospel penetrate their every
lives, especially in their emotional and relational
lives.
Tension
between Older Believers/Generation and New Believers/Younger
Generation
-
Older generation tends to build few, strong,
intimate relationships but are not open to receive new people.
-
Older generation tends to be distrusting – a
consequence of the Nazi and then Communists regimes where no one was sure
who was secretly working for the secret police, the government.
-
Older generation does not know how to build
relationships beyond the guarded, survival modes they needed during the
repressive regimes.
-
Consequence – many misunderstandings between the
generations – as a consequence of
the communist oppression, fellowship in the churches are
based on the survival strategies and guardedness needed during the
times of hardship. Many churches find
it hard to open themselves to newcomers.
The Church has been seen as irrelevant, for the old
women and the weak
-
The weakness of the Church has been authenticity
-
The guarded, socially appropriate social
relationships necessary during the
repressive regimes
-
The “Sunday Mask”
-
Younger generation seeking authenticity, older
generation not knowing how and fearing
the vulnerability
Need new tools
-
Christian Counseling meets needs presented by these
new believers
-
Christian Counseling meets needs presented by older
believers who struggle greatly with
all the transitions and cultural revolutions, both
outside and within the Church
EXISTING RESOURCES
-
Mental Health Professionals trained during the Atheistic, Communist
era - compartmentalization of faith from practice
-
Mental Health Professionals trained by secular institutions since
the fall of communism - continued separation, compartmentalization of faith
from practice
-
Seminary trained Pastoral Counselors – minimal training, little support
or resources following graduation
-
Pastors and Lay Leaders – gifted yet few supportive resources, little
or no training, some literature translated into indigenous language
-
An increasing acknowledgment of need
PARAKLETOS: A ministry to the Church, the Pastors, and the Communities of
the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe
UNIQUENESS OF THE MINISTRY
-
Uniquely Christian
-
Theological & Psychological
-
Responds to the present needs of the Czech People and the people of
Eastern Europe
-
Interfaces with the local church
-
Pastors and Church Leadership
-
Laity gifted and called to pastoral care
-
General Community
-
Mental Health Professionals
-
People from Central and Eastern Europe
Mission Statement: A ministry
to the spiritual, relational, mental, emotional, and psychological human needs of the people in the Czech
Republic and Eastern Europe. Parakletos ministers to the Church of Jesus
Christ, those serving in leadership in the Church, and the to un-reached
community for the Glory of God and the enlargement and maturation of the
Body of Christ.
“Parakletos attempts to provide resources to help people experience
God’s healing and love in the midst of relational pain.”
“Parakletos attempts to provide resources to help people experience
God’s healing and love in the midst of relational pain with the desire that
they will get to know Christ and live mature Christian life with Him.
HISTORY OF THE MINISTRY
The pastoral counseling ministry of Parakletos grew out of the calling
Pavel Raus had experienced, beginning during his student years and
continuing to this day. While being educated in the sciences under the
communist regime, Pavel involved himself with counseling and pastoral
care among the students. This work continued throughout his years at the Czech
Academy of Science and then at Navrat Domu, the Christian publishing
company he co-founded in 1991. During the summer of 1999, Parakletos was
founded with a board of directors consisting of Fred Prudek (American
missionary with Covenant Evangelical Missions and currently serving with
ETS), Honza Bolech (Chairman of the Board of Elders of Pavel’s home
church in Prague), and Don Smith (an American who has made 13 trips to the Czech
Republic since 1991 and the director of Bridge to Life Ministries,
Muskegon, Michigan).
During its first year of existence, Parakletos was involved in serving
people through the following activities:
-
individual counseling
-
leadership development
-
several seminars for lay counselors in churches
-
developed a network of about 60 people interested in such a ministry
organized small group intensive seminars about role of the father for
approximately 60 people in different churches throughout the country
-
participated in developing the Pastoral Care department at the
Evangelical Theological Seminary in Prague through partial leadership
and teaching
started to participate on the project of developing Christian Counseling
Center in the church in Mlada Boleslav
-
produced research paper Role of the Father in the Czech Society, and
delivered lectures and seminars for several Christian organizations in the country.
As part of the strategic plan to develop this ministry, Pavel Raus and
his family departed for the United States in August, 2000 so that he could
study Theology and Psychology at Wheaton Graduate School. He is scheduled
to graduate with both Masters degrees in May, 2002 and then return to the
Czech Republic in July.
ACTIVITIES OF THE MINISTRY
Counseling for the Body of Christ, members of the local church:
-
Individuals
-
Couples and Families
-
Groups
-
Counseling for the Pastors, Church Leaders, and their families
-
Counseling for individuals, couples, and families in the general
community
-
Providing counseling services in a Christian framework
- for many, their first contact with the Church
-
Educational programs for the local church
-
Pre-marital counseling
-
Divorce Recovery Program
-
Facilitate a network of laity in the Church who will participate in
Christian counseling
-
Continued Education for Pastors and Church Leaders
-
Educational programs for the general community
-
Continuing Education (Theological, Integration) for Christian Mental
Health Professionals
-
Professional Networking for Christian Mental Health Professionals
Facilitate graduate education in Christian Clinical/Counseling
Psychology in the United States for Central and Eastern European
students
-
Partner with Evangelical Theological Seminary of Prague in preparing a
new generation of Pastoral Care leaders.
F
-
Facilitate the development of a body of professional literature
(Integration) for Christian Counselors
-
Facilitate the development of a body of lay literature for the Christian
laity in Central and Eastern Europe
ANTICIPATED DEVELOPMENT OF THE MINISTRY
2002:
o completion
of graduate training for Pavel Raus, with Masters
Degrees in Clinical Psychology and Theology
o Don
Smith will provide workshops and consultation in Prague as
well as meet with Pavel and Magda Meckovsky in their work with Parakletos
o Dan
Green will teach at the Evangelical Theological Seminary of
Prague (ETS), will provide a workshop in the village of Benataky, and
will meet with Fred Prudek and Honza Bolech, Board Members of
Parakletos.
o
Pavel Raus will return to Prague and re-establish his home,
office, obtain an administrative assistant
o Teach
part-time at Evangelical Theological Seminary of Prague in
the Pastoral Care department
o Pavel
Raus will re-establish connections with local church leaders
o initiate
Counseling Service
o lay
counseling training in local churches
o support
of church leaders and pastors – explore cooperative
relationship with Bethany House, Benatky with Steve Olsen
o a
seminar for community
2003:
o continue
counseling service
o teach
part-time at ETS
o explore
and develop international Eastern Europe counseling
ministry – two trips for building contacts to other countries with Dan
Green &/or Don Smith
o develop
a study group for the integration of Theology and
Psychology for Mental Health Professionals
§
continuing education
§
discipleship
o Three
Seminars for Pastoral Care workers (Pavel Raus, Don Smith,
Dan Green)
o Seminar
for Pastors, Leaders, and MH Professionals
o develop
lay counseling Pastoral Care staff
·
Long-Term (continue the above, plus):
o develop
Ministry Center with Satellite offices
o add
ministry staff
o Seminar
for Pastoral Care Workers and MH Professionals from
throughout Central and Eastern Europe
o develop
post-graduate program for the Integration of Psychology
and Theology
Utilization of Pavel Raus’ time (based on a 45 – 55 hour work week):
counseling (40%), teaching (20%), Church networking (15%),
MH Professional networking (5%), community outreach (10%), administration
(10%)
PARAKLETOS INTERNATIONAL
Parakletos International is a group of Christians outside of Eastern
Europe committed to furthering the ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ
in the Czech Republic and Eastern Europe. The activities of Parakletos
International include
-
consultation to Parakletos Ministries
-
joint ministry activities in Eastern Europe
-
training programs
-
financial support of Parakletos Ministries
-
representation of the vision and ministries of Parakletos outside of
Eastern Europe
| 
