Have you ever been locked out of a place in which you wanted, or needed, to enter? No matter how badly you needed to be in that place you just couldn’t get in. I know that I’ve been there, and it’s not a pleasant experience.
I remember one time in particular. There I was, running late for school on one of the coldest days of the year. I figured that I wanted to warm my 1989 Honda Civic up before I headed out, so I started it up and headed back in the house. Well at this point you can probably guess what happened. I came back after a few minutes and there was my car running, the doors locked, and me on the outside.
My first thought was to break a window to get in, because I was already running late. But common sense prevailed, and I just accepted the fact that I was going to be even more late. Now I could have forced my way into the car through breaking a window, but instead I MacGyvered a tool to get the doors unlocked. About 25 minutes later, I unlocked the door and went about my day.
You see, sometimes our first reaction to being restricted from entering a place in which we want to enter is to do it by force. Whereas the proper and responsible thing to do would be to find an alternative route that will not cause damage but give you the access you need.
When it comes to developing a culture that is proactive toward counseling, the Bible gives plenty of principles for us to follow. One of those is what I have termed the Allēlōn Principle. The Allēlōn Principle is a great tool to helping unlock areas and develop a culture for counseling to thrive.
The Allēlōn Principle is an Intricate Key to Help Unlock a Counseling Culture
What is the Allēlōn Principle?
The Allēlōn Principle is not a newfound truth of Scripture, nor is it a New Age idea about Christianity. The Allēlōn Principle is simply an understanding of what the New Testament communicates through the “one another” commands that are given over 100 times, of which 47 of them are given as instructions to the church.
How this principle works begins with understanding the Greek pronoun allēlōn. Allēlōn, (Gk. “one another”), is a pronoun which marks reciprocation between two persons or groups. It is the reciprocal aspect of the pronoun that the principle really gets its true identity.
The definition that I have composed to best communicate the reality of this principle is: “The Allēlōn Principle is the Spirit empowered actions between believers that develop and define the intended culture of the community of Christ’s disciples.”
How is the Allēlōn Principle a tool for a proactive counseling culture?
I believe that a counseling ministry without a definitive foundation is predisposed to restrict access to people and problems that need to be addressed before they become a crisis. What the Allēlōn Principle does is that it helps provide an environment suitable for personal interaction to penetrate the barriers that keep pastoral counselors out of places they need to be, all by creating a culture that is seen and understood by those needing help.
How do you implement the Allēlōn Principle, and how long will it take?
When implementing the Allēlōn Principle you don’t have to wait for a church board meeting to begin to practice it, you must merely commit to doing it. Now with that being said, it is also important to involve the leadership of your church. Not for the sake of permission, but for the sake of modeling.
The Allēlōn Principle is best understood when modeled and not merely explained. Therefore, the practice of the principle must include those in the church that are most influential, in order that others can witness the effects of the principle.
As for the timeframe in which it will take to see a noticeable difference, it will depend on the faithfulness of those in the local context. It may be that the whole church embraces the commands of Scripture as they should, and great revival breaks out and the culture is transformed in a short period of time. But the reality is that it will probably take some time to develop.
Even though the commands of Scripture are easy to understand, and are clearly communicated, the propensity of the human heart to stray toward selfish ambition is true even within the church. Persistence and commitment to God’s Word is necessary for implementation to take place.
What Can Be Expected from the Use of the Allēlōn Principle?
I believe that the most realistic way of forming expectations for the changing of the culture through the implementation of the Allēlōn Principle should be understood as training. The short-term and long-term practice of the principle must be comprehended more as a continual training program and not as an achievement of status. If you are looking to “arrive,” you will be disappointed. Even when the culture shifts to the desired destination, the effort needed to maintain the culture will not provide an opportunity for anyone to take the auto-pilot approach.
Conclusion
Being locked out of a place you know you need to be is not a pleasant place to find yourself. When it comes to being locked out of helping influence an individual’s life because of the culture that is surrounding you, and them, the struggle can be discouraging. But finding the key that will unlock the culture of counseling in your local context is essential to help those in need of the transformative work of God in His people.
Commit yourself to the task of searching for the key that will have the greatest impact, but don’t stop there. Use the key to unlock the doors that stand between your church and a proactive counseling culture. Continue to learn more about the Allēlōn Principle.
Allelon Principle 