diaconal mercy team

The Diaconatal Mercy Team is a ministry that reaches out to people in Grace Presbyterian Church's congregation who are in crisis. Unlike the elders, who are responsible for teaching the Gospel and overseeing the church, the people serving with this team focus on tangibly conveying the Gospel by extending mercy. The men and women who serve in this ministry offer practical help to Grace members and regular attenders who are facing a crisis or a challenging situation. Depending on the circumstances, they may provide social, emotional and physical, as well as financial support to these individuals. The Diaconaal Mercy Team also strives to link them to the broader Christian community within Grace, in the hope that they will feel the compassion of the whole body of Christ. (Deuteronomy 15:7-11; James 2:12-16; Acts 2:44-45).

Values and Beliefs

Gospel Centrality: Sinners are forgiven and accepted by God's grace alone because of the work of Jesus Christ (2Cor 5:17). This grace transforms anyone and any place that it touches. We acknowledge that the only one we truly lean on in order to help someone who is undergoing hardship is Jesus Christ. We are unable to effectively help anyone, spiritually or otherwise, without Him.

Changed Attitudes: The Gospel brings joy. Christ sets us free from anxious self-righteousness and worry. We can delight in the gifts God has given us. Our lives, worship, church, communication should be beautiful and full. Our loving and strong Father cares for and delights in his people. We are most at peace when we enjoy God in all of his fullness in our lives. We encourage clients to continually seek the Lord's ways according to the Bible, and to work on changing sinful behavior, especially as it contributes to their hardship.

Changed Lives: The Gospel produces changed lives. We no longer take our identity from what others think of us or what we think of us, but from what God thinks of us in Christ (I Corinthians 4:3-4). The Gospel produces neither an inferiority complex (since we are a beauty in Christ) or a superiority complex (since we are sinners standing only by grace.) This unique boldness and humility at once is a sign of the unique Gospel-psychology.

Need assistance?

Contact them at deacons@gracepres.com. For severe medical emergencies, contact 911.

pastoral care

Pastoral counseling is a way that the Holy Spirit allows Christians to grow in Christlikeness while facing difficult challenges or through habitual sin patterns. The Holy Spirit, through applying the truth of the gospel in Scripture, changes people.

At Grace Presbyterian Church, the pastors and other leaders are available for short-term guidance and counseling. We are not equipped to exclusively handle medical issues, however, we often work alongside medical professionals to provide a more complete counseling environment.

Gospel Transformation: We counsel as a form of applying the gospel directly to individual concerns and issues in people's lives. The Holy Spirit enables real and lasting change from the heart outward. Our pastoral counseling is scriptural and primarily directed at sinful idolatrous belief which results in sinful actions. Therefore, we do not believe that merely changing behaviors or adjusting circumstances truly changes people. We also acknowledge our humility as counselors - there is little difference between those who counsel and those who seek counsel - sinful patterns are shared by all. We offer hope in the gospel, prayer, deep analysis and questions, accountability, scripture. Ultimately, the hope is to train people to preach the gospel to themselves, to be able to counsel and guide their own heart in the midst of temptation or despair.

We are also in the process of developing a "Knowledge Base" of resources that can help people with a variety of questions and issues.

Grace Presbyterian Church is a supporting church of CCEF (Christian Counseling and Education Foundation) located outside of Philadelphia, PA. Rev. Field is a board member of CCEF. We highly recommend their books and small booklets. www.ccef.org.