John Mark Ministries offers a special confidential service to professionals - particularly clergy and managers - to see through these transition times.

Rev. Dr. Rowland Croucher is an experienced counselor, who has 'been there'. He has been senior pastor of the Blackburn Baptist Church (25 people on the salaried staff, including nine on the pastoral team), was on the executive staff of World Vision (leadership enhancement), and has led seminars/workshops on management and leadership in 35 countries.

Specialties: professional development, relationships/marriage/sexual counseling, self esteem & vocation, personal growth, stress/burnout counseling, handling difficult emotions, spiritual/theological issues.

Counseling is mainly about 'creative listening to help solve problems'. Rowland's style is interactive/non-directive ('Glasserian' if you want the professional counseling category). Sessions are the standard '50-minute hour' - at Rowland's home in Heathmont. Often a one-hour diagnostic session is all that is needed. For some this is followed by subsequent sessions (say weekly) or a two-day intensive retreat.

Organisational audits are helpful ways managers/executives can get precise, confidential feedback from their staff. A simple questionnaire is completed by all staff - for Rowland's eyes only. These are supplemented by personal and group interviews. Three separate reports are later sent to all staff, to executives, and to the CEO.

Contact me by email (click on the 'contact us' button at the top of this page) to make a first appointment.

~~~ Counselling feedback

Emails like this help to make pastoral counselling worthwhile.
Rowland.
February 2005.

~~~

Dear Rowland,

Thank you SO MUCH, for today. I owe my very life to you, and I just wish I could let you know how much all you are means to me! And thanks for coming to me - getting to you would have been very difficult as you would know.

I also know I touched on LOTS of issues today. I sensed really just to let you know where I'm at in several areas, so that now as you breathe and walk and hear from your inner Spirit, if anything comes to your mind in relation to any ONE or more of these things, that you will let me know what you sense is the direction I need to take.

I'm very affirmed that you resonate well with the idea and need for me to take more time in solitude, etc. with God. I really am experiencing a wonderful 'parenting' time with the Lord at present, where I know he is fathering me at times, and mothering me at other times. It is a most beautiful and emotional and overwhelming awesomeness which covers me while that is happening.

I have always known an emotional need for a father I never had, and a mother I never had, and in many ways I know I grew up as an orphan emotionally, physically, and in lots of other ways too. Long years ago I asked the Lord to provide me with two people in my life who could do that, and in many ways you met for me some of my 'father' needs, but the 'mother' needs have never been met in any way.

Now, in spending heaps of time with the Lord in silence, and in nature, in prayer, and the Scripture, and reading other authors etc too, and simply telling the Lord I am waiting and in an inner attitude prepared to receive from him whatever he would like to give me, I am finding that during that time, so often I begin to sense a cradling, of God himself rocking me and speaking and smiling and oh! Wow! It is just so INCREDIBLE! At other times I am being 'toddled' along a little path as he speaks to me and points out little birds and peeks under tiny rocks with me, etc.I could go on and on, but I am honestly being fathered and at other times mothered by God himself!!!

Can I believe that God could absolutely meet this huge human need? Yes! Yes! Yes! He himself is reaching deep down within, and building into me what I don't believe really ANY human ever could.

To be so honored and cherished and loved that God would take this time to do the impossible in my life is something I could never express. Gratitude just overwhelms me.

Well, I don't quite know why all this just stumbled out. But I really do feel blessed that you have said to do more solitude, because that is exactly what I WANT to do! But I was being told of being self-centred, etc in some circles and 'should be out sharing with others' etc, and I just needed a word one way or the other to let me know which 'voice' was God's. So now I will enjoy lots more 'growing up with God as my perfect Mummy and Daddy' times. What a gracious, kind, tender God we have!

Blessings and peace be with you,
[Name of adult female client withheld. Reproduced here with her permission].