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 On
any given Sunday hurting people collapse onto our church pews
beat up by life and too often they leave with their wounds
not bound or, worse, not noticed. It is practically impossible
for a single pastor to meet the Christian care needs of all
members of a congregation of 200 or 300 people. Nor is he
supposed to. The call to care is on all believers (Galatians
6:2). The model of care ministry established in the New Testament
is distributed care, with believers bearing one another's
burdens and tending to each other in times of trouble. Though
there are some situations when only direct pastoral intervention
will do, a distributed lay ministry of care extends the range
and scope of a congregations care ministry to the members
and the larger community. Christ-centered care groups foster
inreach and outreach and can go where pastoral care alone
could never quite reach.
Those inside the
church connect more deeply; those outside the church are drawn
in by the genuine care members have not only for one another
but for all members of the community.
 As
believers called to bear one another's burdens we need practical
help to respond to those in crisis. For James reminds us always:
“What good is there in your saying to them, ‘God
bless you! Keep warm and eat well!‘—if you don‘t
give them the necessities of life?‘“ (James 2:16,
GNB). You know that James could as easily have been speaking
of anxiety or depression, grief or addiction. To the depressed,
do we say: “Cheer up! Don‘t worry, be happy. Go
and be delighted“? To the anxious, “Lighten up already.
All is calm, all is bright“?
In a Nutshell: CarePoint is a transdenominational
para-church publishing ministry whose mission is to equip
Christian churches with the resources and training they need
to minister effectively and gracefully to those within the
church and in the larger community facing various life-challenges.
CarePoint's focus is on the lay-led small care group as a
primary vehicle of support and healing, where two are three
gather together to support and encourage one another in the
troubled seasons of life.
Scott Philip Stewart, Publisher: For many
years a counselor in private practice, Scott was called to
the writing and publishing ministry in 2000. The author of
two novels—The Healing of Ryne O'Casey (2004,
) and The Calling of Jujubee Forthright (2006),
both from FaithWalk Publishing (www.scottphilipstewart.com),
Scott holds degrees in religion, psychology, and child &
family development (Ph.D., Georgia). He lives in the greater
Atlanta area with the greatest blessings of his life - his
wife Lena, their three sons Scott, Chace, and Aidan, two of
the three Rs, and Fender guitars and Roland v-drums.
We believe:
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in the inspiration and infallibility of
the Bible, which is God's word written
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in the triune nature of one God in three
Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
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that God is the Creator of all things
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in the deity of Jesus Christ
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in the substitutionary atonement of the
death of Jesus Christ
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in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ
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that salvation is by grace through faith
alone apart from any human works or effort
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in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in
the world today
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in the physical return of Jesus Christ
to the earth
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in the eternal judgment of both the righteous
and unrighteous
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that the Church should constantly be ready
for Christ's imminent return.
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about CarePoint: Why, What, & Who
