BIBLICAL COUNSELING THAT BRINGS THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL INTO THE DARKEST PLACES OF PEOPLE’S LIVES

 

Our Mission:

Serving the people of Eastern North Carolina through biblical counseling and teaching in order to bring the light of the Gospel into the darkest places of people’s lives.

Our Vision:

We desire to see a community that has affordable and accessible soul care which produces a ripple effect of transformed hearts, changed lives and stronger families.

Our Niche:

Affordable & Accessible biblical counseling by seminary trained counselors.

 
 

What is Biblical Counseling?

Biblical counseling seeks a deeper understanding of who we are and why we do what we do, by appealing to the One who created each of us in His image. As the designer of every person, God reveals Himself most clearly and gives sound, efficient instruction for us and all of life through His Word. Counsel is provided by those who are knowledgeable and trained to help counselees interpret their situations through the lens of Scripture. The concepts and commands of Scripture are used to explain and apply biblical guidance to their situation, so that the counselee’s life is not just outwardly changed, but inwardly transformed by Christ. This change leads to a lifestyle that is characterized by a fuller love for God and others. 


Biblical counseling does not ignore the fact that as humans, we are created with minds and bodies and that professionals trained in neuroscience and biology may also need to be included in the care of the whole person. We work in conjunction with those professionals who specialize in the medical or psychiatric care of those individuals whose problems encompass these areas of their lives. We do not offer, nor are trained or authorized to prescribe medication. 

While these areas must sometimes be addressed and included in the care of a counselor, there is a spiritual element, the heart, that is the center for our thoughts, actions/words, beliefs and desires in any given situation and must not be ignored. It is essential to consider this, as the root of most problems stem from some element of our heart within us. When the root of the issue is dealt with, true lasting life change and transformation can occur. This is God’s beautiful, amazing grace by the work of the Holy Spirit, ministering the hope and help of the Gospel, through the Body of Christ! 

NON-PROFIT / DONATIONS

Watershed Ministries is a non-profit 501c(3). We do not take insurance or file any third party claims. We operate solely on the donations and generosity of those we serve, our partnering churches and the community. The fair market value for a one hour session in our area is $75-$150.00. There is a suggested minimum donation of $30.00-$50.00 per session. That being said, it is the purpose and desire of Watershed Ministries to provide quality counseling to those in need.

In the spirit of Acts 2:43-45 and Luke 12:48b, each client is asked to pray about what God would have them give to help support the ministry and maintain this service for all in our community. 

"Everyone around was in awe-all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled together their resources so that each person's need was met." 

(Acts 2:43-45, The Message Bible, emphasis added)

Our Story

When God begins to break your heart for what breaks His, there is a growing desire to put His love into action. In response to God’s leading, Cathy and Eric Tellefsen began meeting with individuals and couples in their local church in 2008. As they began to see the greater need for trained, quality biblical counseling in the community at large, God led them to establish Watershed Ministries, a 501(c)3 non-profit ministry in 2014, to serve mainly the Johnston County, NC area.

In 2018, the Tellefsens felt God calling them to move to Carteret County, NC. We are grateful that we serve a multiplying God, Who knows and meets the needs of His people and we look forward to building this ministry to better serve those needs in Eastern North Carolina.

OUR PURPOSE

 
 

  • We seek to come alongside those who are suffering, struggling and confused by the difficulties of life, with the help of trained biblical knowledge and the love of Christ for each person who comes through our door.

  • We are a non-profit 501(c)3 para-church ministry, with the purpose of providing Christian-based, biblical counseling, teaching events/seminars and mission opportunities.

  • We seek to partner with local churches and pastors to provide more intensive guidance in life dominating struggles.

  • Our teaching and seminars are a means of preventative care and education for many of these same topics.

  • Our mission opportunities are both local and international.

OUR BELIEFS

As a ministry with specific outreach to the local community, we maintain an interdenominational profile among our constituents, as an evangelical christian ministry adhering to the following:

  • We believe in only one, true living God, who is One in three persons, a Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  • As the Creator, He always has been and always will be the Source of all truth. He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. He is eternally holy, just and sovereign over all things.

  • We believe the Bible to be God’s living, active, and divinely inspired revelation of Himself to humankind.

  • Both the Old and New Testaments compose the closed canon that is the Word of God, inerrant, infallible and sufficient for all of life. It is given to us, so that we may know how to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.

  • Having been given free will by God, humankind chose to sin against God through willful disobedience. At this point in which sin entered God’s perfect creation, man and women experienced a fallen state. Without repentance for our sin and faith in Jesus Christ alone as our Lord and Savior, we are deserving of God’s wrath.

  • Through belief of Christ’s death on the Cross, burial and resurrection, we have been justified, redeemed and reconciled to God.

  • This is not because we deserved or earned it, but God’s undeserved mercy and grace for all who believe in the Gospel of Christ. Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us and through this and we are made holy and righteous in God’s sight.

  • From the point of salvation, we experience progressive sanctification for the purpose of becoming more like Christ and thereby glorifying God. This sanctification is evidenced in daily surrender, a growing understanding of the indicatives of Scripture, motivating an increased desire to follow the imperatives of God’s Word.

 

Most Recent Quarterly Newsletter: FEB 2023

 
 

For more information, please contact us.