Walls of Refuge is a distinct, 501(c)(3) parachurch ministry that is a subsidiary of The Grace Church of Philly. Walls of Refuge is one part of a holistic pastoral counseling strategy at Grace Church, which we also want to be blessing to like-minded churches in the Philadelphia region.
Grace Church sees the need for a counseling center that provides the highest quality, gospel-centered, pastoral and clinical counseling for our members and community who desire to receive care in a formal and confidential setting.
Four phrases capture the relationship between Walls of Refuge and Grace Church of Philly.
- Functionally controlled:A ruling majority of Walls of Refuge’s board of directors is comprised of elders or officers from Grace Church of Philly. We do this to ensure that the ministry of Walls of Refuge remains true to the mission and values that we intended when we launched the ministry. The board of directors oversees the adding and removing of counselors for the ministry and ministry budget and accounting, and approves new ministry initiatives.
- Fully accountable:Grace Church of Philly’s pastor of counseling (Rolando Diaz) serves as the ministry strategist and supervisor for the staff at Walls of Refuge. The board of directors serves as the first point of appeal for complaints those receiving care at Walls of Refuge might have.
- Financially independent:Walls of Refuge and its staff are supported through the counseling donations, grants, gifts, and teaching registrations from the ministry provided by its staff. The compensation for Walls of Refuge counselors is not underwritten by Grace Church of Philly. Grace Church will donate the use of the facility at 121 E. Wyoming Ave.
- Formal confidentiality:Information discussed in counseling is considered privileged unless there is a signed release of information or relevant mandated reporting laws. While counselors at Walls of Refuge greatly value the support or involvement of pastors or small group leaders in counseling, the involvement of these individuals would only occur with the written consent of a counselee.
Our goal for Grace Church of Philly-Walls of Refuge relationship is to continue to do three things:
- Provide high quality, gospel-centered, pastoral counseling on the scale our members need.
- Be a blessing to our sister churches and like-minded churches in the Philadelphia region by helping them meet the same need for their congregations.
- Provide this pastoral counseling in a context of privacy and confidentiality when that is what best serves an individual or family.