OUR MISSION AND VISION

Ministry leaders around the world need to experience biblical HOPE, CARE, AND RENEWAL just like the people they are shepherding.

Mission & Purpose

It is our conviction that God has placed a priority on the family as the foundation to society and to the local church. More than ever the family is under attack, especially for those in ministry. Though the core issues are the same for every family, there is a distinct dynamic involved for those in ministry that are having difficulty.
Sadly, many pastors and wives, as well as their staff members, never have an opportunity to share their personal struggles and weaknesses. For this reason, God is leading us to provide skilled, compassionate care for the caregivers and create a “safe place” for pastors, missionaries, full-time Christian workers and other believers, who specifically need marital, family, or interpersonal relationship counseling and renewal.

MEET OUR TEAM

CHRIS AND DAWN PHILIPS

Founders

Chris and Dawn were married in 1989; they have been blessed with four children and seven grands. Their journey in full-time Christian ministry has taken them from Georgia to South Carolina, Costa Rica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. Through the ministry opportunities God has given them over the past thirty-five years, their passion has been to see souls saved, solid churches established, encourage church leaders, see marriages restored, parent-teen relationships healed, child-rearing methods improved, and generations impacted by solid, biblical counseling of the fundamental truths of God’s Word. Chris and Dawn are graduates of Pensacola Christian College where Chris also received his MS in Education. Their passion for Biblical counseling led them to pursue certification through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC), and Chris is currently pursuing his Doctorate in Biblical Counseling. They are in awe of God’s blessings on Selah International Counseling Ministries, and count it a great privilege to have the opportunity to speak into the lives of God’s servants and advance the Kingdom of Christ. “Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us…Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Eph. 3:20-21)

TIM BRYANT

Board Member

Tim is the Executive Director of Lowcountry Biblical Counseling Center, which was founded in 2003. Before LCBCC, he served as a pastor for ten years. Tim and his wife Erin, have four children, one precious daughter-in-law, one cat, and one dog. Tim’s compassion for others and focus on Christ’s humility are often used by God to inspire change in those he helps. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) His counseling and speaking ministry help many couples and families struggling with intense interpersonal conflict find peace through the wisdom of humility. Many individuals seeking to overcome personal problems such as depression, anxiety, anger, bitterness, addiction, eating disorders and guilt have found Tim’s biblical passion and perspectives to be a means of grace and transformation. He holds his Master’s in Biblical Counseling from the Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California, certification by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors and is a Biblical Counseling Center Fellow-in-training.

DAVID GOFORTH

Board Member

David is Senior Pastor at Grace Baptist Church of West Columbia, SC. He and his precious wife, Daye, both grew up in Christian homes and were both saved at an early age. They met while attending Pensacola Christian College, and they entered the ministry together just two weeks after their wedding in 1993. David holds a MA in Ministry from Bob Jones University. The Goforths served over fourteen years in youth ministry at Grace Baptist Church in SC before God called them to serve in Riverview, FL at Providence Baptist. After pastoring almost eleven years there, God placed them back at Grace Baptist in SC. David has a passion for dynamic preaching and making disciples for the glory of His Savior. “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14) God has blessed the Goforths with five beautiful daughters who are serving the Lord.

DR. TIM STEVENS

Board Member

Tim and Sally have been married for 45 years and have served in church and school ministries in Tennessee, Michigan, South Carolina and Riverview, Florida where they presently live. Tim has served as teacher, coach, Administrator and Associate Pastor. They have retired from full time ministry but still are actively involved in their local church teaching and counseling. Tim is also actively involved in the Florida State Prison System as a Seminary teacher. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in education, a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Supervision, and a Doctor of Ministry degree in Pastoral Leadership. The Stevens grew up in Michigan and are high school sweethearts. They have four adult children and 14 grandchildren. Tim has claimed Philippians 1:20-21 as verses that have impacted his life.

MICHAEL FREE

Board Member

Michael Free is the pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Candor, NC. He and his lovely wife, Sherri have been serving at TBC since 1991. Michael received a Bachelor’s degree from Pensacola Christian College in 1989 in Youth Ministries and a Master’s degree in 1991 in Bible Exposition. Sherri’s father planted the church in 1976 and Michael became the assistant pastor in 1991. In 2002, Michael became the senior pastor. Sherri has been the church pianist for more than thirty-five years and has now stepped into the role of Music Director. Michael is also the director of Living Water Christian Camp and Retreat Center, a camping outreach ministry of TBC. Living Water conducts a full slate of summer camp weeks and also some spring and fall events. Michael’s life verse is Psalm 84:11, “The Lord God is a sun and shield; He will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Michael and Sherri have three adult children serving in Christian ministry, Jonathan, Jessica, and Jordyn.

EDWARD EARWOOD

Board Member

Edward and his wife Debbie were married in 1978. After serving in Christian schools and pastoring a church for nine years, Edward became and continues to be the executive director of South Carolina Association of Christian Schools (SCACS). This position with SCACS has expanded his role with American Association of Christian Schools, national accreditation groups, Exceptional SC, and Fortify Foundation. He has served in Christian education and church ministry for 45 years. They have ministered together in Christian education and church ministry since 1979. Edward holds a B.A. in Bible and Social Studies Education from Bob Jones University, a M.S. in Educational Administration from Pensacola Christian College, an Ed.S. from Bob Jones University, and completed doctoral work at Columbia International University. He currently lives in West Columbia, SC and attends Grace Baptist Church where God has allowed him and Debbie to serve for the past eighteen years. Edward and Debbie have three adult daughters who are serving the Lord—Dennae, Aimee, and Emily—and nine grandchildren. “Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” (1 Cor. 4:2)

Chris

Chris

Executive Director/Counselor

Dawn

Dawn

Executive Assistant/Counselor

Colby

Colby

Financial Manager/Representative

Jessica

Jessica

Admin Assistant/Counselor

Daniel

Daniel

Photographer/IT Consultant

Toni

Toni

Design/Social Media Manager

Aly

Aly

Content Editor

Deb

Deb

Medical Consultant

James

James

Associate Counselor

Bryan

Bryan

Associate Counselor

Kim

Kim

Associate Counselor

Gretchen

Gretchen

Associate Counselor

Ron and Sherry

Ron and Sherry

Associate Counselors

Chris

Chris

Associate Counselor

David

David

Associate Counselor

Bill and Tammy

Bill and Tammy

Associate Counselors

SELAH INAUGURAL BOARD MEETING AND DEDICATORY PRAYER

FEBRUARY 21, 2023

“Our hearts are full of gratitude to each of you who made it possible to purchase this property. May the Lord abundantly bless you for your sacrifice and investment in the lives of pastors and missionaries around the world.” – The Selah Team

OUR STORY

Chris and Dawn Phillips have been in full-time Christian ministry since 1990. They served in Christian Education for ten years then for 23 years as missionaries in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Charleston, SC. They praise the Lord for the lasting fruit God produced in these ministries. While serving in the DR, Dawn was diagnosed with a severe autoimmune disease. After three years of physical struggles overseas, they transitioned back to the states for her to receive medical care in Charleston, SC. Emotionally, physically, and spiritually depleted, they began to heal. Chris describes that time like this: “We had ignored the warning signs of burnout in our ministry, often suppressing negative emotions to serve others, maintain our ‘image,’ and keep the ministry going. Most of our ‘breaks’ during furloughs were filled with speaking engagements, and we did not take time to recharge. We praise God that He got our attention before it was too late, allowing us to regain our strength and continue in ministry. God used biblical counselors to speak Truth to us and help us see clearly the ‘next steps’ God was calling us to take. God provided for our every need and helped us establish a Spanish Speaking Church in Charleston. Above all, His mercy has been evident in our marriage, ministry, and in the lives of our children, all of whom serve in full-time ministry—only by His grace.” The power of biblical counseling during their crisis led Chris to pursue a doctoral degree in Biblical Counseling. Their passion is to normalize biblical counseling for ministry leaders and their families — not just in crisis but as a normal part of the local church ministry. The seeds that were planted in their hearts through their personal experience led them to become ACBC certified counselors and eventually to found Selah International Counseling Ministries in 2020. The passion of all those on the Selah Team is to see the lives of pastors, missionaries, and their children transformed by counseling rooted in the power of Scripture and the Holy Spirit. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

OUR BELIEFS

SCRIPTURE

We believe that the 66 books of the Bible in the Old and New Testaments constitute the completed Word of God. God the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of Scripture so that they wrote the exact words that he desired them to write. The words in Scripture, penned by human authors, are thus the very words of God himself. As inspired by God the Bible is completely free from error, and serves as the inerrant, infallible, and final rule for life and faith. The Bible speaks with complete authority about every matter it addresses. The words of Scripture concern issues of life and faith before God, and because counseling issues are matters of life and faith, the Bible is a sufficient resource to define and direct all counseling ministry.
Acts 1:16; 2 Timothy 3:1-17; 2 Peter 1:3-21; 2 Peter 3:15-16

THE TRUE GOD

We believe in the one eternal God, the Creator of all things; that in the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, identical in essence and equal in power and glory.
Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 46:9; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Exodus 20:2, 3; Matthew 3:16, 17; Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:8

GOD THE FATHER

We believe that God the Father is holy and loving. Unlimited in time, space, knowledge, and power, the Father has purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself. In His sovereignty, He is neither author nor approver of sin, nor does He negate the accountability of moral, intelligent creatures. Although distinct from His creation, He is active and working in it, intervening as He chooses.
Psalm 103:19; Ephesians 1:4; James 1:13; Habakkuk 1:12, 13; John 8:38, 47; 1 Peter 1:17; Psalm 139: 1-16; 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 5:17

JESUS CHRIST

We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the second member of the Trinity. He exists as one person with two distinct natures, fully divine, and fully human without any mixture of the two. He was born of a virgin. He lived his entire life on earth without transgressing the law of God. He suffered a violent death on the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. He rose miraculously from the grave on the third day as Lord and Savior, demonstrating his victory over sin, death, and the devil. He ascended bodily into heaven where he reigns over all creation, and actively upholds and intercedes for the believers as his bride, the church, awaits his glorious return.
Matthew 1:18-25; John 17:6; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8; Ephesians 1:21-23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-15; Hebrews 4:14-15; 7:25

THE HOLY SPIRIT

We believe that the Holy Spirit is the promised Comforter sent by the Father and the Son, possessing full personality and deity. He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is the agent of the new birth, at which time He baptizes believers into the body of Christ, and His work among believers is that He seals, indwells, fills, guides, and teaches. The sign gifts of prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, miracles and healing were powerful indicators in New Testament times whereby the authenticity of the gospel was established on Earth, but these gifts are not standard today.
John 7:39; 14:16-17, 26; 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 12:8-13, 28-31; 13:8-12; Hebrews 2:1-4, 9:14; Acts 1:4,5; Revelation 22:18-19; Romans 12:3-8; Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:7-11

SALVATION

We believe that grace is God’s generous decision in providing salvation for any person by taking all the initiative in providing atonement, in freely offering the Gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, and in uniting the believer to Christ through the Holy Spirit by faith. Through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus Christ provided salvation to all those who will believe. The sinner must be born again, being regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit and thereby receiving a new nature. The believer who has exercised personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is justified and in possession of a salvation which is eternally secure. A result of salvation is a life of obedience to God producing good works.
John 3:3-6, 16; 10:28, 29; 2 Corinthians 7:9, 10; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:8; Acts 13:39, Ephesians 2:8-10, 1 Peter 3:18, Romans 3:24, 27-28; 5:6, 8, 15-21, I Timothy 2:5, 6; 2 Peter 1:4

MAN

We believe that God created man out of the dust and breathed life into him so that he became a living person. Human beings are made in the image of God and were created by him to be the pinnacle of creation. God made mankind in two complementary genders of male and female who are equal in dignity and worth. Men are called to roles of spiritual leadership particularly in the home and in the church. Women are called to respond to and affirm godly servant leadership in the church and home. God created the human person with a physical body and an immaterial soul, each possessing equal honor and essential to humanity. The Bible depicts the soul as that which motivates the physical body to action. These constituent aspects are separable only at death. The great hope of Christians is the restoration of body and soul in a glorified existence in the new heavens and new earth. Man is by design a dependent creature standing in need of divine counsel to serve God and to be conformed into the image of Christ.
Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7; Proverbs 4:23; Roman 8:29; 1 Timothy 2:8-15; Ephesians 5:22-33; 2 Corinthians 4:16-5:10

Marriage and Sexuality

We believe the Scriptures teach that God created man and woman as unique biological persons. God’s plan for the union of marriage is that a biological man and a biological woman come together and covenant to be one flesh for life in a monogamous union that is spiritual, emotional, and physical. God’s plan for sexual union is for its expression to be only within the bounds of this male and female marital union. We believe that a person’s true identity is found and fulfilled in Christ alone and in a relationship with him. Therefore, a Christian is not to embrace identities, desires, and behaviors that are contrary to the expressed teaching of Scripture.

Sin

We believe that God created mankind in a state of sinless perfection, but that the human race fell from this state when Adam willfully chose to rebel against God and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Since that time every human being, except Jesus Christ, has been born in sin and separated from God. Every element of human nature is inherently corrupted by sin so that mankind stands in desperate need of the grace of God in order to be cleansed from sin by the Holy Spirit through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. Sin increases the need for all counseling as people seek to resolve problems in living caused by their own sin, the sin of others, and the consequences of sin in the world.
Genesis 3:1-7; Psalm 51:5; Romans 3:1-21; 5:12-21

The Church

We believe that the church is the bride of Christ and is called to proclaim the Word of God, administer baptism and the Lord’s supper, and exercise church discipline. The church is the organism through which God accomplishes his mission in the world. It is the main agent for all ministry of the Word, including the ministry of counseling and discipleship.
Matthew 16:18-20; Matthew 18:15-20; Romans 15:14; 1 Peter 2:1-12; Revelation 19:6-10

Baptism and the Lord’s Supper

We believe the Scriptures teach that baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, representing the believer’s death to sin and his resurrection to a new life. We believe that the Lord’s Supper is a commemoration of Christ’s death to be observed by believers until His return and should be preceded by honest self-examination.
Matthew 28:19, 20; Acts 2:41-47; 8:36-39; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 11:23-28

Regeneration

We affirm that any person who responds to the Gospel with repentance and faith is born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is a new creation in Christ and enters, at the moment he believes, into eternal life.
Luke 15:24; John 3:3; 7:37-39; 10:10; 16:7-14; Acts 2:37-39; Romans 6:4-11; 10:14; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; 6:15; Colossians 2:13; 1 Peter 3:18

Justification

Justification is the sovereign declaration of God that the righteousness of Jesus Christ has been imputed to those who have trusted in his sinless obedience and his substitutionary atonement on the cross for their salvation. When God justifies a person, he no longer treats him as a sinner but reckons him to possess that righteousness which Jesus Christ earned on his behalf. The declaration of justification does not come through any past, present, or future merit in the sinner. Justification is based exclusively on the merits of Jesus Christ and is received through faith alone.
Luke 18:9-14; Romans 4:1-12; Philippians 3:1-11

Sanctification

Sanctification is a joint work between God and man, where God supplies grace for Christians to grow in obedience to Christ. While Christians are made holy in a definitive sense at conversion, it still remains for them to grow in holiness. This work of grace requires believers to utilize, by faith, the normal means of grace such as Bible reading, prayer, thought renewal, and fellowship in the context of the local church. Christians will experience real progress in growing more like Christ, yet this work will be incomplete in this life. The work of counseling is fundamentally the work of helping Christians to grow in this grace of sanctification.
Acts 26:17-18; Romans 6:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 3:1-17

Revelation

God discloses himself to humanity in two ways. Special revelation is God’s disclosure of himself to his people in the pages of Scripture. General revelation is God’s disclosure of himself to the entirety of humanity in the things that have been made. General revelation and special revelation each come from God and are of equivalent authority, though they differ in content. Special revelation discloses detailed information about the character of God and how to live all of life in a way that honors him. General revelation is a disclosure of the beauty and power of God, which leads to judgment. The subject matter of general revelation is the character of God, and not mere facts about the created order. General revelation requires special revelation to be properly understood and applied.
Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-23

Common Grace

God extends his goodness to all people by making provision for their physical needs and granting them intellectual gifts. This goodness, also known as common grace, is what grants unbelievers the ability to apprehend facts in science, for example, and is why believers can affirm the true information that unbelievers come to understand. The chief manifestation of God’s grace is his salvation of sinners by the blood of Jesus Christ to all who believe. Common grace cannot overcome the corrosive effects of sin upon human thinking without this special, saving grace of Jesus. This reality guarantees that, though unbelievers can know many facts, they will misunderstand information that is most central to human life, which includes information about God, the human problem of sin, and its solution in Christ. Because the central elements of counseling include God, the nature of the human problem of sin, and God’s solution in Christ, the counseling methods of secular people are ultimately at odds with a uniquely biblical approach to counseling.
Matthew 5:44-45; John 1:9; Romans 1:18-23; Colossians 1:21

The Great Commission

The church has been called to go into the world with the task of evangelism and discipleship. In giving this commission, Jesus requires his people to use their conversations to point people to Christ in evangelism, and to build people up in Christ in discipleship. The Great Commission necessitates that all faithful counseling conversations must have Jesus Christ as their ultimate goal. Our Lord and Savior does not give believers the option to avoid counseling conversations, or to avoid directing those conversations toward Jesus. The commitment of Christians to the Great Commission and to faithful biblical counseling is therefore one and the same.
Matthew 28:16-20; Romans 10:1-17; 2 Corinthians 5:11-21; Colossians 1:24-29

Last Things

Jesus Christ will return for his church at a moment known only to God. At Jesus’ coming, he will sit in judgment on the entirety of the human race. At the conclusion of this judgment, he will usher all humanity into the eternal state. All those who have spent their lives persisting in unbelief will go away into everlasting torment. The righteous in Christ will go away into everlasting joy in the presence of Jesus Christ. Christians can therefore have hope that all wrongs will be punished, that all righteous acts will be rewarded, and that God’s people will ultimately abide with him forever. The hope of the new creation is the foundation of all counseling.
Matthew 25:31-46; Romans 2:6-11; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21

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