2.       Don’t counsel without scheduling boundaries.  The needs and burdens of your members can quickly overtake your week.  Be proactive in scheduling time for prayer, study of Scripture, sermon preparation, supervision of staff, and other things before people start calling you and asking for time.

3.       Don’t counsel with humanistic standards.  Keep the gospel as your main focus.

4.       Don’t counsel without knowing your own weaknesses.  

5.       Don’t counsel when you are the only one carrying the counseling burden.   Let others carry the “weight” of the congregation’s burdens with you.   This is a good argument for the plurality of elders, so there are other pastors helping to carry the load.

6.       Don’t counsel everyone.  You are not superman.  You can’t solve everyone’s problems.  You can give comfort and encouragement from Scripture, but sometimes there will be others (in your church) who will have more wisdom about addressing a particular problem.   Be wise: let them know your limitations and encourage them to pursue others who will be wiser.

7.       Don’t counsel if you are prone to self-righteousness.  You will consistently make people who come to you feel like inferior Christians.   Make some progress on fighting the sin of self-righteousness before you counsel.

8.       Don’t counsel if you are struggling with “besetting sins,” like addiction to internet pornography. 

9.       Don’t counsel others as if you have the only “right” answers.   Proverb 11:14: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”

10.   Don’t counsel without personal accountability.  As a pastor, make sure there is another pastor/elder holding you accountable for your own spiritual walk.  Make sure your accountability partner is courageous enough to ask ‘intrusive’ questions.

F.Y.I.  While I appreciate Dr. Adam’s list, I’d want to nuance a number of his statements.