Hernando · Inverness · all of Citrus County
Christian marriage counseling in Citrus County, Florida
Sit down with Pastor Brandon Bankert at Bethel Baptist Church in Hernando. Honest, Bible-based counsel for couples who are struggling, and for couples getting ready to marry. Your first consultation is free.
Premarital counseling $62.50 a session
Faith-based counseling for individuals and families too
What couples bring to him
You are not the first to say it out loud.
Most couples wait years before they ask for help. Here is what couples say when they finally do, and what Christian marriage counseling with Pastor Brandon works on.
“We can’t talk without it turning into a fight.”
Communication and conflict: learning to listen, to answer softly, and to settle things before the sun goes down.
“I don’t know if I can trust you again.”
After an affair, lies or a secret: repentance, forgiveness, and the slow work of rebuilding trust.
“Money is tearing us apart.”
Debt, spending, one earner or two: getting on the same page and making a plan you both keep.
“We’re living like roommates.”
Distance and dryness: finding your way back to friendship, tenderness and intimacy.
“His family, her family, our kids.”
In-laws, stepchildren, adult children and grandchildren: whose voice comes first, and how to say so kindly.
“Retirement changed everything.”
A new season: sharing a house all day, a health crisis, caring for a parent, or a second marriage later in life.
“One of us is far from God.”
Faith differences: loving a spouse who doesn’t share your faith, or who has drifted from it.
“We’re getting married.”
Premarital counseling: eight sessions to lay a foundation before the wedding.
How it works
Three steps, and the first one is free.
- 1
A free consultation
Tell Pastor Brandon what is going on. He will tell you honestly whether and how he can help, and what it would involve. There is no cost and nothing to sign.
- 2
A set of sessions
Counseling is a set number of sessions, about an hour each, at Bethel Baptist Church in Hernando. You know the plan and the cost before you begin.
- 3
Counsel from Scripture
Each session brings the Bible to bear on your situation, practically, with things to work on at home between sessions.
Premarital counseling
Getting married in Citrus County?
$62.50a session
Talk through the things couples fight about later while it is still easy: how you will handle money, conflict, family, children, faith and the roles you each expect, with a pastor who has been married since 2011.
In Florida, couples who finish a registered premarital course before they apply for a license pay a smaller fee and skip the three-day wait. Ask Pastor Brandon about the course certificate at your consultation.
Your counselor
A pastor who is a husband and a father first.
Brandon Bankert graduated from International Bible College in 2003 and served ten years as an assistant pastor and Christian school teacher before Bethel Baptist Church called him as pastor. He and his wife have been married since 2011 and are raising three children.
“God has given me a heart for the lost and a love for God’s people.”About Pastor Brandon
Not married, or coming on your own?
Pastor Brandon also offers faith-based counseling for individuals and families: grief, a hard decision, a strained relationship with a grown child, or questions about God that won’t go away. It is the same free first conversation, the same Bible, and the same plain talk.
Faith-based counselingWhere
Counseling for every part of Citrus County.
Pastor Brandon meets couples at Bethel Baptist Church on North McGee Drive in Hernando, minutes from Citrus Hills and Beverly Hills and about twenty from Inverness, Lecanto and Crystal River.
Questions people ask
Is this the same as therapy?
No. This is Christian counseling from a pastor, built on the Bible. Pastor Brandon is not a licensed therapist, and he will tell you plainly when something needs a doctor or a licensed professional instead.
Do we have to be members of Bethel, or Christians?
No. You do not have to belong to Bethel or any church. The counseling is built on the Bible, and Pastor Brandon is upfront about that from the first conversation.
What does it cost?
The first consultation is free. Premarital counseling is $62.50 a session. For marriage counseling, Pastor Brandon goes over the plan and the cost with you at the consultation, before you commit to anything.
Where do we meet?
At Bethel Baptist Church, 2289 N McGee Drive in Hernando, just off CR 486.
Is what we say kept private?
Yes. What you share stays between you and Pastor Brandon. The only exceptions are the ones Florida law requires, such as a child being harmed or someone in danger.
How do we get started?
Ask for a free consultation online, or call (352) 860-0804. Pastor Brandon answers himself and will set a time with you.
Start with a free conversation.
Sit down with Pastor Brandon, tell him what is going on, and hear how he would help. No cost and no commitment. He answers requests himself.