Taking place now
Issue Focused Ministry training seminar
A four-day seminar for people who want to learn to minister using the Issue Focused format.
Want to hear about the next one? See upcoming events.
Christian healing ministry that goes to the roots
Restoring the Foundations UK is a Christian charity. Since 1999 our trained ministry couples have prayed with individuals, married couples and church leaders across England, Wales and Scotland, inviting Jesus into the places where old pain, family patterns and long-held lies have taken hold.
Willpower rarely changes a heart. God does. When the foundations are restored, the rest of life starts to follow.
- Registered charity 1104258
- DBS-checked, safeguarding-trained teams
- In person or online
Why the same struggles keep coming back
Most of us have prayed about something for years and watched it return. That is rarely a lack of faith. Problems in our lives seldom have one cause. They grow from four sources that feed one another, and Jesus named all four when He opened the scroll in the synagogue at Nazareth.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
“To preach the gospel to the poor”
What came down the family line
Most of us can name a pattern that runs through our family. A temper, a fear, a way of handling money or love that we swore we would never repeat, and then did. Scripture is frank that the sins of one generation put pressure on the next.
In ministry you confess what has come down the line, forgive the people who handed it on and ask God to break its hold on you and on your children. Many people describe the relief of no longer fighting something that was never only theirs.
See Exodus 20:5–6
“To heal the brokenhearted”
Hurts that never properly healed
Some pain heals cleanly. Some gets buried and goes on steering us years later: the rejection that makes a small remark feel enormous, the loss nobody had time to grieve, the childhood moment we decided did not matter.
Jesus came to heal the broken-hearted, and that includes memories you may have stopped noticing. We invite Him into those places, listen for what He wants to say and do, and leave room for Him to work. It is gentle, unhurried and led by the Holy Spirit.
See Psalm 147:3
“To proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind”
Lies that feel like facts
“I’m on my own.” “I always get it wrong.” “God loves other people more than me.” Beliefs like these rarely announce themselves. They simply feel true, and they quietly shape our choices, our marriages and how close we let God come.
Anything we believe that does not match God’s character or His word is an ungodly belief. Together we find the ones that are doing the damage, renounce them and replace each with a godly belief that you take home and keep praying through until your heart agrees with it.
See Romans 12:2
“To set at liberty those who are oppressed”
Oppression that has lost its ground
Paul warns us not to give the devil a foothold. Family sin left unconfessed, wounds left unhealed and lies left unchallenged all hand the enemy ground to stand on, and he makes the most of it.
Once that ground has been dealt with in the first three areas, oppression has no right to stay, and it is told to leave in the name of Jesus. No shouting or theatre is needed. The authority was won at the cross.
See Ephesians 4:27
Because each of these four areas props up the others, dealing with only one rarely brings lasting freedom. RTF ministers take all four together in the same ministry. That integrated approach, first developed by Dr Chester and Betsy Kylstra, is what makes Restoring the Foundations different from most prayer ministry.
Read about the integrated approachThree ways to receive ministry
Every format deals with all four sources. What changes is how much ground there is to cover and how much time you give to it. Each block below is one three-hour session.
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Issue Focused Ministry
One issue that keeps tripping you up
3 hours. About 3 hours, in one session
For a single stubborn problem, such as a fear, a reaction you can’t seem to control or a relationship that keeps going the same way. We pray through how all four sources feed that one issue and deal with the roots rather than the symptoms.
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Thorough Format Ministry
Going deep and wide across your whole life
15 hours. Five sessions of 3 hours, usually over 3 days
For when it is more than one thing, or you want God to go to the foundations. You fill in a questionnaire beforehand so your ministers can prepare in prayer, then each of the four sources is ministered to in turn. This is where the most lasting change is usually seen.
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Ministry for married couples
Healing for each of you and for your marriage
19 hours. Around 19 hours, usually over 6 days
Thorough Format Ministry for husband and wife, with individual ministry for each of you and two further sessions focused on the marriage itself. Old hurts that one spouse brings in so often land on the other, and this is where that cycle can be broken.
Not sure which to choose? Tell us a little about what you are facing and we will suggest the format and the team that suit you best.
Who can receive ministry?
Adults of every age, background, culture and nationality. Some come in crisis. Many simply know there is more freedom available than they are living in.
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Individuals
Single, married, widowed, young adult or retired. Whatever your church background, if something keeps holding you back from the life God intended, ministry is for you.
Ministry for individuals -
Married couples
Healing for husband and wife together, so that the hurts each of you carried into the marriage stop shaping it.
Ministry for couples -
Churches and leaders
Personal ministry for leaders who give out constantly, and seminars and training so that your own prayer teams can minister in this way.
Training for churches -
Organisations
The same biblical principles applied to the workplace, through our sister work, Transforming Your Business.
Transforming Your Business (opens in a new tab)
Ministered by couples you can trust
Our ministers work in husband-and-wife teams and belong to the Healing House Network, which keeps the standards and practices of Restoring the Foundations International here in the UK.
Every team has completed a demanding programme of training and qualification, and is evaluated and updated regularly so that the ministry you receive in Cornwall is the same quality as the ministry you receive in Staffordshire. Our ministers are members of their local churches, accountable to the network, and still on their own healing journey. They receive ministry themselves from time to time, so they know what it is like to sit where you will sit.
- Current DBS certificate for every minister
- Safeguarding training, with our policy available on request
- Confidential, unhurried and led by the Holy Spirit
Where our teams are
- Truro, Cornwall Also online
- Weymouth, Dorset
- Taunton, Somerset Also online
- Chippenham, Wiltshire
- Bath and Bristol Also online
- Bordon, Hampshire
- Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex Also online
- Brecon, Powys
- Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire Also online
Living somewhere else? Online ministry means you don’t need a team on your doorstep. Meet our ministry teams.
Lives that have changed
Being part of someone’s healing is a privilege we never take lightly. These words come from people who have received RTF ministry and asked us to share what God did.
The effectiveness has been breathtaking. It was incredible what has happened and how my ministers have led me to a place of new beginnings and healing.
As I broke off generational rejection, broke the lies that I was living out of, forgave those who had hurt me and had my heart healed, the huge weight of rejection I had always felt lifted from me.
I know I have been set free from some major strongholds and traumas that were deeply buried. I already feel different and believe that this time it has been completely covered and dealt with, no loose ends!
Freedom to forgive far more quickly than before; freedom from anxiety and performance; freedom from addiction to work, instead remaining at peace in the work God provides.
The immediate effect was transforming, I felt so different and people, particularly in the church community, have commented at the changes they have seen in me.
Learn to minister healing to others
Many people who receive RTF ministry find God stirring them to offer it to others. Our training seminars equip church members and leaders to minister with the same biblical, integrated approach, so that more people can find healing through their own local church.
Seminars for churches are also available, giving a congregation the foundations of the four problem areas and the tools to keep walking in freedom.
Explore training
Our vision
To give hope of healing and freedom from life’s hurts and traumas, and a renewed purpose for living, so that you can be all God created you to be.
Our mission
To prepare the Church to be a spotless Bride, ready for her Bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ, through a Holy Spirit-led, integrated approach to healing. We bring healing, equipping, training and teaching to individuals and groups, so that the freedom Jesus paid for on the cross becomes an everyday reality in our relationships with God and with others, at home, at work and in church.
Restoring the Foundations UK is part of the Healing House Network and works under the covering, standards and practices of Healing House Network International, founded by Dr Chester and Betsy Kylstra of Restoring the Foundations International.
Read our statement of faith Visit RTF International (opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask before booking
If yours isn’t answered here, email office@restoringthefoundations.uk and one of the team will reply.
What is Restoring the Foundations ministry?
It is Christian prayer ministry for inner healing and freedom. Two trained ministers pray with you, listening to the Holy Spirit, and work through the four sources that sit underneath most of our struggles: sin and curses passed down the family line, ungodly beliefs, hurts of the heart and demonic oppression. The approach was developed by Dr Chester and Betsy Kylstra and is used by Restoring the Foundations ministers around the world.
Is it the same as counselling?
No. Counselling and therapy are talking-based professional services, while RTF is prayer ministry that relies on God to do the healing. The two can sit side by side, and plenty of people receive both. Ministry is not a substitute for medical or psychiatric care, so please keep to any treatment or medication you have been prescribed and talk to your GP before changing it.
Do I need to be a Christian to receive ministry?
The ministry is Christian through and through. Everything is done in the name of Jesus and rests on the Bible, so it makes most sense for people who have put their trust in Him. People come from Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Pentecostal, independent and many other churches. If you are unsure whether it is right for you, get in touch and talk it through first.
Which format should I choose?
If there is one clear issue troubling you, Issue Focused Ministry is a good place to start. If you are carrying several things, or you want to go to the roots of your whole life, Thorough Format Ministry gives the time that needs. Married couples can receive ministry together. When you contact us we will help you decide.
Can I receive ministry online?
Yes. Several of our teams offer ministry by video call, which means distance needn’t stop you. Others minister in person only. Tell us where you are and how you would prefer to meet, and we will put you in touch with a suitable team.
Is what I share kept confidential?
Confidentiality is taken very seriously, and what you share stays with your ministers. Like every responsible ministry we follow a safeguarding policy, so if we ever believed a child or vulnerable adult was at risk of harm we might need to act on it. You are welcome to ask for a copy of the policy before you book.
What does ministry cost?
Practical arrangements, including any cost, are set by each ministry team and will be explained clearly before anything is booked. Please email the office and we will give you the details for the team nearest you.
Ready to take the first step?
Write to us in your own words. You don’t need to know which format you want or how to describe what is wrong. Someone from the office will reply, answer your questions and help you find a team.
Office hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.