Trained In The Art of Biblical Soul Care.

Core Courses

Biblical Studies Core Courses (14 Units)

• B352 Hermeneutics
• B400 Senior Integrative Seminar
• B490 Senior Comprehensive Exam
• One of the following
  • BL301 and 302 Elementary Greek I, II (4, 4)
  • BL311 and 312 Elementary Hebrew I, II (4, 4)

Biblical Counseling Emphasis Courses (47 Units)

• BC300 Introduction to Biblical Counseling
• BC311 Theological Basis for Biblical Counseling
• BC330 Methods of Biblical Counseling
• BC340 Marriage & Family
• BC382 Counseling Internship
• BC421 Problems & Procedures
• BC431 Counseling Practicum I
• BC432 Counseling Practicum II
• BE101 Introduction to Psychology
• Bible Book Studies
• Bible Electives

Learning Outcomes

Our biblical counseling program faithfully adheres to the Bible-based counseling model championed by ACBC.

Students are equipped to understand why Scripture is sufficient to meet the needs of individuals and why Scripture alone offers people true hope. We do not use the popular integration model, blending cherry-picked biblical principles with secular psychology.  The goal of the program is to train the whole person. The courses are designed to include the academic content, skills, and purposeful character development necessary to enable an individual to become a wise, loving counselor to fellow believers within a church-related context.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Demonstrate the correct application of hermeneutical principles to develop an interpretation of a biblical text, including a foundational working knowledge of biblical Greek.
2. Explain the foundational theological principles of biblical counseling with particular focus on the doctrines of inspiration, inerrancy, and sufficiency of the Scriptures, leading to the ability to biblically interact with and respond to current trends, conceptual approaches, and practices in the counseling field.
3. Explain from Scripture the role of biblical counseling within the larger work of the church, particularly its relationship to evangelism and discipleship.
4. Based on interaction with and data gathering about a counselee, develop a counseling methodology that effectively applies a broad range of relevant biblical passages to counselee issues—in particular core issues of the heart—and understand the centrality of the gospel as the basis for biblical change that leads to true worship.
5. Demonstrate a consistent pattern of biblically based self-reflection leading to growth in Christlike character qualities necessary for effective biblical counseling.

You’ll benefit from:

• Local and national internship, career, and practicum opportunities
• Options to study abroad in Israel, Italy, and 10+ GO! locations
• Receive mentorship and guidance from faculty advisors
• The option to continue with Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC) and Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling (DMinBC).

Philosophy of Counseling

The Holy Scripture, being God’s law and testimony, is true and should therefore serve as the Christian’s standard for all matters of faith and practice (Isaiah 8:19-20; 2 Peter 1:3). There is no authority that is higher than the one found in Scripture. Wherever and on whatever subject Scripture speaks, it must be regarded as inerrant, authoritative, sufficient, and superior to human counsel. There have always been people who have affirmed the inerrancy and authority of Scripture in matters of faith and practice but who would not affirm the sufficiency of Scripture for understanding and resolving the spiritual (non-physical) problems of man. They acknowledge Scripture to be the Word of God, and in this they are correct, but when it comes to understanding and resolving many of the real spiritual issues of life, they think that Scripture has limited value. Therefore, it is crucial that we clearly articulate a definition of biblical counseling according to Scripture. There are four distinguishing features of truly Christian or biblical counseling as explained below.

Christ-Centered Counseling
Biblical counseling is conscientiously and comprehensively Christ-centered. It focuses on who Christ is and what He has done for us in His life, death, resurrection, and in sending the Holy Spirit. Christ-centered counseling also focuses on what He is doing for us right now in His intercession at the Father’s right hand and what He will do for us in the future. In biblical counseling, the Christ of the Bible is not an appendage or an “add on” for living in the fast lane. Rather, He is the center and the circumference (and everywhere in between) of counseling. Christ-centered counseling involves understanding the nature and causes of our human difficulties. It involves understanding the ways we are unlike Christ in our values, aspirations, desires, thoughts, feelings, choices, attitudes, actions, and responses. Resolving those sin-related difficulties includes being redeemed and justified through Christ, receiving God’s forgiveness through Christ, and acquiring from Christ the enabling power to replace un-Christlike (sinful) patterns with Christlike, godly ones. As we are transformed to be more like Christ, we overcome sin and are better-equipped to deal with the effects of sin in this fallen world with a primary focus on glorifying God, proclaiming the gospel, and advancing His kingdom (Ro 8:29; 1 Co 10:31; 2 Co 3:18; 5:9).

Gospel-Centered Counseling
A biblical counselor is also conscientiously and comprehensively Christian in his outlook on life. Genuine biblical counseling is conducted by individuals who have experienced the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit and have come to Christ in repentance and faith, acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior of their lives. These are also people who want to live in obedience to Him, people whose main concern in life is to exalt Him and bring glory to His name. They are people who believe that, since God did not spare His own Son from the cross or the suffering He experienced there but, delivered Him up to the cross and death for us on our behalf and in our stead, as our substitute. Through Christ, He will freely give us all that we need for effective and godly living and transform us to be like His Son in the totality of our being. Biblical Christian counselors also acknowledge the role of the Holy Spirit in regenerating, saving, and sanctifying the believer. Truly biblical counseling is carried out by those whose theological convictions influence, permeate, and control their personal lives along with their counseling theory and practice.

Bible-Centered Counseling
Genuine biblical counseling is conscientiously and comprehensively based on the Bible and derives from Scripture its understanding of who man is, the nature of his primary problems, why he has these problems, and how to resolve these problems. In other words, the counselor must be conscientiously and comprehensively committed to the sufficiency of Scripture for understanding and resolving all the non-physical personal and interpersonal sin-related difficulties of man.

Church-Centered Counseling
Another distinguishing feature of genuine biblical counseling is that it will be conscientiously and comprehensively church centered. Scripture makes it clear that the local church is the primary means by which God accomplishes His work in the world. The local church is His ordained instrument for calling the lost to Himself and the context in which He sanctifies and changes His people into the likeness of Christ. According to Scripture, the church is His household, the pillar and support of the truth, and the instrument He uses in helping His people to put off the old manner of life or self and to put on the new way of living and new self (1 Timothy 3:15; Ephesians 4:1-32). Credibility in counseling is established when it is conducted under the authority of the church and its properly appointed leadership.