Table of Contents
-Choosing a Training Program
-Biblical Counseling Organizations
-2021 Guide to Biblical Counseling Resources
CHOOSING A Biblical Counseling TRAINING PROGRAM:
There are many options for becoming a Biblical Counselor, and they break out into two main groups:
The Top Formal Education Training Programs We Recommend:
The Top Certification Programs We Recommend:
WBW Holistic Biblical Counseling Certification- Well rounded, holistically focused training program.
ABC Biblical Counseling Certification- Biblical Counseling program, with an integrative approach.
CCEF Training options- Most educational training for Biblical Counseling that offers different programs.
ACBC Biblical Counseling Certification- More traditional Biblical Counseling approach.
SBTS Certificate in Biblical Counseling - More condensed Biblical counseling Certification.
Biblical Counseling Organizations:
The following Organizations have a wealth of knowledge and resources for you to learn more about Biblical Counseling, as well as programs and memberships to be a part of.
Association of Biblical Counseling (ABC):
ABC exists to encourage, equip and enrich all believers everywhere to live and counsel the Word, applying the Gospel to the whole experience of life.
ABC seeks to encourage a robust biblical worldview of people and their problems while promoting Scripture as the supreme source wherein healing truth may be found.
ABC seeks to equip members by offering training and certification that will enhance their knowledge of Scripture as it practically applies to the myriad of issues related to counseling.
ABC seeks to enrich members by providing ongoing resources designed to complement their work as biblical counselors.
ABC seeks to provide wisdom to help members apply the here and now relevance of the Gospel as it applies to all things counseling.
Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC):
For 40 years, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) has been certifying biblical counselors to ensure doctrinal integrity and to promote excellence in biblical counseling. In 1976 Dr. Jay Adams founded the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC) with the desire that the organization and its rigorous certification process would become the backbone of the biblical counseling movement. Today the organization is now known as the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and is the oldest and largest biblical counseling organization in the world. The training and certification of ACBC counselors is recognized worldwide with over 1,700 counselors in 30 countries that speak 30 languages with these numbers growing yearly. ACBC also has over 60 certified training centers ranging from seminaries to churches.
Biblical Counseling Coalition (BCC):
The BCC is all about promoting relationships and providing resources. There are many tremendous organizations and individuals involved in the biblical counseling movement. The BCC seeks to connect such men and women in a way that creates a natural and healthy synergy. We seek to build strong relationships among the leaders in the biblical counseling movement because we believe that God is honored when His people are “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). We also believe this context of relational integrity will provide a marvelous opportunity to share resources with counselors, educators, students, and even potential counselees.
Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF):
Their mission is to restore Christ to counseling and counseling to the church by thinking biblical about the issues of living in order to equip the church to meet counseling-related needs.
Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries (FBCM):
They believe that God’s Word, the Bible, is sufficient to resolve life’s most challenging situations and questions. Since 1977 we’ve used God’s word to help those most in need, and to train those who want to learn to help others.
Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship (IBCD):
The Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship exists to serve churches, organizations and individuals who share a passion to see believers equipped to counsel one another through life’s struggles with the Word of God. We do this by offering training through our Care & Discipleship program, as well as offering events and free resources that are helpful to anyone interested in learning how to better help others.
International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC):
The International Association of Biblical Counselors consists of men and women committed to serious reliance on Scripture as sufficient and authoritative, and devoted to helping God’s people apply His truth to their personal lives in practical ways.
Institute for Nouthetic Studies (INS):
For almost fifty years Dr. Jay Adams has been at the forefront of a movement calling pastors and other Christian workers back to the Scriptures in their counseling ministry. Beginning with the publication of his book Competent to Counsel in 1970, Dr. Adams has been demonstrating the importance of understanding the sufficiency of the Word to bring about the kind of change that pleases God and genuinely helps the counselee. Dr. Adams has devoted his life to teaching others how to effectively minister the Word as an author, seminary professor, denominational executive, popular lecturer, and as a pastor. The Institute for Nouthetic Studies was established to make Dr. Adams’ teaching ministry readily available, in a structured way, to students around the world who desire to better prepare themselves to minister the Word of God as they counsel—and to do so under the tutelage of the founding father of the modern biblical counseling movement!
Overseas Instruction in Counseling (OIC):
The vision of Overseas Instruction in Counseling is to glorify God through the spiritual strengthening of believers and churches around the world. The Apostle Paul is best known as a church planting missionary. But Paul didn’t just begin churches and leave them on their own. A vital part of his ministry was church strengthening, a ministry he accomplished both through personal visits (Acts 14:22; 15:41; 18:23) and through letters. Because developing—sometimes already mature—Christian ministries now exist in most places in the world, OIC is a church strengthening ministry. We exist to help the church provide biblical sufficiency-based soul care for believers that are struggling with the challenges of living in a fallen world among fallen people. Our training strengthens churches in their ministry of restoring broken believers to the grace of God.