Biblical Counseling and Discipleship Major

This major trains men and women to serve as biblical counslors for urban local churches and related parachurch ministries. Biblical counseling, as distinct from psychological or psychiatric therapy, is a form of discipleship which leads hurting people to grow in their relationship to Jesus Christ. Based upon biblical principles, this form of discipleship is a process focusing on those problems obstructing progress in Christian maturity. Upon completion of this major students will be able to:

1. Discern if the counselee has a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If not, lead them to faith in Christ.
2. Effectively gather data through using forms, extensive, and intensive questioning.
3. Identify the common impediments to Christian growth, biblical thinking and a holy lifestyle.
4. Establish rapport and give hope to hurting people.
5. Effectively minister the Word to instruct, reprove, correct , and train in righteous living.
6. Effectively use homework to purify heart desires, renew the mind, and develop biblical habits.
7. Researach and counsel problems from the Bible.
8. Know how to solve problems biblically. (i.e. personal, marital, family and destructive personal behaviors, etc).
9. Train the laity in biblical counseling.
10. Administer a local church counseling ministry.
11. Interface with the agencies in caring for the needs of the whole person.

As each student progresses through the major, he or she will complete several requirements specific to the Biblical Counseling major.

1. Each student must participate in the counseling/discipleship process as a counselee for at least twenty hours.
2. Each student will observe another person counsel at least thirty hours.
3. Each student will perform 30 hours of co-counseling.
4. Each student will be exposed to a counseling case load diverse with respect to ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
5. Each student will be provided the opportunity to counsel under supervision fifty hours as required for certificqation with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors
6. Each student will be required to memorize at least 60 passages of Scripture pertinent to the counseling process.
7. As part of the internship, each student will participate in the following activities (1) reseaching biblical solutions to counseling problems, (2) train new biblical counselors, (3) administrating a counseling ministry, (4) networking with community agencies, (5) providing consulatiation for other counselors.

B.S. and B.Min. students majoring in Biblical Counseling must complete the following courses:
 

*GS 205 Marriage and Family Living will count toward the B.S. student's Social Science elective in the General Education requirements.
**As part of the course CC 315 Dynamics of Change students will have the opportunity to complete the application for certification with the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC).

In addition to the above courses, B.S. students majoring in Biblical Counseling must complete four additional electives. These electives should be from the following list or any other 300-400 level course from the Pastoral Ministry, Urban/Ethnic Ministry, International Missions, Church Education, Biblical Counseling, Youth Ministry or Elementary Education departments, with the approval of his or her academic advisor.
 

 
B.S. students majoring in Biblical Counseling should plan to take courses according to the following schedule.
 

Second Year