Biblical Counselor Training
Our next 2-year Biblical Counselor Training starts on November 5, 2024.
See links at the bottom for the Biblical Counselor Training Application and the Year 1 Course Schedule. If you know that you are definitely taking the course, email me at counseling@riponfirstcrc.org and let me know whether you will be choosing Option 1 or Option 2 (see details below) so I can plan accordingly. Option 1 will be limited to 12-15 students. There will be 15 class meetings in Year 1 and 16 class meetings in year 2 with a two month break in between years. The options for this training course are:
Option 1 (Lay Counselor)
This track is for someone who is interested in serving First Church (or your church) as a lay biblical counselor and must fill out and submit the biblical counselor training application (this track is a requirement for becoming an ACBC certified counselor and for being a lay counselor at First Church).
- Those who apply and are accepted will be required to do all the homework assignments and the homework will be graded.
- The tuition for this option is $100 per year ($250 per year for non First Church members). The training course is modeled after biblical counseling degree programs at Christian universities costing over $20,000.
- This option requires a two-year commitment to serve as a Lay Counselor at First Church (or your church) following the training. You will be assigned one to two counseling cases at a time (more if you desire). This is roughly a 2-4 hour commitment per week. Some weeks may require no hours depending on the counseling needs of the church.
- Attendance at 90% of the classes is required; exceptions granted for extenuating circumstances.
- $25 for a 3-Ring Student Notebook to be collected on the first day of class per year.
If you want to reserve your spot for Option 1, please fill out and turn in your application as soon as possible. Option 1 will be limited to 12-15 students selected from all applications received by October 25, 2024.
Option 2 (Discipleship)
This track is for someone who is interested in biblical counseling (for personal growth in holiness; as an elder, deacon, discipler, life group leader, or Sunday school teacher; or anyone that desires to help others) but does not have the time to fulfill the Option 1 requirements.
- You may attend or audit the course and homework is optional. Your homework may or may not be graded depending on the number of people that choose Option 1 and the time available. Please keep in mind that those who do the homework will profit the most from the training course for one’s own personal relationship with Christ, for dealing with one’s own life issues and for one’s ministry to others.
- For Option 2 there is no tuition and will be limited to 24 people total per training cohort.
- $25 for a 3-Ring Student Notebook to be collected on the first day of class per year.
Note to those taking the course
Start your reading as soon as possible. Books can be purchased at amazon.com, biblicalcounselingbooks.com, christianbook.com, gracebooks.com and wtsbooks.com.
For those taking Option 1, I will assume that you will have completed the reading assignment listed on the course schedule for class 1 prior to our first class meeting on November 5, 2024. A reading statement will be due at the beginning of class 1 stating your name and what percentage of the first class reading assignment you've completed.
If you have any questions, please email me at counseling@riponfirstcrc.org. I am looking forward to our time together as we equip ourselves to make disciples, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20).
David Lee
Director of Biblical Counseling
counseling@riponfirstcrc.org
Training Links and Testimonials