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Biblical Counseling and Care Rooted in the Local Church


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The Center for Biblical Counseling at Midwestern exists to provide resources, training, and support in order to promote excellence in biblical care and counseling to those in the local church and the community. Our vision is to see biblical counseling and care rooted in the church by equipping Christians to engage the Scriptures for life and to take up the call to counsel the Word of God effectively, compassionately, and comprehensively. Our approach is three-fold: Equipping, Engaging, and Encouraging.

Equipping Counselors for the Church

Whether you enroll in a biblical counseling course through MBTS or attend one of our training seminars, you will be thoroughly equipped in the fundamentals of counseling ministry which cover theological foundations and biblical methodology. All of our training is oriented towards a biblical worldview and framed around the sufficiency of Scriptures in meeting the problems people face. Our Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC) degree program provides 60 hours of solid instruction for church ministry and prepares students to work toward ACBC Certification. Trained by our faculty members, who are also ACBC certified counselors and leaders in the field of biblical counseling, students will be thoroughly prepared for a wide range of ministry opportunities. For those not interested in pursuing a degree, we also provide seminars and weekend trainings covering a host of topics related to biblical counseling.

If you or your church are interested in any of these equipping opportunities, we would love to hear from you.

 

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Current Students

Counseling Services for Current Students
Need counseling? If you are a current Midwestern or Spurgeon College student looking for counseling, contact us below.

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Seeking Internship Opportunities?
If you are a current Midwestern or Spurgeon College student looking for counseling internship opportunities, contact us below.

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Application for ACBC Fundamentals Training Certificate
If you have completed the required coursework for ACBC Certification Phase 1 Fundamentals Training through Midwestern Seminary or Spurgeon College, contact us below to receive your ACBC Fundamentals Training Certificate.

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Engaging Counselors in the Church and Community

We believe that biblical counseling is not merely a theoretical enterprise, it is a practical ministry that impacts real people with real problems. As a requirement of the Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC), students enrolled in practicum courses, are required to engage in 50 hours of counseling under the supervision of a counseling faculty member. These students have successfully completed over 20 credit hours of rigorous training and instruction in counseling and have been vetted and approved to offer counseling services. We also seek to provide opportunities for our students to counsel within the context of the local church, the preferred and natural context for this ministry. Our Counseling Intern Partner program is designed to connect churches with our well-vetted and qualified students in an effort to provide them with rich educational and ministerial experience while providing your church with helpful counseling for those in your church and community could benefit from. You can learn more about the Counseling Intern Partner program.

Is your church interested in becoming a Counseling Intern Partner or offering Training opportunities?

 

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Encouraging Counselors for the Church

More than anything else, it is our desire to equip and encourage the church fulfill their responsibility to counsel and care for the body of Christ. The Center for Biblical Counseling offers several resources available to pastors and church members alike who desire to grow in their counseling knowledge and skill. Our blog is updated regularly and focuses on a wide range of counseling issues that bring the truth of the Bible to bear upon real-life problems, questions, and concerns. Our free and easy to access resources are designed to further your own personal ministry whether you have been counseling for years or have only recently been introduced to biblical counseling.

We desire to see every church to foster a culture of care growing in the application and personal ministry of the word to one another. Toward that end, we desire to be a resource for any church interested in learning more about how to begin their own counseling ministry.

If you would like to consult with one of our faculty members or staff on any questions you may have about what this could look like at your church, contact us.

 

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Degree Information

Midwestern’s biblical counseling degrees offer significant training in the principles and methods of biblical counseling, preparing you for service in a local church, biblical counseling center, or wider ministry setting. Our goal is to equip ministers and laypersons to minister biblically within their local churches and communities, making the church the first place people go for help, rather than a last resort.


Certificate

Accelerate

Undergraduate

Graduate

Doctoral

Benefits of the Center


Student Resources

The CBC provides a number of resources for students concerning their degree program, academic research, and ACBC certification. Among these resources are a recommended course schedule, a recommended reading list, and study guides for the ACBC certification exams.


ACBC Exam Study Guide

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Case Report Form

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Supervision Opportunities

Master’s students are required to engage in 50 or more hours of supervised counseling. The CBC gives students the opportunity to engage in counseling ministry while being supervised by biblical counseling faculty.
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Observation Opportunities

Biblical counseling students in the master’s and bachelor’s degree programs are required to successfully complete a practicum as a part of their course of study. The CBC will provide opportunity for our students in counseling courses to observe live counseling situations as a part of the process of understanding the ministry of counseling.
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Publication Opportunities

The CBC provides a platform to post quality academic work produced by our doctoral and master’s students. This will be an avenue for our students to submit peer-reviewed academic content as a contribution to the literature of the Biblical Counseling Movement.


Journal of Biblical Soul Care

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Church Relationships

The CBC will facilitate relationships with local churches so that our students may engage in internships and counseling ministries throughout their course of study, and for the potential placement of students in ministry positions upon graduation. Another goal will be to offer weekend training on specific, counseling-related issues to equip local churches and strengthen their relationship with MBTS.

Lecture Series

The CBC will seek to host lectures on topics broadly related to pastoral theology, secular views of mental health, and counseling ministry in the local church.

Leadership and Faculty


Dale Johnson

T. Dale Johnson

Director of the Center of Biblical Counseling and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling

Dr. Johnson is the Director of Counseling Programs and Associate Professor of Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Seminary. He is husband to Summer, and they live together in Kansas City, Missouri, with their six children: Easton, Titus, Will, Ellie, and twin girls Annadale and Caroline. Johnson served as Associate Pastor of Family Life at Raiford Road Church in Macclenny, FL, before completing his Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling at Southwestern Seminary. Johnson also serves as the Executive Director of the Assocation of Certified Biblical Counselors. He regularly travels to speak and is the host of ACBC’s “Truth in Love” podcast. He is the author of Professionalization of Pastoral Care in America (Wipf&Stock) and two forthcoming titles, The Church as a Culture of Care (New Growth Press) and Free to Be the Church: Biblical Counseling and Legal Issues. He deeply loves the Scriptures and the local church and is committed to equipping pastors and church members alike to minister God’s sufficient Word.
 
Marshall Adkins

Marshall Adkins

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF BIBLICAL COUNSELING AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR BIBLICAL COUNSELING

Marshall Adkins serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling and Assistant Director of the Center for Biblical Counseling at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Before coming to Midwestern, he served as Pastor of Adult Discipleship at Parkway Baptist Church in Bardstown, Kentucky. He is a certified biblical counselor with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).
Marshall holds a B.A. in Psychology from Ohio Christian University in Circleville, Ohio; a M.Div. from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia; a MBA from Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky; and a Th.M. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He is currently writing his dissertation in pursuit of the Ph.D. in Biblical Counseling at Midwestern.

Marshall is married to Rachael, and they have three children: Paisley, Hadley, and Knox.

Nicolas Ellen

Dr. Nicolas Ellen

CBC Fellow
Stuart Scott

Dr. Stuart Scott

Adjunct Faculty
Samuel Stephens

Dr. Sam Stephens

Instructional Faculty
Rhenn Cherry

Dr. Rhenn Cherry

Adjunct Faculty

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Job Opportunities

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