The Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling is a graduate-level program designed to equip pastors, missionaries, and lay men and women as biblical counselors in order to serve those in need within the student’s ministry community. Excellence in biblical education and effective ministry is accomplished through biblical theological understanding in counseling matters, personal growth, and practical counseling experience.

Understanding the Sufficient Scriptures as evidenced by

• The ability to articulate a definition of biblical counseling as derived from the doctrines of progressive sanctification, justification, and the sufficiency of Scripture.
• An ability to articulate the gospel in its most essential form and use the truths of the gospel to produce biblically sound counsel.
• An ability to effectively articulate the biblical change process using relevant scriptures.

Enhanced Academic Ability as evidence by

• A growing ability to responsibly engage in scholarly discourse on issues in counseling.
• Students will demonstrate a commitment to grow in understanding of biblical sanctification through the interpretation and exegesis of God’s Word.

Spiritual Growth as evidenced by

• Students will demonstrate being a humble disciple of Christ and growing in obedience to his commands through prayer and discipleship in class time and counseling others.
• Students will demonstrate a growing dependence on and submission to the Holy Spirit as is evidenced by praying for classmates and counseling others.

Valuing Relationships as evidenced by

• A commitment to caring and praying for the physical and spiritual needs of one another during the seminary experience.
• Students will demonstrate an ability to minister the Word through counseling others and study of applying God’s word to specific counseling scenarios (anger, depressions, etc.).

Preparation for Service as evidenced by

• Students will demonstrate the growing ability to minister to hurting people using the truth of Scripture in supervised counseling.
• Students will demonstrate a commitment to train others in biblical counseling as evidenced in their participation in a counseling ministry.
• Students will demonstrate a growing ability to minister effectively in a church even when the individual is not a formal part of the leadership team through their thesis project.