Counselor Certification

We're thrilled to have your interest in the Biblical Counseling Academy! 

The 2024 Cohort is open NOW by admission application.

Book a discovery call with Pastor Jeff if you would like to apply for enrollment:

https://calendly.com/jeffchristianson/bca

At Biblical Counseling Academy (BCA), we offer two paths for students to enhance their ministry credentials alongside the BCA Diploma. Both are excellent options, but the right choice depends on your ministry goals and the standards of your local church.

Option 1: BCA Diploma + IABC Membership + Home Church Certification

This option is ideal for students who want to earn their diploma without the rigorous demands of IABC Certification. In this path, you will receive:

• BCA Diploma – Recognizing your completion of Biblical Counseling training.
• IABC Membership – Connecting you to a broader community of biblical counselors.
• Home Church Certification – Endorsed by your local church leadership.

This option is great for students whose home church does not meet IABC standards or for those who prefer a less demanding certification process. For example, churches that hold doctrinal positions not endorsed by the IABC, such as ordaining women to the pastoral pulpit teaching ministry, may not qualify for IABC Certification. However, you will still receive valuable credentials for ministry through your local church's endorsement.

Option 2: BCA Diploma + IABC Membership + IABC Certification

This path is for students who seek the full certification process recognized by the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC). In this option, you will receive:

• BCA Diploma – Recognizing your comprehensive Biblical Counseling training.
• IABC Membership – Access to the IABC network of certified biblical counselors.
• IABC Certification – Endorsed by the IABC Board, certifying that you meet their doctrinal and practical standards.

To achieve IABC Certification, you must complete the curriculum, pass the required exams, and complete 50 hours of supervised counseling. Additionally, your home church must meet IABC doctrinal standards to qualify for this level of certification.

Both pathways offer outstanding credentials to equip you for future ministry. The decision comes down to your educational journey and whether your church aligns with IABC's standards. If you’re unsure, we encourage you to prayerfully consider your calling and seek counsel from your church leadership.

This program is self-paced. I will nudge you forward on a one-year success path. You can accelerate it or delay it, that's entirely up to you. 

See The Syllabus

You have to take enough risks in life, this course shouldn’t be one of them. Try the tuition-based course of study for a full two-weeks (14 days), and if you do the work, implement and still don’t see results - simply show us your work, and we’ll be happy to refund your entire tuition. 

We’re so confident that you’ll love BCA that we offer a 14-day money-back guarantee. This gives you ample time to test out the program and work through the 14 days of BCA. 

If, after 14 days of working through the first several weeks of content, and you don’t feel totally motivated and confident in God's call on your life to be training in Biblical Counseling and Soul Care, simply reach out. Show us you’ve put in the work, and you’ll be eligible for a full refund. Read the entire Refund Policy here.

The Biblical Counseling Academy (BCA) is a Certified Training Center that grants degrees in Biblical Counseling. We are authorized by the International Association of Biblical Counselors to offer training. The IABC accepts our student's transcripts and diplomas toward Board Certification (Certified Biblical Counselor). 

The Relationship Between Biblical Counseling Academy (BCA) and the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC)

At BCA, we are honored to partner with the International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC) as one of their Certified Training Centers (CTC). IABC plays a vital role in ensuring that each counselor has a mentor providing academic instruction, exam grading, accountability, supervision, and ongoing support. As a CTC, BCA is focused primarily on delivering the educational foundation required for IABC certification.

Path to IABC Certification Through BCA  

After completing the education, exam, and supervision phases at BCA, students become eligible to apply for IABC Certification. There are no alternative routes to becoming certified with IABC except through an IABC Certified Training Center like BCA.

Membership with IABC 

Before applying for certification, IABC requires all applicants to be members in good standing. Membership ensures that students align with IABC’s doctrinal beliefs and counseling practices. Membership is also extended to donors and supporters who recognize and endorse IABC’s role in the Christian church.

Steps to Certification  

Once you’ve earned your BCA diploma and are a registered IABC member, you are eligible to apply for IABC Certification. This process requires a new application, including references and a background check. Upon successful completion, you will be awarded both your diploma in biblical counseling and IABC certification.

Ongoing Education and Recertification  

IABC requires annual recertification, which involves completing Continuing Ministry Education Units (CMEUs). These CMEUs can be conveniently obtained through BCA. This ensures that counselors continue to grow in their skills and stay current with biblical counseling practices.

Fees and Tuition  

Each Certified Training Center operates on a tuition-based system, with fees varying by CTC. At BCA, tuition for continuing education is discounted for our alumni.  

In addition, IABC requires the following fees:

- Membership: $60 per year (waived once certified)

- Background check: $48 (every three years)

- Certification: $99 annually to remain in good standing

We hope this clarifies the relationship between BCA and IABC. We are blessed to have you as part of our student family, and we look forward to supporting you on your journey toward becoming an IABC Certified Counselor!

This course is for everyone in the body of Christ. Our students include Pastors and ministry leaders, caring homemakers, responsible business men and women. Students young and old are included in each cohort. All of us are called to offer counsel regularly one to another. Each of us needs a word of counsel periodically. These studies are designed to assist us in learning to give godly counsel, as well as develop discernment in evaluating counsel that we or others might be receiving. May the Lord Jesus use these studies to enlarge our vision of Him as our Wonderful Counselor.

See The Syllabus

Yes, there are significant differences—and serious concerns. At the Biblical Counseling Academy, we embrace a Biblical Counseling model which affirms that the most faithful and effective counsel a believer can offer is the explicit text of Scripture—explained and applied. This model is grounded in the sufficiency of Scripture and the ordinary means of grace: one believer sharing God’s Word with another in the context of the local church.

The heart of biblical counseling is discipleship. It flows from the pulpit in the preaching of God’s Word and is extended through personal ministry as believers help one another apply that Word to real-life situations. Biblical counseling relies on Scripture as the sole authority in understanding the human condition, sin, suffering, and sanctification. It addresses the counselee through explicitly biblical categories:

• Being made in the image of God
  
• Moral responsibility
  
• The reality of sin and righteousness
  
• The commands of God
  
• The power of the gospel
  
• The hope of sanctification in Christ
  
  

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

—2 Timothy 3:16, NKJV

In contrast, the Integrationist model seeks to combine Scripture with secular psychological theories—borrowing categories and techniques from psychiatry, therapy, and modern psychology. While it may appear helpful or harmless, this approach is fundamentally flawed. Here’s why:

1. Integration attempts to merge two opposing worldviews.

Biblical counseling begins with man’s deepest problem—sin, and God’s solution—redemption in Christ. Secular models often redefine sin as dysfunction or disorder, and view the self—not Christ—as central to change. These frameworks are incompatible at their core.

2. Integration displaces Scripture’s sufficiency.

When biblical truth is placed alongside secular theory, it often gets overshadowed or reinterpreted through a worldly lens. Over time, the authority of Scripture is diminished. As Dr. Al Mohler has said:

“It seeks to integrate what can’t be integrated.”

3. Integration makes promises it can’t keep.

The claims of integrationism often outpace what it can deliver. The hope of true transformation can’t be found in human insight—but in Christ alone, by His Spirit, through His Word.

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

—Colossians 2:8, NKJV

At BCA, we train only biblical counselors—our pastor-teachers are not integrationist. We hold fast to the conviction that true and lasting help comes from God’s Word rightly understood and faithfully applied.

We’re not questioning the motives of integrationists—many sincerely desire to help others. But we are concerned about their theological framework and commitments. Our goal is to counsel in a way that honors Christ, builds up the Church, and applies the gospel to real problems with Spirit-empowered truth.

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

—John 17:17, NKJV

We offer a flexible tuition option. We will make it reasonably structured so that you can get started right away and make monthly payments.

You will need to invest in a relationship with the International Association of Biblical Counselors. BCA exists to train you and set you on the best possible path toward successfully passing the IABC Certification requirement

• IABC Membership Fees: There are certification fees involved with the International Association of Biblical Counselors of around $200.
• Books: You will invest approximately $140 for physical books in the BCA program. Kindle books are substantially less expensive.
• Extension: BCA offers you the continuing education option if you need to extend your training beyond your one-year enrollment period. It's called BCA Momentum,  a private community for the Biblical Counseling Academy alumni. Get clarity, community, strategies, and all the support you need for each season of your Biblical Counseling journey. From getting help picking up where you left off in BCA - from acing the exams to becoming certified, to getting advanced training and specialization certifications — BCA Momentum has everything you need to up-level your training! This is a $97 monthly membership giving you access to the BCA student portal and the Student Success Team.