Bible & Christian Counseling

A study of the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. Special attention will be given to exploring the literary and theological themes in the Pentateuch, from creation to the formation of the nation of Israel. Covenant, law, election, worship, and other major topics will be studied considering their original context and in light of their interpretation in the New Testament.

In-depth study of the book of Acts. Topics include the progress of the gospel and the growth of the early church through the power of the Holy Spirit, the life of the Apostle Paul, methods of interpreting Acts, and consideration of how to apply the message of Acts in the modern church.

Spanning nearly 800 years of Israel's history, there are twelve books in this part of the Old Testament: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. These books were composed at different times and places but have been arranged in a sequence that tells the story of God's people from the conquering and possession of Canaan, the reigns of the judges, the establishment of kings, the division of Israel into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, the fall of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria, the exile of the Southern Kingdom into Babylon, and the return to Jerusalem under the leadership of people like Nehemiah and Ezra, and the rebuilding of Jerusalem into the Persian period. An examination of each book’s principal themes and topics will be considered the story of God as revealed in this section of the Old Testament.

An overview of Romans through Revelation. The course primarily emphasizes the main themes and theological emphases of each book and their application to the modern church but also covers introductory issues such as authorship, setting, date, and literary structure of each book.

This course is designed to give the student advanced instruction and practice in the process of inductive Bible studies, focusing on the steps of observation, interpretation, and application, along with charting of Scripture. The goal is to improve the student’s ability to accurately study Scripture and apply it with relevance to unleash the transforming power of God’s Word.

*Prerequisites: BI 1303 or BI 1304 and GE 1301.

This course includes a study of the Old Testament's poetic books and wisdom literature. The Psalms regarding meaning, form, structure, and context will be studied. The wisdom books of Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes will be studied regarding message, form, structure, and wisdom theology.

This course will assist the student in building a biblical worldview as it applies to the field and ministry of lay counseling for the church and community. The course is designed to introduce lay counseling evaluated within a biblical framework. Special attention is given to implementing the Body of Christ, member-to-member, and lay ministry based on scripture through appropriate and effective ways, leading to life transformation and conformity to Jesus Christ.

This course addresses cultural self-awareness and cross-cultural competence for building healthy relationships within diverse communities. Drawing upon anthropological, sociological, biblical, and theological perspectives, students gain basic principles and skills for researching and interacting among diverse cultural and social groups and strategies needed to work effectively among people in cross-cultural settings.

This course addresses primary topics. The first topic introduces the broad ethical, professional, and legal issues involved in counseling, especially regarding lay counseling. Secondly, the course will address the critical and emerging issues and concerns in the counseling profession that are prevalent in society today. Over time, some of these “hot button” issues and concerns will undoubtedly change, but the intent is to enable students to know how to deal with these issues they will likely encounter as they can come alongside others in love and support.

This course intends to provide the student with an understanding of various family dynamics (intact, blended, divorced, extended, and multicultural) and how to counsel them from a biblical perspective. Students will be able to identify a healthy biblical family and learn how to assess family dynamics, provide appropriate and meaningful counsel, understand when to recommend professional help and be able to build an effective church ministry to and for families of all types.

The Counseling Skills Practicum typically must be completed in a church setting, but alternatives may be considered considering a student’s ministry objectives. The purpose is to expose students to various aspects of a lay counseling ministry and to develop counseling skills and competencies under the supervision of a qualified counselor/mentor. Experiences may include observation, diagnosis, co-counseling, solo counseling, and other areas of a lay counseling ministry that will enhance the student’s preparation for future service. A minimum of 120 hours of time invested is required per practicum, an average of 10 hours a week for 12 weeks. The practicum is generally completed in the student’s senior year. This is a pass/fail course.

Prerequisite: CO 3310.

This experiential course provides students with an understanding of effective intervention strategies. This course aims to facilitate students’ refinement of core counseling skills through practice with one another. The class will function like group supervision that would occur in a counseling setting. Supervised experience in counseling through role-playing, interviews, observation analysis, and evaluation of interviewing techniques will be included. Students will share their work and offer one another feedback, suggestions, etc.

Prerequisite: CO 3310.

The pervasive influence of sex is evident in our culture, and this course will provide a forum for Christians to encounter subject matter, participate in discussion, and engage in personal reflection. This class is theological, practical, and designed to minister to students while equipping them to serve in their sphere of influence on sex and relationships. Subject matter will include God’s design of sex, modern culture and sex, sexual brokenness, healing and restoration, being whole, and living out God’s intention of healthy sexuality and relationships.

This course provides introductory principles for leadership at all level.

A biblical and theological study of the call upon leaders and disciples to guide people to conform their lives into the likeness of Christ. Students will look at the life of Jesus as the exemplar of biblical shepherding of people into their purpose. Attention will also be given to both Old Testament and New Testament “shepherds” to learn principles and practices in leading God’s people. Extensive attention will be given to what the Bible teaches about growth towardsGod’s created purpose for man for each student to develop a scripturally based theology of shepherding.

This course will explore servant leadership's ethical, practical, and meaningful aspects. It will begin with Christian ethics and the question: how should we live as Christians? That will be followed by accounts of leaders in the Old Testament, the teachings of Jesus, and the question: as Christians, how should we lead? Servant leadership will be defined, and the critical practices of servant leaders will be explored. Students will use their knowledge of servant leadership to evaluate the characters in an assigned movie and will identify a need in the community and develop a plan to meet the need.

Students learn many basic skills needed to be influential pastors and counselors. General skills in listening and responding, diagnosis and planning interventions, use of self-helping, and specialized skills for grief ministry, crisis intervention, and others will be studied and practiced in the course.

This course establishes foundational concepts and methodology for developing a youth and/or young adult ministry that releases young people to achieve their purpose and walk in God's power. Particular emphasis will be given to the development of small groups, how to disciple young people, the establishment of teams, and releasing youth to do the work of the ministry.

This course introduces students to theological thinking and methodology and introduces the doctrines of God's revelation, theology proper (the person of God and the Trinity), Christology, anthropology (the nature of humanity), and hamartiology (the nature of sin).

This course develops the student's ability to think theologically and introduces the doctrines of soteriology (salvation and growth), pneumatology (the Holy Spirit), angelology, ecclesiology (the church), and eschatology (future things).

A contextual overview of the Christian church as it developed and spread through the world from its beginning in Jesus to the modern times. The cultural, intellectual, and political context of the growth of the Christian church will be considered, including the theological and doctrinal issues the church has contended with throughout history. Implications and application to our lives in the twenty-first century will be a significant dimension of this journey.