ACBC Certification Manual:

Policies & Procedures

For Becoming a
Certified Training Center

Wayne Erick Johnston

ACBC Director of Training Center Certification
 Table of Contents

I. How to Become an ACBC Certified Training Center 3

II. Why Your Training Center Should Consider ACBC Certification 4
III. How Your Training Center Can Become ACBC Certified 5
IV. ACBC Training Center Application 7
V. ACBC Training Template 9
VI. Detailed Institutional Certification Procedures and Fees 11
VII. How to Develop an ACBC Certified Training Center: A Checklist 14
VIII. Guidelines for the Evaluation of Training Centers 15
IX. Detailed Description for Completing ACBC Training Center Application 16
X. Annual Covenant 22

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 How to Become an
ACBC Certified Training Center
Rev03.01.15

Thank you for your interest in ACBC Certification for your Training Center. Over the years, the
Lord has used many different training facilities worldwide to equip His servants for the work of
biblical counseling ministry. Many churches and communities have benefited tremendously
from the service of these training centers.

Why might a counseling training center consider ACBC certification? What steps are required
for ACBC Training Center Certification? Answers to these questions are found on the following
pages.

The first requirement for certification is successful completion of the ACBC Training Center
Application. The requirements of this document are in compliance with our Statement of
Policies and Procedures (see ACBC Constitution, III. Institutional Certification Procedures).1
Your Application provides ACBC with the information essential to begin our evaluation of
training centers eligible for certification.

ACBC requires its members to receive training in eight key areas (ACBC Bylaws, Article II,
Section A, Number 1):1 Orientation to and Dynamics of Nouthetic Counseling, Critical
Reflection on Various Theories in Counseling, Husband and Wife Relationships, Parent and
Child Relationships, Frequent Issues in Counseling, Medical Issues in Counseling, Counseling

1 See www.biblicalcounseling.com

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Case Studies, and Observation of Counseling. For each, a minimum amount of training and
instruction on particular subtopics is required. Pertinent information is listed in the ACBC
Training Template on pages 9-10 of this document. How these topics are covered varies among
training centers. The Template provides the minimum standards for courses offered at ACBC
Certified Training Centers. This data enables a training center to comply with ACBC
Constitution requirements.

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 Why Your Training Center Should Consider ACBC Certification

1) ACBC is establishing a network of trained and qualified counselors nationally and

internationally in order to

▪ further the cause of Christ

▪ promote the sufficiency of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Word and their
superiority to man’s theories and procedures for solving life’s problems
▪ restore Christ-centered counseling and problem solving from the
Scriptures as ministries of the church

As an ACBC Certified Training Center, your center can help expand this network by
equipping counselors for ACBC certification.

2) ACBC serves to encourage, acknowledge, and standardize the essential methods and
fundamental theology of Biblical Counseling and Counselor Training. ACBC
certification communicates that your center is complying with, contributing to, and
promoting standards of excellence and ethics that adhere to a proven, established,
national organization.

3) ACBC will provide guidance, fellowship, direction, and accountability to your

organization in order to ensure good repute among God’s people.

4) Once certified, your training center will be featured on ACBC's website and other media.
This exposure will make your training center more available to those searching for
biblical counselor training. Certified Centers are also given limited access to the ACBC
mailing list for their immediate areas. Each Certified Center is required to supply annual
updates of activities and financial status via the ACBC Director of Training Center
Certification's Annual Questionnaire.

5) We believe God is moving in His Church, calling us back to the sufficiency of Christ and
His Word. When you pursue ACBC certification, you are saying that you too want to be
a part of a movement much greater than one center, one town, or one church. You are
becoming a part of a unique movement that was founded upon and is growing out of the
superiority and sufficiency of Christ and His Word for Christian faith and practice.

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 How Your Training Center Can Become ACBC Certified

Phase 1: Complete the Training Center Application Form. Compile all data required by the
Application form (see pages 7-8). Applying centers must offer counseling and
counselor training. They must be in full operation for at least two years prior to
the date of application.

Phase 2: Send to the ACBC office, addressed to the Director of Training Center
Certification, the following:
a) Your completed Application
b) Your application fee of $500, payable to ACBC
c) Supporting documents listed on the ACBC Training Center
Application

Phase 3: The Director of Training Center Certification will assess the application and
documentation of the training center, then plan the mechanics of how to examine
this ministry. He will gather data from a variety of people including but not
limited to center leaders, authority holders, instructors, counselors, students, and
ACBC Board Members and Fellows who have knowledge of the center and its
leadership. He will also view classroom video, websites, class notebooks, and
other class information. The Director and a Board Member or other ACBC
representative may visit the center, if deemed necessary by the ACBC Training
Center Certification Committee or the ACBC Board. Expenses for the examining
team and an appropriate fee for the team’s time shall be the responsibility of the
applying center.

Phase 4: After Phase 3 completion, the Director of Training Center Certification will
present your application and a detailed report on the center to the ACBC Training
Center Certification Committee for evaluation of your training center.
If the ACBC Training Center Certification Committee recommends the center for
provisional certification, it will be reviewed by the ACBC Board at their next
meeting (Quarterly Meeting or Annual Meeting in October). If not, the Director
of Training Center Certification will communicate with the center regarding the
matters in question and subsequently present to the Committee the resolution of
those issues.

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Phase 5: The ACBC Board will decide on the provisional certification or certification of
your training center. Training Centers applying for ACBC Certification may be
awarded ACBC Training Center Certification or a two-year Provisional
Certification. You will be promptly informed of the Board’s decision. Centers
certified by the ACBC Board are immediately regarded as ACBC Certified
Training Centers.

A center may receive Provisional Certification for a two year period if it meets all
the requirements for Certification but does not have at least two graduates who
have become ACBC Certified.

Phase 6: During the two-year Provisional Period, the training center’s course [which has
been reviewed and approved, or affirmed, by the Training Center Committee] will
satisfy the ACBC education requirements for counselor certification of at least
two students.

Phase 7: If two students trained through the provisionally certified center complete the
process for ACBC Membership prior to the second anniversary of the Provisional
Certification date, the “Provisional” status will be automatically and immediately
removed and simultaneously the Training Center will be Certified.

If at least two students trained at the provisionally certified center do not become
ACBC Certified Counselors prior to the second anniversary of the Training
Center’s Provisional Certification, the Provisional Certification designation ceases.

After the date that a Training Center’s Provisional Certification is terminated due
to the lack of two students becoming ACBC Members, course graduates will no longer
receive education credit from the course toward ACBC membership.

Students from the terminated center’s provisional period who have passed the
ACBC Exams and have begun Supervision prior to the close of the two year
window may complete Supervision and join ACBC as members.

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 ACBC Training Center Application2

Basic Information

Foundational Data

Please list complete contact data for your training center and its supervisor or director.

List of Sponsoring Church(es)/Organizations/Institutions

For each, provide title, denomination, contact person, website/contact information, and a brief
description of your relationship with the institution. Please include letters of commendation
from the leaders of these organizations. ACBC will not approve a training center with more than
one authority group.

Organizational Information

History of the Training Center

1. Provide the date of the center’s inception (must be in existence at least two
years before official certification can occur).
2. Chronicle the history of the center’s progression of services.
3. Describe the past and current facilities.

Training Center’s Relationship to ACBC

1. Describe how the center complies with the principles and practices contained
in the Constitution and Bylaws and the Standards of Conduct of ACBC.3
2. Briefly describe how the center has implemented these principles and
practices into the training program.
3. Describe the involvement of your training center and its leaders with ACBC.
4. Please list the names of course instructors who are ACBC members.
5. More than 50% of course instruction must be taught by qualified men.
6. More than 67% of course instruction must be taught by ACBC members.

2 See the detailed description for completing this application on page 14

3 www.biblicalcounseling.com
Prepare a document describing the training center’s responsibility to and working relationship with a duly
recognized church, group of churches, and/or denomination that ascribes to the Christian values and Statement of
Faith contained in the ACBC Standards of Conduct.

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 7. More than 50% of coursework must be original. “Original coursework” is
defined, “Original statements, applications, or organization of thought
reflecting accurate theology and recognized principles of Biblical
Counseling.”
Description of the Institutional Authority

1. Who is in active authority over the training center? Please list all board
members’ names, occupations, and church affiliation(s) with position(s) in that
church, addresses, and phone numbers.
2. How does the training center answer and report to this authority?
3. What is the authority's philosophy of decision-making in regard to the
direction of the training facility?
4. How does this philosophy affect financial decisions?

Description of Funding and Financial History of the Training Center

1. Explanation of center funding including

a. Sources of income
b. Use of funds
2. Summary of the financial status of the training center including any past or
pending legal matters.

Functional Information

Description of the Training Course(s)

1. Provide for each course a syllabus including assignments, projects

descriptions, and other requirements.
2. Supply a brief synopsis of each course.
3. List the requirements for completing your training program.
4. Describe the counseling observation completed by trainees.
5. Submit an electronic or physical copy of student notes for each course.

Description of the Counseling Services at the Training Center

1. For each staff member, please provide name, title, education/training, ministry
experience, responsibilities, and ACBC membership status.
2. Explain how counselees discover your services and the case volume of the
center.

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Description of Teaching Methodologies

1. Briefly explain the teaching methodology.

2. Describe concisely the philosophy behind this methodology.

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 ACBC Training Template

The requirements for ACBC membership from Article II, Section A., #1 of the Bylaws are as
follows:

satisfactory completion of a course of study at a counseling center or educational agency

approved by this Association, which course of study must include orientation to nouthetic
counseling, counseling case studies, marriage and family counseling, observation of counseling,
and critical reflection on various theories of counseling and models of integration;

The following template was created in accordance with the above requirements as a suggested
course of study for ACBC certified training centers.

I. Orientation to and Dynamics of Nouthetic Counseling (9-14 hours)

A. Basics of Biblical Counseling ----------------------------------------6-9 hours

1. The Need for Biblical Counseling
2. The Definition and Goal of Biblical Counseling
3. Progressive Sanctification
4. Process of Biblical Change
5. Qualifications of a Biblical Counselor
6. Getting to Heart Issues
B. Key Elements in Biblical Counseling ------------------------------------3-5 hours
1. Gathering Data
2. Discerning Problems Biblically
3. Establishing Involvement with Counselees
4. Giving Hope
5. Providing Instruction
6. Giving Homework

II. Critical Reflection on Various Theories in Counseling (2-4 hours)

A. Secular and Integration Theories--------------------------------------------1-2 hours

B. What Makes Biblical Counseling Biblical? -------------------------------1-2 hours

III. Husband and Wife Relationships (5-9 hours)

A. God’s Purpose for Marriage -------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

B. Roles of the Husband and Wife ---------------------------------------------2-3 hours
C. Communication ---------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
D. Biblical Sexuality -------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

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IV. Parent and Child Relationships (3-6 hours)

A. ---Goal of Parenting -------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

B.----Parental Instruction -----------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
C.----Parental Discipline ------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
V. Frequent Issues in Counseling (7-14 hours)

A. Guilt and Repentance ----------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Forgiveness 1-2
hours
C. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Trials and Suffering
------------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
D. Fear and Worry-------- ----------------------------------------1-2 hours
E. Anger----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
F. Depression ---------------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
G. Sexual Sin------------------------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

VI. Medical Issues in Counseling (2-4 hours)

A. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Physical Illness and

Biblical Counseling------------------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours
B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Psychotropic Drugs
and Biblical Counseling --------------------------------------------------------1-2 hours

VII. Case Studies (2-4 hours)

A. Total Casebook, Role Plays, and other Practice Case Discussions-------------2-4 hours

VIII. Counseling Observations (10-30 hours)

A. Total Observations of ACBC Counselors (Video or Live) --------------------10-30 hours

Grand Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------40-60 hours

Suggested Reading for Counselors in Training:*

1. Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
2. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands by Paul Tripp
3. The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
4. A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay Adams
5. Counseling by John MacArthur with Wayne Mack
6. Various Articles in the Journal of Biblical Counseling edited by David Powlison (CCEF)
7. The Christian Counselor’s Casebook by Jay Adams
8. Seeing With New Eyes by David Powlison (CCEF)

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9. The Peacemaker by Ken Sande
10. Systematic Theologies: see list at biblicalcounseling.com>Certification>Application
Packet>Resources
*We require at least 1000 pages of reading in these texts (minimum 300 pages from a systematic
theology) as part of the training.

ACBC Annual Conference CDs are available from Sound Word Associates (ACBC tape library:
www.soundword.com)------------------------------------------------------------------------------219-548-
0933
Faith Resources, Faith Baptist Church, Lafayette IN
(store.faithlafayette.org)--------------765-449-3700
The Journal of Biblical Counseling: CCEF (www.CCEF.org/
jbc)---------------------------800-318-2186
Timeless Texts
(www.timelesstexts.com)--------------------------------------------------------800-814-1045
The Journal of Modern Ministry (www.jofmm.com)
Detailed Institutional Certification
Procedures and Fees
I. Institutional Certification Procedures
A. Pre-Application
1. A training center, to be certified by ACBC, must be organized in accordance
with, and subscribe to, the principles and practices contained in the Statement
of Faith, the Constitution and Bylaws, and the Standards of Conduct of
ACBC.
2. A center must demonstrate its responsibility to, and working relationship with,
a duly recognized church, group of churches, and/or denomination subscribing
to the Christian values, the Statement of Faith, and Standards of Conduct of
ACBC.
3. A center, to qualify for certification, must offer training as well as counseling.
Training may be targeted to laymen, so long as the program is substantive in
nature.
4. Centers applying for certification must have a two-year record of full
operation in accordance with the requirements outlined above.
B. Application
1. Secure from the ACBC office and complete the ACBC Training Center
Application Form.
2. Send a one-time $500 Application Fee along with your Application to the
ACBC Office.

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C. Training Center Evaluation
1. The Director of Training Center Certification will review your Application,
gather extensive data, conduct phone interviews with pertinent parties, and
present a report on your center to the ACBC Training Center Committee.
2. If the ACBC Training Center Committee recommends the center for
provisional certification or certification, it will be reviewed by the ACBC
Board at their next meeting (Quarterly Meeting or Annual Meeting in
October). If not, the Director of Training Center Certification will
communicate with the center regarding the matters in question.
3. If deemed necessary by the ACBC Training Center Committee or the ACBC
Board, the Director of Training Center Certification and/or other appointed
person(s) will visit the applying center for evaluation.
4. All expenses, including transportation, meals and motel for the review team
and an appropriate fee for the team’s time shall be the responsibility of the
applying center.
5. Centers certified by the ACBC Board are immediately regarded as ACBC
Certified Training Centers.

A center may receive Provisional Certification for a two year period if it

meets all the requirements for Certification but does not have at least two
graduates who have become ACBC Certified.

6. During the two-year Provisional Period, the training center’s course [which
has been reviewed and approved, or affirmed, by the Training Center
Committee] will satisfy the ACBC education requirements for counselor
certification of at least two students.

7. If two students trained through the provisionally certified center complete the
process for ACBC Membership prior to the second anniversary of the
Provisional Certification date, the “Provisional” status will be automatically
and immediately removed and simultaneously the training Center will be
Certified.

If at least two students trained at the provisionally certified center do not

become ACBC Certified Counselors prior to the second anniversary of the
Training Center’s Provisional Certification, the Provisional Certification
designation ceases.

After the date that a Training Center’s Provisional Certification is terminated

due to the lack of two students becoming ACBC Members, course graduates will
no longer receive education credit from the course toward ACBC membership.

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 Students from the terminated center’s provisional period who have passed the
ACBC Exams and have begun Supervision prior to the close of the two year
window may complete Supervision and join ACBC as members.

D. Final Evaluation
1. Certification is granted upon a 2/3 vote of the Board of Trustees at their
Quarterly or Annual Meeting and upon receipt of the application dues from
the center.
E. Continuing certification
1. Once certified by ACBC the center Director is responsible to submit an
Annual Questionnaire prior to the ACBC Annual Conference in October.
II. Fees and Dues
A. The Executive Director sets all fees and dues in concurrence with the Executive
Committee.
B. Fees
1. A processing fee shall accompany each application for individual certification
in this Association.
2. A $500 application fee shall accompany each application for institutional
membership in this Association.
C. Dues
1. Certified Training Centers shall pay Annual Dues of $150, $300, or $750
depending on the number of students served with training toward ACBC
Membership (0-25, 26-125, or 126+, respectively). The Annual Dues shall be
accompanied by a signed Covenant (see page 20).

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 How to Develop an ACBC Certified Training Center:
A Checklist
Rev09.04.13

[ ] 1. Become an ACBC certified biblical counselor.

[ ] 2. Read the “ACBC Certification Manual.”

[ ] 3. Begin a ministry of biblical counseling under the documented authority of a

church, group of churches, or denomination.

[ ] 4. Offer biblical counselor training classes and, if possible, teaching in other

settings that addresses life issues from the Word of God. Keep records of the
activities of your center.

[ ] 5. Contact the ACBC Director of Training Center Certification for help, direction,
and encouragement throughout the process.

[ ] 6. Develop a complete biblical counselor training course that meets the

requirements of the ACBC Template.

[ ] 7. More than 50% of course instruction must be taught by qualified men.

[ ] 8. More than 67% of course instruction must be taught by ACBC members.

[ ] 9. To qualify as a ACBC Certified Training Course, more than 50% of coursework

must be original. “Original Coursework” is defined, “Original statements,
applications, or organization of thought reflecting accurate theology and
recognized principles of Biblical Counseling.”

[ ] 10. ACBC will not approve a training center with more than one authority group.

[ ] 11. After two years of full biblical counseling center operation, complete the training
center application on pages 6-7 of “ACBC Certification Manual: Policies &
Procedures for Becoming a Certified Training Center,” and follow the other
directions on page 5 of the same document. Send to ACBC the application,
counselor training course documents, and $500 fee.

[ ] 12. The Director of Training Center Certification (DTCC) will examine your
application. He and a member of the ACBC board or other representative may
choose to visit your training center. If so expenses for the examining team and an
appropriate fee for the team’s time are the responsibility of the applying center.
The DTCC will present your center to the ACBC Board’s Training Center
Certification Committee for the final decision on your request for certification.

[ ] 13. Know that certified centers will be required to provide ACBC Annual Dues
(today, between $150 and $750, depending on number of students) and a yearly
response to the Director of Training Center Certification’s Annual Questionnaire,
communicating data on activities and changes at the center.

Guidelines for the Evaluation of Training Centers

Identify Organizational Information

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 1. What is the history of the training center?
2. Where is the training center located?
3. What is the training center's relationship to ACBC?
4. Who is the institutional authority of the training center?
5. What is the funding and financial history of the training center?

Identify Functional Information

1. What are the quality and thoroughness of the center's training course?
2. What teaching methodologies are used in this course?

Compare the Course to the ACBC Training Template

• Use the training template located on pp. 8-9
• Are the required topics covered?
• Is the amount of instruction time fulfilled?
• Are the case studies and observation requirements fulfilled?
• Do the reading assignments satisfy minimum template standards?
• Based on the answers to the previous questions, does the course satisfy the ACBC
Training Template?

Note Other Essential Observations

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 ACBC Training Center Application
A Detailed Description for Completing the ACBC Training Center Application

Basic Information

Foundational Data

Please list complete contact data for your training center and its supervisor or director.

In this section, provide the official title for your training center, along with the physical
address (including suite number, state, and zip code), website address, office phone
number, office email address, and fax number (if you have a fax machine).
Also record the full name and official title of the center's director or supervisor with his
or her office phone number, email address(es), cell phone number, mailing address, and contact
data for other sources of information such as blog or personal ministry website.

List of Sponsoring Church(es)/Organizations/Institutions

For each, provide title, denomination, contact person, website/contact information, and a brief
description of your relationship with the institution. Please include letters of commendation
from the leaders of these organizations. ACBC will not approve one training center with more
than one authority group (i.e., Board of Elders, Denomination, or Board of Directors).

What entity or entities hold final authority over your training center? For training
centers at local churches, the authority over the center might rest with the denomination over
the church, the elder board, the deacon board, the voting members of the congregation, a
particular person or group of people, or other entity. 501c3 corporations may be under the rule
of the board of directors or a committee within that board. The ruling authority at biblical
counseling centers in educational institutions may be the board of trustees, an appointed
committee, a denomination, a director, or other leadership.
For each member of the leadership group, list the title and name(s) of person(s). If the
authority is a denomination or corporation, document leadership position holders by name
and occupation, title, or role. Obtain letter(s) of commendation from appropriate office
holder(s) or leader(s) of each organization. Note that a training center governed by more
than one authority group will not be certified by ACBC. For answers to any questions on
this issue, please call the ACBC Director of Training Center Certification.

Organizational Information

History of the Training Center

1. Provide the date of the center’s inception (must be in existence at least two
years before official certification can occur).

17  
 Identify the first date and nature of activity when either formal Biblical
Counseling or clearly identified Biblical counselor training occurred at your
center.

2. Chronicle the history of the center’s progression of services.

List the significant steps in the development of your center's ministry. This
may include, but is not limited to, the following: initiations of formal
counseling, beginning of formal counselor or discipler training (including
venue, faculty, nature and extent of instruction, and other pertinent data),
milestones in the expansion of those and other related ministries, additions to
staff, changes in leadership or affiliation, and development or regression in
the scope of the center's ministries.

3. Describe the past and current facilities.

Describe the facilities used by the center since its inception. Also include
related information, such as the location, cost, size, and amenities of the
different facilities used by the center. If there are concrete plans for future
structures or equipment, list those as well.

Training Center’s Relationship to ACBC

1. Describe how the center complies with the principles and practices contained
in the Constitution and Bylaws and the Standards of Conduct of ACBC.4

Does the center's leadership know and endorse the ACBC constitution and
bylaws (see biblicalcounseling.com/ourdocuments/constitution/by-laws)?
Does the center support ACBC's standards of conduct (see
biblicalcounseling.com/ourdocuments/standardsofconduct)? How are these
standards communicated?

2. Briefly describe how the center has implemented these principles and
practices into the training program.

Explain how, in practice, the center operates according to the ACBC

standards of conduct. Be specific.

3. Describe the involvement of your training center and its leaders with ACBC.

4 www.ACBC.org/aboutACBC/ourdocuments/standards of conduct

18  
 Explain briefly but candidly the manner in which your training center and its
leaders have interacted with ACBC. This answer may contain information on
relationships between leaders, pastoral staff, counselors, and students with
ACBC Board Members or Certified Training Center Directors. Also list
attendance of ACBC Conference, ACBC CDT, and courses at ACBC Certified
Training Centers by staff and students from your center.

4. Please list the names of course instructors who are ACBC members.

This point is self-explanatory.

5. More than 50% of course instruction must be taught by qualified men.

State the number of course hours taught by each instructor. Identify the
instructors you regard as suited men. Describe the training and/or experience
of male instructors whose qualifications may be in question.

6. More than 67% of course instruction must be taught by ACBC members.

Record the name and number of teaching hours for each instructor. Also
identify which instructors are ACBC members and what portion of the total
course is taught by them.

7. More than 50% of coursework must be original. “Original coursework” is

defined, “Original statements, applications, or organization of thought
reflecting accurate theology and recognized principles of Biblical
Counseling.”

ACBC's definition of "original coursework" is posted in the Training Center

Application Document.
The essence of the concept is that good teaching includes excellent work by
other Biblical counselors (writing, teaching, homework resources,
illustrations, studies of particular Scriptures, counseling examples) and the
applying center's unique work from these categories, combined into the
instructor's finest presentation of the entire topic. Such a composition best
serves local students and advances the Biblical counseling community.
The applicant should identify which portions of the training course are
"original coursework" (including those unique to the center) and which
sections of the course are the work of other authors or ministries. For the
latter, state whether or not written permission for use has been secured from
the source.

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Description of the Institutional Authority

Prepare a document describing the training center’s responsibility to and working relationship
with a duly recognized church, group of churches, and/or denomination that ascribes to the
Christian values and Statement of Faith contained in the ACBC Standards of Conduct.

1. Who is in active authority over the training center? Please list all board
members’ names, occupations, and church affiliation(s) with position(s) in that
church, addresses, and phone numbers.

Name the authority and provide all data requested in the application.

2. How does the training center answer and report to this authority?

Describe the method, frequency, and nature of communication between the

center's director/leadership and the authority over it.

3. What is the authority's philosophy of decision-making in regard to the

direction of the training facility?

This question encompasses the authority's overall ministry purposes,

objectives for the Biblical counseling center, and method of overseeing the
center and its director.

4. How does this philosophy affect financial decisions?

The applicant may answer this question in general terms or by citing how past
or current financial decisions have been influenced by the authority's
philosophy.

Description of Funding and Financial History of the Training Center

1. Explanation of center funding including

a. Sources of income
b. Use of funds
2. Summary of the financial status of the training center including any past or
pending legal matters.

Functional Information

Description of the Training Course(s)

20  
 1. Provide for each course a syllabus including assignments, projects
descriptions, and other requirements.

For each course offered by the applying training center, send to the ACBC
Director of Training Center Certification (TCC) a copy of the syllabus and a
complete copy of the class notebook for students. Mail or email these items
directly to the Director of TCC. Do not send them to the ACBC office. Be sure
to include all the details of the course, including reading assignments, all
required homework, descriptions of projects, and any other student
responsibilities or activities connected to the course.

2. Supply a brief synopsis of each course.

Also send to the ACBC Director of TCC a concise summary or course

description for each class offered at the center. If your ministry features
classes offered in more than one format (i.e., seminar or classroom) with
different levels or methods of instruction, explain each.

3. List the requirements for completing your training program.

Provide the list of classes and other activities necessary for a student to
complete the Biblical counselor training offered at your center.

4. Describe the counseling observation completed by trainees.

Explain all options for the observation of counseling by your students,

including whether the counseling viewed is live or recorded, in person or from
a separate room, or other arrangement. Also communicate which counselors
observed are ACBC certified. List any related assignments such as group
discussion of an observed counseling session, case report notes, or writing
assignments connected to observation.

5. Submit an electronic or physical copy of student notes for each course.

Identify which particular courses are taught by ACBC members, which are
not, and the total classroom hours or units for each.

Description of the Counseling Services at the Training Center

1. For each staff member, please provide name, title, education/training, ministry
experience, responsibilities, and ACBC membership status.

21  
 Each training center that applies for ACBC certification has a Biblical
counseling ministry. For each of the counselors at your center, record the
specific data requested.

2. Explain how counselees discover your services and the case volume of the
center.

Provide brief information on the variety of methods by which counselees find

out about your center. On average, how many active counseling cases does
your center have?

Description of Teaching Methodologies

1. Briefly explain the teaching methodology.

How do you teach your students? Some centers provide lectures

corresponding to printed notes. Others also include other methods, such as
class discussion, Bible studies, applications of Scripture to life, counseling
homework assignments, reading assignments, homework, writing assignments,
online interaction, research projects, theology reading, student personal
growth assignments, group projects, actual counseling and discipleship, and
other types of work. Explain the methods by which your students learn the
Scriptures and are equipped for effective Biblical counseling ministries.

2. Describe concisely the philosophy behind this methodology.

Describe the teaching philosophy behind the method or methods you employ
to facilitate the training of students.

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Association of Certified Biblical Counselors

Certified Training Center

2015 Covenant
2015 Annual Dues

Certified Training Center

Covenant
I am in agreement with the Constitution, By-laws, Standards of Conduct, and
Policies and Procedures of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (which can be obtained on our website at
www.biblicalcounseling.com) and hereby affirm my commitment to the sufficiency of the Scriptures in counseling as follows:

Biblical counselors affirm the value and usefulness of God’s revelation in toto, including both Special and General Revelation. God has chosen to
reveal those truths that must be believed and practiced in order to please Him only through Special Revelation, now recorded exclusively and
completely in the Scriptures.

God reveals Himself and man’s moral accountability to Him through His acts of creation and works of providence. These acts and works
(sometimes called General Revelation and Common Grace, respectively) do not and were not intended to provide data necessary for life and
godliness.

Neither creation nor providence is or ever was self-interpreting. Man’s fall into sin only increases his need for Special Revelation. He now
actively misinterprets God’s world, exchanging the truth for a lie and suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.

The counselor must build his counseling system, including its presuppositions, principles and methodologies solely from Scripture. His
counseling must demonstrate that Scriptural truth, ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit, is sufficient to enable counselees to love God and
their neighbors.

We deny that secular theories and practices are manifestations of General Revelation or Common Grace. We affirm that they are, in fact, attempts
to substitute the “discoveries” of rebellious human thought for the truths revealed in Scripture, and are, therefore, in competition with a proper
interpretation of General Revelation and with biblical counseling. They cannot be integrated with the Faith once for all delivered to the saints.

Director______________________________________________________________________________________

ACBC Certified Training Center__________________________________________________________________

Signature _______________________________________________________________ Date ________________

Number of Students 2012 Annual Dues

[ ] 0-25 $150
[ ] 26-125 $300
[ ] 126+ $750

Send to:
ACBC
2825 Lexington Road
Louisville, KY 40280

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