Welcome to the School of Biblical Counseling, the course training ministry of CCEF. This training includes seminary-based on-site classes and distance education, Our training has several distinctive features.

We believe that the simple truths of Scripture speak with great depth to our problems. Our problems, indeed, can be very complex, but God knows the deepest mysteries of our lives and has chosen to reveal to us everything essential in His Word. Therefore, CCEF classes dig into Scripture. Through its poetry, songs, laws and many stories we find that it is lively, surprising and life-changing. Its power, of course, is no secret. It resides in a person. All throughout, Scripture points to Jesus - his life, death, resurrection and rule.

We speak to the heart. Every counseling model wants to address what is most important. It wants to get to the heart of the matter. Scripture, we believe, allows us to get to the heart - our hearts - in such a way that we feel revealed, understood, encouraged and guided. Scripture takes very seriously the many hardships and blessings that have shaped us, but it goes even deeper. It shows that we are spiritual beings who always reckon with the question, Who will I trust? Will I trust God or objects of worship in my life such as prestige, power, pleasure and love? This understanding of the human heart is what distinguishes the counseling model at CCEF from most other approaches.

Notice how this makes Jesus central. If the deepest question in our hearts is about our trust, worship and affections, then we are irresistibly directed to Jesus, the one who alone is worthy of our spiritual allegiance. If Jesus is the center of Scripture, then Jesus must be central in any Christian model of counseling and ministry, and this is our goal at CCEF. Every training venue will draw the connections between the present struggles and felt needs in our lives and our knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We work as a team. Some people come for CCEF training because of the recommendation of other people, some through our books or seminars; rarely do people come because they are following a person. CCEF's faculty functions as a team. The development of our counseling model is a joint effort that comes out of our weekly gatherings to discuss counseling issues, pray and learn from one another.

One advantage of being a team is that students have many mentors, and they don't gauge success by how much they conform to a particular instructor's style. At CCEF we have benefited first-hand from the truth that there is wisdom in many counselors and that the body of Christ flourishes when a larger group joins the ministry effort.

The teaching faculty has been changed by the material we teach, and we have been powerfully influenced by the students that come to us for training. It is our pleasure to give you an overview of our work and invite you to partner with us.

Ed Welch