school of biblical counseling

Biblical Counseling for Pastors

with Ed Welch

an invitation from ed welch

Biblical counseling is at home in the church, and the role of pastor is inherently the role of counselor. This course is for ordained men involved in pastoral ministry, seeking to equip them to grow in wise care and counsel. As we build a framework for biblical counseling, we’ll consider illustrations such as fear and anxiety, trauma, and a theology of the body, including a discussion of psychiatric diagnoses such as depression. Expect self-assessments of your own care and counsel, opportunities to practice a few critical skills, considering how counseling informs preaching, and building a vision for the culture of care in your church.

What to Expect

In addition to recorded lectures, this course will include 5 live engagements with Ed Welch and other students. The live engagements for the January 2025 term are listed below.

2–4pm EDT on Thursday, January 16

2–4pm EDT on Thursday, January 30

2–4pm EDT on Thursday, February 13

2–4pm EDT on Thursday, February 27

2–4pm EDT on Thursday, March 13

Course Objectives

To grow in pastoral effectiveness

To consider how pastoral care can grow in your church

To invite you to be partners and contributors to the biblical counseling movement

Course schedule

Week 1: Theological Foundations; Fear and Anxiety

Week 2: Live Engagement with Ed Welch

Week 3: Trauma and Psalm 10

Week 4: Live Engagement with Ed Welch

Week 5: Theological Accents: the Body and Depression

Week 6: Live Engagement with Ed Welch

Week 7: A Brief History of Biblical Counseling

Week 8: Live Engagement with Ed Welch

Week 9: Grief: What to Do and Not to Do

Week 10: Live Engagement with Ed Welch

At a Glance

WHO

Ordained men in pastoral ministry

course cost

$500

course length

10 weeks

course dates

January 6–March 15

workload

1.5–3 hours/week

registration dates

September 30–December 3

Videos About the Course

Meet the Lecturing Faculty

Ed is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 1981. He holds a doctor of philosophy in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and a master of divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed is a licensed psychologist and has been active in local church ministry for decades. He has written numerous books, including When People Are Big and God Is Small (P&R Publishing, 1997), Shame Interrupted (New Growth Press, 2012), Side by Side (Crossway, 2015), and Created to Draw Near (Crossway, 2020).

Ed's resources