Yes, you can.

You don’t need a long list of counselees before you begin. What you do need is a sense of God’s calling and a willingness to be equipped. If the Lord is leading you into this ministry, He will provide opportunities to serve—often more than you could imagine.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” – Ephesians 3:20

We’ve seen it again and again: students start with no open doors, but by the time they finish, God has filled their path with people hungry for biblical help and hope.

Through the lessons, modules, and mentorship in the Biblical Counseling Academy, you’ll gain confidence and clarity to be ready when those opportunities come. Our prayer is that you will not only finish well, but also walk boldly into the ministry God has prepared for you.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” – Ephesians 2:10

We train men and women in biblical counseling for service within the local church. Pastoral ministry, as defined by Scripture, is reserved for qualified, called, and biblically examined men (1 Timothy 3, Titus 1). Women are encouraged to pursue counseling, discipleship, and teaching other women (Titus 2), but we do not train or affirm women as pastors or elders.

The program is designed to be completed in 12 months. If life circumstances slow you down, you may continue at your own pace by enrolling in our monthly continuation plan to maintain access and support. We’ll walk with you as long as you stay engaged.

Biblical counseling is not just an academic pursuit — it’s a ministry of discipleship within the body of Christ. It flows out of the preaching, teaching, fellowship, and accountability of the local church.

We believe every counselor should serve in and under the authority of a local, Bible-teaching church. BCA is designed for students who are already active in a conservative, evangelical church — Baptist, Calvary Chapel, non-denominational, or similar.

If you currently don’t have a home church, we still welcome you to begin your training here — but you’ll need to prayerfully find and commit to a solid, Bible-teaching church within the next 6 months. You’ll need the oversight and support of a church family when you reach the practicum stage, since biblical counseling is never meant to be practiced in isolation.

If your church identifies with movements like the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), hyper-charismatic signs and wonders focus, or teachings inconsistent with historic orthodoxy, BCA is probably not the right fit. If you’re unsure where your church falls, please contact us before enrolling.

We welcome students with prior education and experience, as well as those brand new to biblical counseling. At the Biblical Counseling Academy, all students complete the full training path that leads into IABC’s three-phase certification process. This ensures consistency, clarity, and biblical depth.

If you’ve previously studied at another IABC-certified training center, that training may be applied toward your certification. We’ll help you clarify how your background fits within the process so you can move forward without confusion.

“Let all things be done decently and in order.” – 1 Corinthians 14:40

The Biblical Counseling Academy (BCA) is your training ground and mentoring relationship. As a Certified Training Center, we provide a structured diploma program in Biblical Counseling. Upon successful completion, the Dean of Biblical Counseling issues an endorsement recommendation to the Board of Directors at IABC.

The International Association of Biblical Counselors (IABC) is the certifying organization. They receive your completed diploma and transcripts from BCA as part of your endorsement for certification. To remain in good standing with IABC, counselors complete an application and maintain annual membership.

Think of it this way:

• BCA = Training, discipleship, and diploma
  
• IABC = Certification, membership, and accountability
  

Together, they serve to prepare, affirm, and sustain you in a lifelong ministry of biblical counseling.

“Commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” – 2 Timothy 2:2

We believe in God’s power to redeem and restore lives through the gospel. However, in order to protect counselees and maintain integrity in ministry, IABC does not certify individuals currently on the Public Sex Offender Registry or currently incarcerated.

That said, we encourage such individuals to pursue biblical training and discipleship, trusting that God can use their growth for kingdom work in appropriate contexts under the oversight of their local church.

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Because IABC certification requires accountability to a biblically qualified local church, counselors must serve under elders who meet the New Testament qualifications for pastors/elders (see 1 Timothy 3:2–7; Titus 1:5–9).

We value the many ways women serve faithfully in the church, but IABC cannot certify those whose church identifies women as pastors/elders, since this contradicts their guiding documents and complementarian convictions.

“Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife…” – 1 Timothy 3:2

IABC recognizes the increasing conflict between state-licensed counseling practices and the biblical convictions required for faithful soul care. For this reason, IABC reserves the right to restrict or deny certification to those holding active state counseling licenses if those licenses place them under ethical codes that contradict Scripture.

However, Licensed Professional Counselors are welcome to complete Phase 1 training through BCA to examine the theological distinctives of biblical counseling. Those wishing to continue beyond Phase 1 may appeal directly to IABC for consideration.

“We must obey God rather than men.” – Acts 5:29