What qualifies someone to be a biblical counselor? What credentials are necessary?
How about these 2 essential elements: 1) knowledge of the Word of God and 2) yielding to the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God is only understood by the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit. The two work together. Therefore, a biblical counselor must yield his/her will to the will of Christ AND be knowledgeable of the Bible. The two are inseparable.
What credentials exist for a Spirit-filled person full of the knowledge of the truth? Where do you get certified in obedient living under the power of the Holy Spirit and in accordance with God’s Word?
What’s neat about our ministry is that we have LAY people who are fully submitted to Christ and His Word AND we have PROFESSIONALLY trained people who are fully submitted to Christ and His Word. Both groups learn from each other because they are learning from the Lord.
If you want a Doctor, we’ve got 4 of them. Congratulations, Dr. Jeff Young!
If you want a “regular person”, we’ve got many of those – and all are committed to Christ. We work in teams of two so it may be that you get one of each. How’s that for diversity?
-Mark (certified by the Lord Jesus Christ alone)