Why We Believe Every Believer Can Be a
Biblical Counselor

How We Understand Romans 15:14

Many of us have had the privilege of serving in Biblical Counseling organizations that have done a fabulous job of academically training and certifying believers to do Biblical Counseling.  And for that we are thankful and appreciate the great work that these organizations have done to equip believers with the education and skills to do Biblical counseling.

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However, the role of everyday believers in their local church, who have a desire to do Biblical Counseling, have often found that there really isn't a place for them if they don't have formal educational training and certification.

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That is why C2C exists!

Motivation. Means. Method.

We believe that when Paul wrote to the Roman believers, his primary audience was the every day believer in their Church. In Romans 15:14 he expressed confidence in their ability to counsel one another when the following three things were true of them:

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"And concerning you, my brothers and sisters, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness [1. they were overflowing with the motivation to do good for others as they sacrificially loved people and longed for God's best for them in the midst of life issues], filled with all knowledge [2. they depended on the means of God's Word, all of God's Word, to teach others God's answers to life issues], and able also to admonish one another [3. they used the method of counseling one another to address life issues as they worked to help others make gospel focused changes in their lives]."

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C2C believes that when these three things — the right motivation, means, and method — are the ongoing characteristic of a believer, they are able to effectively counsel others.

That is not to say that every believer is able or skilled to counsel all issues — They most likely are not. Nor does it mean that a lay counselor doesn't need to refer counseling cases to their pastors, or to those who are better able to deal with certain counseling cases — They most certainly will!

Encourage. Equip. Empower.

But C2C strongly believes that every believer who meets the criteria of Romans 15:14 is able to do Biblical counseling, and in so doing, they become a great source of help and encouragement to their local church and it's leadership as they help to disciple and grow fellow believers in Christ through Biblical Counseling.

Therefore, C2C exist to encourage, equip, and empower believers in their local churches — under the oversight of their pastoral leadership — so that they may become confident counselors who see they have a place in the Biblical counseling world, because  they are also able to do Biblical counseling too!