What Do You Do with a Faith Bible Seminary MABC?

“So, what do you do with an MA in Biblical Counseling?”

That’s a legitimate question that seminary educators hear frequently.

If you are Stacey Preuss, current FBS MABC student, and her husband Chris, you do a lot with your biblical counseling training! As I discovered today when I visited with Stacey and Chris during this week’s Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference (they’re in Track 3). 

First, Stacey and Chris are using their training in their lives and the lives of those they love.

“Before we were introduced to biblical counseling, we sought to help extended family members and tried secular counseling and integrative Christian counseling. But they and we were left without the help we needed. It was only after we were introduced to biblical counseling through the ministry of Faith Biblical Counseling and Faith Bible Seminary that those we love found true, lasting, biblical help.”

Second, Stacey and Chris are using their training at the BCTC and from the MABC (Stacey) in co-counseling other couples.

“We never want to counsel alone again. We love the ministry of co-counseling as a husband and wife as we provide biblical counseling to other couples. What I (Stacey) have learned at FBS in the MABC, we immediately put into practice as we share God’s Word with hurting couples.”

Third, Stacey and Chris are now in the planning and envisioning process of launching a biblical counseling ministry at their church, Berean Baptist Church of Livonia, MI.

“God has blessed us with a great church where the gospel is related to our lives from the pulpit every Sunday. And our church-wide vision is to strive to disciple other disciples. Now we are working with our leadership to help our church to continue to move toward a church of biblical counseling—where relating God’s truth to daily life saturates every ministry, and where biblical counseling is part of our calling to disciple one another in Christ.”

“So, what do you do with an MA in Biblical Counseling?”

If you are like Stacey and Chris Preuss, you relate your training to your own life/family; you use your training to counsel others; and you use your training to come alongside your church in saturating every ministry with confidence in the sufficiency of Scripture for daily life.

Bob Kellemen
Bob Kellemen, Th.M., Ph.D.: Dr. Kellemen is VP of Strategic Development and Academic Dean at Faith Bible Seminary in Lafayette, Indiana. Bob is also the Founder and CEO of RPM Ministries through which he speaks, writes, and consults on biblical counseling and Christian living. Dr. Kellemen served as the founding Executive Director of the Biblical Counseling Coalition. For seventeen years, Bob was the founding Chairman of and Professor in the MA in Christian Counseling and Discipleship department at Capital Bible Seminary in Lanham, MD. Bob has pastored four churches and equipped biblical counselors in each church. Bob and his wife, Shirley, have been married for thirty-eight years; they have two adult children, Josh and Marie, one daughter-in-law, Andi, and three granddaughters. Dr. Kellemen is the author of eighteen books including Equipping Counselors for Your Church, Gospel-Centered Counseling, and Gospel Conversations.