{"id":237,"date":"2020-02-12T06:00:02","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T11:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/seminary\/?p=237"},"modified":"2020-02-04T12:53:25","modified_gmt":"2020-02-04T17:53:25","slug":"whats-your-next-step-equipped-to-counsel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/seminary\/whats-your-next-step-equipped-to-counsel\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWhat\u2019s Your Next Step?\u201d Equipped to Counsel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every year during the second week of February, two ministries birthed out of Faith Church<\/a> come together as 100s of students and alumni of<\/span> Faith Bible Seminary<\/a> join with 2,000 attendees at the annual<\/span> Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference<\/a> (BCTC).<\/p>\n

\"\"We knew you\u2019d enjoy hearing from two of those students\u2014the husband-wife team of Doug and Sue Bell\u2014who are each finishing their<\/span> FBS MABC<\/a> and are also attending, once again, the Faith BCTC.<\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cSue, what first motivated you to consider applying for FBS\u2019 MA in Biblical Counseling?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sue Bell (SB): <\/strong>\u201cI wanted to grow in the ability and skills of confidently bringing Christ into the center of everyone\u2019s life, circumstances, and failures. I was seeking a program where we would be taught that God and God\u2019s Word are alone sufficient.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cDoug, what first motivated you to consider applying for FBS\u2019 MA in Biblical Counseling?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Doug Bell (DB): <\/strong>\u201cAfter attending our first BCTC conference several years ago, I was so excited about all that I had learned that I wanted to begin applying everything, but also recognized that I had so much more to learn. Sue and I kept asking ourselves \u2018What\u2019s the next step the Lord would have us take?\u2019<\/em> We signed up for the 11-week Monday training at Faith, even though we live 6 hours away. For 11 weeks we would travel 6 hours to Faith on Sunday after church, spend a half-day in the class room on Monday, and the other half of the day observing actual counseling sessions. We would head back home on Tuesday morning while we de-briefed with each other as we drove. We\u2019ve been married 37 years, and those discussions are some of the most special and memorable we\u2019ve had. On our last ride back home, pondering the question \u2018what is our next step?\u2019<\/em> I remembering asking Sue, \u2018what would you think about enrolling in the MABC program?\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 She enthusiastically said yes, neither of us having any idea of what we were getting into, but both having a desire to be used by our Lord in the greatest way possible.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cAs a husband-wife team, what has it been like for the two of you to take the MABC together? What are some of the benefits of doing this together? Some of the joys?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"SB: <\/strong>\u201cIt has matured us emotionally and spiritually. We\u2019ve learned and challenged each other. I hope I\u2019ve grown in humility as I\u2019ve realized I might actually not know everything and I\u2019m not always right! Doug is such a humble student of the Word and perseveres with his assignments. I\u2019m so proud of him! Had I not been in it right beside him, I might have become \u2018jealous\u2019 or weary of all the schoolwork! We kept each other on task, read each other\u2019s papers, and edited and critiqued one another along the way!\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DB: <\/strong>\u201cIt has been the \u2018crown jewel\u2019 in our marriage\u2014that might sound a little over-dramatic, but it\u2019s true! We have had the richest, deepest, most soul-probing discussions along the way. At time there have been tears, mutual encouragement, joy, frustration, and lots of laughter. It really is hard for me to put into words, and I am so thankful that God has allowed us the joy of having this journey together. It has been especially helpful that when one of us was discouraged, God used the other person as a source of encouragement. It is also helpful that we have been able to \u2018push\u2019 one another to stay on track, help each other to meet deadlines and work together to finish homework.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cDoug, what is the nature of your ministry at your church? Tell us some of the most significant ways that the MABC has impacted your life and ministry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"DB: <\/strong>\u201cThe MABC has completely changed my life and ministry. I currently serve as an Elder in our church and now oversee our biblical counseling ministry. We are planning to formally launch our biblical counseling ministry to our community in 2020 (currently our counseling is primarily focused on those within our church). We desire to duplicate much of what Faith has done in Lafayette, biblical counseling wise. We are in the process of training new counselors and putting infrastructure together to see this vision become a reality, God willing, this year. This would not be possible without the equipping Sue and I have received from the MABC program. Personally, I have grown in my spiritual life like never before during my time in the MABC program. I have learned much about myself, my heart, my sin, and my Savior. There is a huge part of me that hates to see my time in the program coming to an end.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cSue, what is the nature of your ministry at your church. Tell us some of the most significant ways that the MABC has impacted your life and ministry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>\u201cMy main area of ministry is discipleship of and counseling women. The MABC has impacted my life by teaching me to self-counsel from the Word. Examining my own fruit-to-root has been revealing and life-altering. I would also say that my biggest area of growth is learning better what it means to suffer compassionately and patiently with fellow Christians\u2014what it means to incarnate Christ to others.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cYou\u2019re attending the 2020 Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference together. How does the BCTC supplement the training you\u2019re receiving in the MABC?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>\u201cFirst of all, we all need reminders! But when we listen to a speaker, we are always encouraged as we hear again how God\u2019s Word speaks to our specific counselee\u2019s heart issue back home.\u00a0 It\u2019s empowering to sit under focused teaching and absorb. Then Doug and I discuss how we can apply what we learn, where we need to grow, for example.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DB: <\/strong>\u201cDuring our time in the MABC program, we have been challenged to continually grow in our ability to rightly handle God\u2019s Word both in our own lives and in our counseling ministry. The BCTC not only reinforces what we have learned in the MABC, but it addresses new topics and issues that we increasing see in the counseling room today that may not have been present a few years ago. The BCTC also provides an opportunity to connect with many who we have built life-long relationships with as a result of being in the MABC program.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cYou\u2019re bringing other members from your church to the BCTC. How does the BCTC impact those members who attend? How does the BCTC impact your church ministry?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re excited that 14 other people are coming, all at their own cost and without much \u2018promotion\u2019 on our part! We hope they have a fire ignited in them to grow in their knowledge of God\u2019s sufficient Word and desire to care for others by growing in their counseling skills.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DB: <\/strong>\u201cWe encourage all of our small group leaders to attend as well as anyone who wants to grow in Christlikeness and their ability to pour into others. This year we have 16 people attending (including Sue and I) at their own cost. The ripple effect from our people attending is significant. We now have an increased pool of people to use as advocates in counseling and we encourage them to receive further training and to consider becoming certified. The BCTC plays an integral part in helping us raise up more counselors for God\u2019s glory and the benefit of our counseling ministry. At the very least, those that attend are better small group leaders, small group attenders, and followers of Christ.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cFinal question: Why should others consider enrolling in FBS\u2019 MABC?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

SB: <\/strong>\u201cBecause of the immeasurable value of learning, amazing mentors\/professors, encouragement of growing friendships, insight, and guidance. It\u2019s been much more than I ever thought it would be. I love to learn, but this has been about growth in my love for God. I stand amazed and grateful.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DB: <\/strong>\u201cIf you desire to be used to the greatest extent possible as a biblical counselor or in a biblical counseling ministry, I believe there is no better program. The professors at FBS are among the \u2018who\u2019s who\u2019 in the biblical counseling world, you develop life-long relationships with both your professors and fellow students, and FBS strives to make it affordable. I truly hate to see my training at FBS come to an end.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

FBS: <\/strong>\u201cThank you so much, Doug and Sue, for your ministry for Christ through biblical counseling. For others who would like to learn more about<\/span> Faith Bible Seminary\u2019s MABC<\/a>, visit our site<\/a>, or call (765-448-1986), or email us (<\/span>seminary@faithlafayette.org)<\/span><\/a>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year during the second week of February, two ministries birthed out of Faith Church come together as 100s of students and alumni of Faith Bible Seminary join with 2,000 attendees at the annual Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference (BCTC). We knew you\u2019d enjoy hearing from two of those students\u2014the husband-wife team of Doug and… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4222,34209,27853],"tags":[244,34209,34211,27853],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cWhat\u2019s Your Next Step?\u201d Equipped to Counsel - Faith Bible Seminary Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.faithlafayette.org\/seminary\/whats-your-next-step-equipped-to-counsel\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cWhat\u2019s Your Next Step?\u201d Equipped to Counsel - Faith Bible Seminary Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Every year during the second week of February, two ministries birthed out of Faith Church come together as 100s of students and alumni of Faith Bible Seminary join with 2,000 attendees at the annual Faith Biblical Counseling Training Conference (BCTC). 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