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Biblical Counseling
Training
Everyone Gives Advice. Is Your Counsel Biblical?
In 2017, Cross Pointe Church became a Certified Training Center with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC). As a Training Center, our mission is to equip believers to faithfully minister the Word of God to those in need of counsel.
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To support this mission, we offer both in-person and online training opportunities designed to introduce the foundations of biblical counseling, deepen understanding of God’s Word, and assist those pursuing ACBC certification.
How Cross Pointe Church Was Introduced
To Biblical Counseling
Why Training Matters:
Equipping You to Help Others
As followers of Christ, we have been entrusted with a God-breathed Word that provides everything we need for life and godliness (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). Yet to faithfully minister that Word to others, we must become diligent, lifelong students of Scripture. Biblical counseling training helps us grow in our understanding of God’s truth and prepares us to apply it wisely and compassionately in real-life situations.
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Our training is designed to equip you to counsel others and make disciples with confidence and clarity. People take our courses for a variety of reasons: some desire to grow personally and apply biblical wisdom to their own lives; others want to better support friends and family through difficult seasons; many seek to become more effective ministry leaders in their local church; and some pursue formal certification as biblical counselors through ACBC.
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Whatever your motivation, our training will prepare you to handle God’s Word with care, offer hope to the hurting, and faithfully serve those around you.
How Do I Get Certified?
Step 1:
Learning
Phase 1 of ACBC Certification requires the completion of an ACBC Fundamentals Course.
As an ACBC Certified Training Center, we host an annual Biblical Counseling Conference, offering this 30-hour education requirement which establishes a basic knowledge of what Biblical Counseling is, how it is conducted, and why it is the responsibility of all Christians.​
Registration is now open for our Foundations Track in our upcoming Biblical Counseling Conference to satisfy the 30 hour Fundamental Course requirement in Phase 1.
Step 2:
Study
Phase 1 of ACBC Certification also requires two more key components: Reading and Observations.
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The reading requirement for certification is completing one thousand pages of reading from an ACBC approved reading list. Three hundred of those pages must be focused on theology and seven hundred from counseling material.
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To accomplish these requirement requirements, we recommend that 1) you create an ACBC Account and begin tracking your reading, and 2) move to the third step: Exams, because, as you work through your exam, you will accomplish the reading requirements.​
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The observation requirement is to observe 10 biblical counseling session in action. While videos are authorized, in-person is preferred. You may purchase observation videos from IBCD, Faith, or The Master's University.
Step 3:
Exam
Phase 2 of ACBC Certification consists of 44 essay-style questions on both Theology and Counseling.
The first portion of the exam explores the basics of systematic theology. The second portion covers counseling knowledge and practice.
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In January of 2025, we launched our free In-Person or Distance Learning ACBC Exam Test Prep Course that is aimed at equipping you to confidently answer each question, providing suggested readings and a lecture that will cover everything necessary to equip you to answer the question and understand the core concepts. Our In-Person model will meet on Thursday evenings at 6:30 PM at Cross Pointe Church, with the video lectures being made available the Friday after the lecture for those distance learners.
To learn more, click the link below.
Step 4:
Supervision
Phase 3 of ACBC Certification consists of supervision by an ACBC Fellow.
In this stage, the Counselor-In-Training will provide counsel to others, at least 50 sessions, under the supervision of an ACBC Fellow. After each session, you will fill out a report on the session, send it to your supervisor, and he will then give constructive feedback to help you learn and grow as a counselor.
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Cross Pointe is able to offer this supervision at a limited capacity, but many Fellows are available through the ACBC network also.
What Training Do We Offer?
ACBC Exam
Test Prep Course
2025
Our ACBC Exam Test Prep Course is designed to help individuals master the core concepts needed to complete the theological and counseling exams for phase 2 of the ACBC Certification process. Starting in January 2025 and ending in December 2025, the course covers one exam question per week. Whether attending in-person or online, attendees will receive video lectures and additional guidance to navigate this phase of the certification process with confidence.
Online Counseling Training
Our Online Counseling Training provides specialized programs designed to equip individuals for biblical counseling. Each program features video lectures carefully selected, addressing specific counseling topics with clarity and insight. Delivered entirely online, these training modules offer flexible and practical resources for anyone seeking to grow in their ability to counsel others with the truth of God's Word.
Online Counseling Training
ACBC Exam Prep Update
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Our new 2025 ACBC Exam Test Prep Course is currently underway for both online and in-person participants. You can join at any time and work at your own pace.
For distance learners, video recordings will be uploaded and made available on the Friday following each live session. As each new lecture becomes available, the corresponding video from the 2022 courses will be removed, officially sunsetting the 2022 course content.
