Biblical Counseling is the “Christlike caring, person-to-person ministry of God’s Word to people struggling with personal and interpersonal problems.”[1] Biblical counselors use Scripture to “diagnose, explain, and solve these problems.”[2] All pertinent medical, emotional and spiritual information is considered. When counseling, the approach is to “humbly and compassionately come along side another”[3] to encourage, challenge, and help individuals “know and follow Christ more closely in heart and behavior amid their struggles.”[4]

Biblical Counseling is soul care from a Biblical worldview. As such, the goal is not self-improvement but sanctification. It helps believers understand Scripture’s specific application of God’s truth in their situation. Change cannot happen without the Holy Spirit’s transforming effect. The counselor seeks to reflect the love, concern, and compassion of Jesus our Shepherd and Counselor. Biblical Counseling sees the complexities in people and life in the light of the Gospel of Jesus. “It means seeing each of our personal stories in the light of God's big story.”[5]

[1] Jones, Robert D. Do I Need Counseling? When and Where to Get Help, New Growth Press, 2022, pp 2-3.

[2] Jones, Robert D. Do I Need Counseling? p.2.

[3] Scott, Stuart, Biblical Discipleship/Counseling, Class handout.

[4] Jones, Robert, Do I Need Counseling? p.3

[5] Faith Lafayette Church Website. What is Biblical Counseling? (definition).

Bible-believing churches and their pastors and fellow church members are seen as God’s primary ministers of grace for those we counsel. The mission of Gospel Collective Church (GCC) is to glorify God, love our neighbors, and make disciples who make disciples. Biblical Counseling is intensive discipleship. The private ministry of the Word is an essential part of discipleship. This involves helping one another apply Scripture to the issues and problems of living in a sinful world. Like all discipleship, the goal is to become more Christlike, recognizing that sometimes individuals need specialized attention for struggles that affect their personal lives or relationships with others.[6] When a person is not a believer, Biblical Counseling becomes evangelism. Therefore, Biblical Counseling is a natural extension of GCC’s mission of discipleship-making. Our broader goal is to discover how we can eventually include everyone in the church in the privilege of speaking the truth in love and seeing how this ministry will increase our effectiveness in discipleship and advance the Gospel by winning people to Christ.[7]

[6] Southwestern News, How to Start a Biblical Counseling Ministry in Your Church. Spring, 2021.

[7] Higbee, Garrett, Biblical Counseling and Soul Care in the Church in Biblical Counseling and the Church, Kellemen, B. and Carson, K. editors, 2015.

Virtually everyone can benefit from Biblical Counseling at some point in life. Some problems are physical, but all problems are spiritual. “While all of us face the common pressures of living in a broken world, sometimes the issues are too much to handle alone, and they hinder us from effectively functioning the way God designed.”[8] If you find yourself stuck spiritually or emotionally, overwhelmed by certain situations or sinful habits, you may benefit from the focused help that will be provided through the Biblical Counseling Ministry at Gospel Collective Church.

[8] Jones, Robert D. Do I Need Counseling?

In the Biblical Counseling Ministry at Gospel Collective Church, we want to meet specific needs through the counseling provided by the Biblical Counsel Leadership Team (BCLT), and we want to better equip the leadership in our church to do the same in their shepherding and discipling to create a culture of growth through Biblical Counseling.

We do this by providing resources for Elders, Church Staff and Community Group leaders, (online classes, seminars, conferences, in-house quarterly trainings, etc.). We have also provided a resource list at the bottom of this page to know the foundations of Biblical Counseling, for some specific counseling topics, and of books for sale within the church. We can meet and share the pathway for those who want to know more about Biblical Counseling, and with those who are interested in joining the BCLT.

1. Fill out a Biblical Counseling Personal Data Inventory (PDI) online at gcclex.com/counsel. OR, paper forms are available upon request.

Access PDI here

2. Someone from the Biblical Counseling Leadership Team (BCLT) will meet with you to review the PDI (for certain situations this may take more than one meeting). The BCLT member will discern next steps for you from the following options: a) more intensive discipleship or intentional community group care with Biblical help going through the struggles or needs, or b) agreed upon Biblical counsel between someone from the BCLT and you.

In the event that the problem or issue is beyond the scope of the BCLT, the team may consider referral for professional assistance outside of the church.

3. The BCLT will discern and decide who is best to meet with you. Once you begin to meet, the counseling goal is to meet 4-8 times and then help you get ongoing care and accountability through discipleship and/or a community group. There may be continued consultation, but the goal is for you to ‘graduate’ from Biblical Counseling to ongoing, healthy community and care within the church body.

*Disclaimer: Any person or couple who are attenders of Gospel Collective Church can meet with our Biblical Counsel Leadership Team for next steps and care. We do not offer Biblical Counseling if you are an attender of another church because of the limited time and resources that we have with our Biblical Counsel Leadership Team (BCLT), but we will do our best to give references for other churches in the area.