Q: What is Michigan Biblical Counseling (MIBC)?
A: Michigan Biblical Counseling is a regional biblical counseling and discipleship training ministry hosted by Berean Baptist Church, built to equip pastors, counselors, and lay leaders from churches across Southwest Michigan. It grew out of a coalition of area churches — including Calvary Bible Church, First Baptist Church of Otsego, First Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, Christ Church (North Muskegon), Good News Baptist Church, Trinity Baptist Church, Grandville Bible Church, Maranatha Bible Church, Cedar Creek Community Church, Northeast Baptist Church, West Cannon Baptist Church, and Orangeville Baptist Church, among others — who wanted more thorough, ongoing training than a single turnkey conference weekend can offer. Rather than bringing in an outside ministry to run a one-time event, MIBC is taught locally, across multiple sessions, built on the conviction that Scripture is sufficient for the problems people bring to counseling — not just one helpful voice among several.

Q: What makes this “biblical” counseling, as opposed to “Christian” counseling generally?
A: Biblical counseling holds that Scripture isn’t merely consistent with sound counseling — it’s the counselor’s controlling authority. Where integrationist or “Christian psychology” approaches blend biblical teaching with secular psychological theory (attachment theory, trauma frameworks, personality assessments, and the like), biblical counseling starts and ends with the conviction that the Bible accurately diagnoses the human heart (Mark 7:20–23; Proverbs 4:23) and that lasting change comes through the ordinary means God has provided: His Word, prayer, the local church, accountability, and the ministry of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:3). That doesn’t mean biblical counselors dismiss real physical illness or the value of good medical care — it means a counselee’s ultimate hope for heart-level change is placed in Christ, not in a technique, a diagnosis, or a prescription.

Q: Who is the training for?
A: Pastors, elders, biblical counselors, and any church member serving — or hoping to serve — in a counseling, discipleship, or one-another ministry capacity. It’s equally useful whether you’re working toward formal ACBC certification or simply want a firmer, more confident grounding for caring for people biblically. No prior certification or experience is required to attend.

Q: When and where is it held?
A: At Berean Baptist Church, 7813 S. 12th Street, Portage, MI 49024. The training runs across three weekends: February 12–13, March 12–13, and April 16–17, 2027 — a Friday evening session (6:00–9:00 PM) followed by a full day of teaching on Saturday each month.

Q: How much does it cost, and how do I register?
A: Registration is tiered to reward early sign-ups: $129 from October 1 through December 31, 2026; $149 during January 2027; and $159 from February 1, 2027 onward (including at the door, if space allows). Registration runs through Berean’s Church Center registrations; the link will be on this site.

Q: Will sessions be recorded or available afterward?
A: Not this first year. We’re exploring audio/video capture with on-demand access — likely through a learning-management platform — for future years, once we have a full year of content built up to offer that way.

Q: Is this connected to ACBC?
A: Yes. MIBC’s teaching is designed to align with — and give you a running start on — the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors’ (ACBC) certification pathway, particularly its Phase 1 (Learning) requirements. Completing MIBC’s series doesn’t by itself confer ACBC certification: certification still requires enrolling directly through ACBC, passing their Theology and Counseling exams (Phase 2), and completing 50 supervised counseling sessions under an ACBC Fellow (Phase 3). See “ACBC Certification Path” below for the full picture.

Q: Is there a recommended reading list?
A: Yes — rather than curate our own, we point people to ACBC’s official Approved Reading List. ACBC’s certification requirements call for 1,000 pages of reading overall, with at least 300 of those pages coming from the Biblical Counseling & Theology category. ACBC maintains that list directly at biblicalcounseling.com, so we’ll link to it there rather than duplicate (and risk out-dating) it here.

Q: Who do I contact with questions?
A: Josh Greiner, [email protected].