school of biblical counseling

Biblical Counseling for Pastors

with Ed Welch

an invitation from ed welch

Biblical counseling is at home in the church, and the role of pastor is inherently the role of counselor. This course is for ordained men involved in pastoral ministry, seeking to equip them to grow in wise care and counsel. As we build a framework for biblical counseling, we’ll consider illustrations such as fear and anxiety, trauma, and a theology of the body, including a discussion of psychiatric diagnoses such as depression. Expect self-assessments of your own care and counsel, opportunities to practice a few critical skills, considering how counseling informs preaching, and building a vision for the culture of care in your church.

“The biblical content is excellent and Dr Welch's theological clarity is so helpful. However, it is his pastoral gentleness and local church experience that make this course particularly valuable.”
—pastor

What to Expect

This course is pass/fail, and assignments are graded for completion only. In addition to recorded lectures, this course will include 5 live zoom meetings with Ed Welch and other students. Below are the tentative dates and times for the January 2026 term; please note they are subject to change.

Thursday, January 15, from 2–4pm EDT
Thursday, January 29 from 2–4pm EDT
Thursday, February 12, from 2–4pm EDT
Thursday, February 26, from 2–4pm EDT
Thursday, March 12, from 2–4pm EDT

Course Objectives

To grow in pastoral effectiveness
To consider how pastoral care can grow in your church
To invite you to be partners and contributors to the biblical counseling movement

Course schedule

Week 1: Theological Foundations; Fear and Anxiety
Week 2: Live Zoom Meeting with Ed Welch
Week 3: Trauma and Psalm 10
Week 4: Live Zoom Meeting with Ed Welch
Week 5: Theological Accents: the Body and Depression
Week 6: Live Zoom Meeting with Ed Welch
Week 7: A Brief History of Biblical Counseling
Week 8: Live Zoom Meeting with Ed Welch
Week 9: Grief: What to Do and Not to Do
Week 10: Live Zoom Meeting with Ed Welch

At a Glance

WHO

Ordained men in pastoral ministry

course cost

$500

course length

10 weeks

course dates

January 5–March 14, 2026

workload

1.5–3 hours/week

registration dates

September 29–November 24, 2025

Videos About the Course

Meet the Lecturing Faculty

Ed is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 1981. He holds a doctor of philosophy in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and a master of divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed is a licensed psychologist and has been active in local church ministry for decades. He has written numerous books, including When People Are Big and God Is Small (P&R Publishing, 1997), Shame Interrupted (New Growth Press, 2012), Side by Side (Crossway, 2015), and Created to Draw Near (Crossway, 2020).

Ed's resources