In the late 1960’s, pastor and author Jay Adams published Competent to Counsel, and its essential message was a battle cry to the Christian counseling world. While thousands of Christians received counseling training through secular schools and the Christian counseling movement warmly embraced secular psychological models, Dr. Adams made a bold statement about our need to return to the Bible to learn how to do counseling in a godly fashion. I had never heard Dr. Adams speak until a few years ago, but I can just imagine him saying, “Where is the Bible in all this? Why are Christians turning to secular psychology to teach us how to counsel people? Have we forgotten that we, the chosen children of the Almighty God, already have been given everything we need for life and godliness in the Scriptures?”

Dr. Adams was right. The Bible needs to be the beginning, means, and end of our counseling. Along with writing books, Dr. Adams wanted to be sure that pastors and laypeople were adequately trained in counseling from the Scriptures. So, he founded the Christian Counseling Education Foundation (CCEF) in Glenside, PA in 1968. CCEF’s mission statement summarizes their goal: “To partner with those who counsel and who need counseling help, so the power of Christ is expressed in our lives and relationships.” For thirty-nine years now, CCEF has been the leading catalyst in biblical thinking in counseling. Over the years, their staff and counseling ministry has continued to grow. Now CCEF’s counselors and staff on average provide Christ-centered counseling to more than 110 people per week and more than 6,200 hours of counseling per year. Along with counseling, they offer church seminars, an annual conference (which last year hosted 2000 people), seminary-based and church-based training, and a wide variety of publications (including eighteen books, thirty-six booklets, and the Journal of Biblical Counseling).  Some of their key leaders have become well-known in the Evangelical world: David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Paul Tripp.   

If you've never heard of CCEF, let me encourage you to pick up one of CCEF's books or booklets.  I think you will find they will be a huge help to your ministry.  And if you enjoy what you read, consider taking staff and laypeople to their national conference and training seminars, read some more of their books and journal publications, and maybe even think about taking some of their on-line classes.

This side of heaven, there is no such thing as a perfect organization. CCEF, like any other institution or para-church organization, has strengths and weaknesses. Though not perfect, I do consider a partnership with CCEF a good thing for any pastor to pursue.