How does it work, studying online?

Simply! Read over the information under the “Online Courses” tab above to learn about our curriculum and costs. Then click on the red “Begin Studying” button to sign up and get started. You can begin working on your first course in just five minutes!

Q: What kind of lecture format can we expect?

Most lectures are between 40 - 50 minutes. Some are a bit longer, others shorter. You will watch the videos online and follow along with the notes which you will download. There are usually some reading assignments with each lecture. Some lectures were recorded teaching a live class but most were recorded in a closed venue.

Q: What is "Nouthetic" Counseling?

We are so glad you asked. It is such a great question that we have devoted an entire page to answer it. You can find it here .

Q: Are you affiliated with any of the other organizations that have the words “nouthetic” or “biblical counseling” in their title?

If you do a web search of the word nouthetic you will come up with all sorts of websites. Some are fine organizations, some are very strange and weird. While we are not organically connected with any of them we do have a working relationship with ACBC, the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (formerly the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors). Jay Adams is one of the founding fathers of the organization. Each of our faculty members is a certified member of ACBC. We urge each of our graduates to go on and seek certification with ACBC. There are many organizations with whom we maintain a happy friendship. There are others, however, from which we must purposefully distance ourselves. BE WARNED! There are some unscrupulous people and “schools” out there on the web who purport to offer training in counseling. We would cite them by name here but the list would soon be outdated as these people come and go and change their names frequently, often using names that are very similar to those of very fine and reputable institutions. Some even offer “degrees” in counseling but are little more than unaccredited diploma mills. This is the only place you can study under Dr. Adams himself. If you are interested in seeking an academic degree in Biblical Counseling, we urge you to consider Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. All courses are offered

Q: I am involved in a perplexing counseling case. Can I call you for advice?

Certainly, but be aware that for most questions about specific cases our answer will begin like this, “We are glad you called and we are thankful that you would have the confidence in us to ask for our advice but without being involved in the case ourselves or having the ability to ask questions of the counselee we simply cannot give counsel about a specific case. Now, if you have a question about some general principle which may or may not apply to your specific case we will do all we can to help.”

Q: OK then, do you know of a nouthetic counselor in my area you could refer me to?

Perhaps. Go to the ACBC website to see if there is an ACBC member near you. Still, beware to do your due diligence. ACBC certification is not a guarantee you have found the right counselor for you.

Q: But I have a sister who…(fill in the blank)…and needs counseling. Can you help her?

Since we first posted our web site we have received a number of these kinds of e-mails. Proverbs 18:13 warns us that it is foolish to seek to answer a matter before hearing and understanding it. No one needs the counsel of a fool to complicate what is already a major problem. People’s lives are just too important for us to give quick, uninformed answers. To be able to help we would have to be able to sit down with a counselee, ask the questions we want to ask, hear and observe responses, and ask questions that arose out of those answers. Our response to these e-mails will always be to point you to your pastor. If he does not believe he can help then he is the kind of man we are seeking to reach with our training. We would be glad to help him.

Q: Who manages your bookstore?

Our bookstore is now powered by Amazon. For the past several years, we used a third-party order fulfillment service that was a subsidiary of the folk who print our books. But after continual frustration with the level of service they provided our customers, we concluded we had to find a different solution. The book-buying customer has come to expect Amazon-level service from online retailers but often fails to realize that only Amazon can provide it. We have concluded this is the only way we can meet those expectations.

Q: Why should I order from your bookstore?

If Amazon fulfills your orders, why shouldn't I just go directly to Amazon myself? That is certainly an option for you. But it helps us if you will go to our bookstore, click on the book there, and finish your order at Amazon. We have cut a deal with Jeff Bezos and he has agreed to give us a cut from everything ordered through our bookstore. It will cost you nothing more, Jeff Bezos won't miss it, but it will be a help to us. In the address window when you click on an order in our bookstore, somewhere as part of their secret code, you will find this embedded---nouthetic09-20. That code tells the Amazon machine to set aside a small amount for us. It is not much, but it adds up quickly when combined with everyone else's orders.

We are regularly sending out ministry news so that you can keep updated with the Institute for Nouthetic Studies.

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