We are professors, pastors, church leaders, biblical counselors, and church members from every walk of life who share hearts for God and His people.
We promote biblical counseling and evangelism through training programs, conferences, and seminars; through written and audio-visual resources; through affiliation with and connection to other biblical counseling organizations; and through certification.
While we recognize that humans are holistic beings comprised of body and soul, and that physiological issues often affect us spiritually, God’s Word makes a distinction between the two in this way: there are physiological problems and there are spiritual problems. There is no third category of problems generally called “psychological.”
In fact, the word psychology comes from two Greek words — the original language of the New Testament — psyche (soul, mind, spirit) and logos (word, study). The compound word refers to the study of the soul. Who better to teach us about the soul than God Himself in His Word?
The Baptist Initiative is shaped by five interlocking convictions about Scripture, the Spirit, and the work of biblical counseling in the local church.
The Bible gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). It is the basis for counseling because it is about change in every area of life: behavior, attitudes, relationships, beliefs, and values.
He comes alongside the counselor and the one being counseled to apply Scripture to the human heart, producing His fruit through prayer, fellowship, and the ministry of the Word. He gives hope and lasting change.
Unbelievers need to be evangelized; believers need to be taught to obey everything the Lord has commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). That’s evangelism and discipleship rolled into one — that’s biblical counseling.
The goal is being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29) by replacing sinful conduct with godly conduct through the renewing of the mind with the Word by the Spirit (Eph. 4:20-32).
All believers are competent to counsel (Rom. 15:14). We want you confident to counsel in the everyday conversations of life, wherever you encounter people who need a word from God.
We are professors, pastors, church leaders, biblical counselors, and church members from every walk of life who have hearts for God and people. While we each have different callings, we have all been called to minister the Word to one another.
“Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish… one another.” — Romans 15:14
Our President, Vice President, Secretary, and Directors who steward the work of the Initiative.
Meet the Board →Trusted counsel from regional mentors and seasoned biblical counselors across the country.
See the Advisors →Mentors serving the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest regions.
Find a Mentor →The doctrinal convictions we hold together as the Baptist Initiative.
Read the Statement →Where we stand — clearly — on the most important issues in biblical counseling today.
Read →Locate a certified biblical counselor or regional mentor near you.
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