Biblical Counseling FAQ

Faith Bible Seminary could offer the MABC program 100% online, but we do not, because the in-person, face-to-face experience of counseling a real person is too valuable to give up. To give students this experience there are five one-week residencies in Lafayette, Indiana. Each residency week is embedded in a 15-week course, so students come to Lafayette only five separate times over the whole program, no matter how long they take to complete the degree. Three residencies occur in June and two in January.

How the MABC works Course schedule

Only five weeks over the entire program. The MABC is a hybrid degree: five online courses (eight weeks each), five residency courses (15 weeks, including one week on campus), and two independent studies completed from home with professor supervision. The five residency weeks are the only time on campus, three in June and two in January.

Residency dates

Applications for the Winter 2026–27 term are due October 6, 2026. Applications for the Spring 2027 term are due March 23, 2027. A complete application includes the online application plus all supporting documents and forms, including a video meeting with an admissions representative. Admission decisions are made within two to four weeks of a complete submission.

How to apply

It is strongly encouraged. Applicants should have completed basic biblical counseling training, such as Faith’s Biblical Counseling Training Conference (BCTC) or ACBC training, before enrolling. Students without a counseling background may still be admitted, but must complete basic training during their first year.

Admissions requirements

To graduate, you must complete all 39 credit hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA, complete 30 hours of supervised counseling through BC701, complete one concentration (Counseling, Training, or Thesis), and demonstrate godly character as described in Scripture. The concentration is chosen after the oral and written exams.

MABC curriculum

Yes. The Leadership in Counseling Matching Program (LCMP) matches a $500 annual contribution from your church with $500 from FBS, for $1,000 per year (disbursed $250 per semester), for students taking at least three classes a year with household income under $75,000. The Joyful Journey Podcast Scholarship covers 50% of class tuition each semester for female students taking at least two classes a year, with household income under $75,000. Scholarship applications are due October 15 each year.

Scholarship details

No. The MABC is an accredited graduate degree that draws on Faith’s counseling expertise and academics to teach you to be a leader in counseling ministry. While this training is intensely practical and effective, the MABC program is not designed to lead students toward a counseling licensure within their state.

About the MABC

Yes. Incoming students should know that you can complete ACBC certification while you are in school earning your MABC. If you choose this route, as a student of the program FBS will provide you with observation videos to watch and material to help you write your exams.

ACBC’s mission is to equip Christians to provide biblical solutions for the problems people face. FBS’s mission is to provide biblical education for effective Christian ministry. ACBC is focused on equipping you to help when you do not know how to help; many seeking ACBC are looking to go from limited counseling knowledge to basic counseling knowledge. FBS is looking to train its students to lead ministries and train other counselors. Our graduates serve as lay counselors (25), pastors (15), ministry professionals (7), missionaries (5), authors (4), and adjunct professors (1) in the USA, Canada, Australia, Hungary, Brazil, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland.

If you are currently in ministry, the MABC is often the best route, because you may need help getting mature Christians trained to counsel others. If you are a lay person, ACBC can be the right choice if you just want more knowledge. Many will fall somewhere in between.

Both ACBC and FBS require substantial commitments of time. ACBC requires hours of observation videos and supervised counseling, and takes about two to three years. The MABC takes three to five years, with a minimum of three. In terms of cost, ACBC is significantly less expensive: ACBC certification is about $1,500, while the MABC costs approximately $12,935 for tuition and fees. FBS gives you a credential from an accredited school, while ACBC is primarily self-guided, leading the candidate to an important certification.

Tuition & fees