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Is INS accredited in any way? Will a degree be awarded to those who complete the coursework?
No, and no. Upon completion of the coursework graduates will be issued a Certificate which will indicate he has completed the course of study with us. While there will be homework assignments (mostly outside reading) we will not be administering tests or requiring research papers in order to measure the student’s progress. Those who enroll in INS will not be doing so in order to earn a degree. They will be motivated by the desire to be a more effective minister of the Word of God and will be willing to make whatever sacrifices necessary to become better equipped to serve their Savior.
Completion of our certificate program would be, however, a significant addition to anyone's ministry resume. Having studied under Dr. Adams would be as welcome a credential as any degree to those who recognize and understand Dr. Adams' contributions.
If we do not turn homework in to you how can I evaluate my progress?
After each lecture you will find a page or two of questions in your notes. If you cannot answer the questions adequately you should review the lecture. Some questions simply probe to see if you have grasped the information. Other questions are designed to make you think the material through to an application or implication.
But again, if we do not turn in homework how do you know a student has actually studied the material and has earned the certificate granted at the end of the coursework?
Anyone who wishes to pay the tuition and go through the motions of sending courses back and forth just to get a certificate to hang on the wall may certainly do so…but they will have significant stewardship issues to answer for at the Judgment Seat. Anyone who does so and tries to counsel others anyway will certainly be quickly discovered by his incompetence. The typical INS student is not motivated by the desire to receive a degree or one more piece of paper to hang on the wall. He will be motivated by the desire to serve his Lord and minister His Word as effectively as possible.
I know who Jay Adams is, but not these other guys. Can I just take the courses taught by Dr. Adams?
No, we do not offer our courses al a carte. It is our desire for students to be exposed to a thorough and well rounded curriculum and it is Dr. Adams’ conclusion that each of these courses is necessary to meet that goal. We at INS would have loved to have Dr. Adams teach them all but he has declined for several reasons:
- Dr. Adams is anxious to get the coursework completed and “in the can.” Waiting until he could teach them all would probably require adding many more years to the completion date.
- The other instructors, Bill Slattery, Donn Arms, Dr. Bob Smith, and Martha Peace have studied under and worked with Dr. Adams for years. They have his confidence. It is his desire to see the institute continue on under their care after he is no longer able to contribute personally.
- Some of the instructors, especially in the area of medical issues, have more expertise in those areas than Dr. Adams does. It is our desire to offer the best we can in each area.
I understand Dr. Adams is a strong Calvinistic, amillennial Presbyterian and Donn has a Baptist (GARBC) background. How can you work together?
Respectfully. We have far more in common than the few things we understand the Bible to teach differently. We believe in the deity of Christ, His virgin birth, substitutionary atonement, His bodily resurrection, His ascension into glory, and His coming again. We believe in the inerrancy, the inspiration, the authority, the superiority, and the sufficiency of the Scriptures. We believe in the Trinity, Creation, the Fall, Satan, Angels, a universal flood, the doctrines of grace, heaven, a literal hell, the cessation of the revelatory gifts, the local church, marriage, the family, and on and on the list could go. Upon glorification one of us (or perhaps both) will discover we had misunderstood what the Bible taught about baptism.
I have a question about something presented in a lecture. Who can I ask about it?
Donn Arms, INS Executive Director, is available to answer your questions about coursework or any other aspect of our program. You can contact him by e-mail, or by phone at any time. Most of our courses will feature a Q & A time at the end with Dr. Adams covering the material presented. One of the reasons Dr. Adams is putting his lectures on tape and making them available through INS is because he simply does not have the time or energy to carry on individual correspondence with whose who seek his help.
I am involved in a perplexing counseling case. Can I call you for advice?
Certainly, but all we will be able to do is offer general advice and general principles. We will not be able to help with specific counseling cases as we would need to be present ourselves, ask the questions we want to ask, observe reactions, and be able to follow the case through several sessions to be of any help specifically. We are confident that our students will be able to take from our courses the principles they need and learn to apply them to the cases God brings into their lives.
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 than for us to give quick, uninformed "Dr. Laura" 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.
OK then, do you know of a nouthetic counselor in my area you could refer me to?
Perhaps. Go to the NANC web site to see if there is a NANC member near you. It is quite possible that YOU are the person who needs to be trained so we can refer people in your area to YOU!
Are you affiliated with any of the other organizations that have the word nouthetic in their title?
If you do a web search of the word nouthetic you will come up with all sorts of web sites. 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 NANC, the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors. Jay Adams is one of the founding fathers of the organization and continues to serve on its board of directors. Each of our other faculty members is a certified member of NANC. You can go the NANC web site and read the brief history of NANC which was written by Donn Arms. We will be urging each of our graduates to seek certification with NANC and we have a course in our curriculum designed to prepare the student for the NANC certification process.
BE WARNED! There are some very 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.
Does the completion of your “Certificate Program in Biblical Counseling” mean I will be then be NANC certified?
No. Our certificate simply indicates you have completed our course of study. NANC certification is an entirely different issue. Their certification process also involves testing and supervised counseling experience. Check out the NANC website for more information about their certifying process. NANC is a fine organization and we encourage all of our students to seek NANC certification upon completion of their study with us. We even provide a course that will prepare you for the certification process.
Will your training meet the minimum training requirements for NANC certification?
Yes, but…who wants to be minimally trained? If your only goal is to seek NANC certification there are other fine places to get training that would meet NANC’s minimum requirement. While we desire to equip our students to pursue NANC certification we want to go beyond that to equip the student as well as we can to minister the Word of God to hurting people. After studying with us we advise our students to continue to learn everywhere and anywhere they can. Attend the annual NANC meeting, take NANC’s “On the Road” training, take all four tracks at the annual training conference at Faith Baptist in Lafayette, Indiana. In short, learn all you can. You cannot be too prepared to counsel biblically.
OK then, will your curriculum qualify as sufficient training for NANC certification?
For certification, NANC (the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors) requires a minimum of 40 hours of basic instruction, 10 hours of counseling observation, the completion of a test on both counseling practice and theology, and 50 hours of counseling experience supervised by a NANC fellow. Our Certificate Program, with 200 hours of instruction, not only meets the minimum requirement for instruction but for counseling observation as well. It is intended, however, to go beyond the NANC minimum to provide thorough, comprehensive training. If simply meeting the minimum requirement is your goal we recommend you attend the one week February conference at Faith Baptist in Lafayette, IN or one of the "On the Road" training opportunities offered by NANC (see their web site for details). Both offer excellent training. The INS student will be someone who desires to be trained as well as possible (well beyond a minimum requirement) but cannot, for whatever reason (time, money, other responsibilities), travel to and study at a college or seminary.
I am interested in several of your courses but do not wish to commit to taking the entire curriculum. Can I just take two or three select courses that I am interested in?
Sorry, no. All of our courses build on information that we assume you have learned from previous courses. We want our students of have a complete balanced understanding of the issues presented. We are making one exception. Because of the great importance and current great lack of a biblical understanding of church discipline, we allow pastors to use Dr. Adams' course church discipline course to use at deacon/elder retreats to enable them to establish a church policy and procedures on church discipline.
If I have taken some of the courses at places you mentioned above can I skip some of your courses that cover similar information?
No, we have no way to evaluate what you have taken and where, or whether you slept through the training or took good notes. You will profit greatly even if you hear similar material from several different perspectives. Again, we want you to be as well trained as possible and what could be better training than studying with Dr. Adams?
So then, you expect your students to take your entire curriculum, you do not allow students to transfer credits into the program, or take just the courses they want to take.
Exactly.
May I copy any of the lectures so I can refer to them later?
No. The lectures are copyright material and are being loaned to you to study. You will keep the notes that are included with each course for future reference. This is the same, of course, if you attended Dr. Adams’ (or anyone else’s) lectures in person. Much expense in both time and money have gone into this project and we must be able to recover those costs the same way a book publisher must copyright material in order to cover his expenses and pay his employees. The only difference with recorded material is that it is easier to duplicate electronically. It is just as wrong.
What will happen if I do make a copy (for personal use of course)?
Your conscience will smite you and you will not be able to sleep. Your body will waste away through your groaning all day long. Day and night God’s hand will be heavy upon you and your vitality will drain away as with the fever heat of summer.
Is there any kind of financial help available?
We regret that we have to charge anything to study with us. As you can imagine, producing the quality we believe the Lord's work requires takes money to produce. We are doing all we can to keep the cost low. We do not exist for profit, but we must profit to exist. You understand, of course, the principle found in 1 Cor. 9: 11-14 that teaches us to share with those who minister to us. We would not be able to provide this ministry if we could not, also, care for the habit our kids have developed of eating every day and our bank’s desire for us to pay our mortgage every month. As INS grows and matures we hope to develop a scholarship fund. If anyone reading this would like to capitalize such a fund we would be glad to establish one immediately. Call us.
I would like to have my entire church staff take this training. Can we study as a group? Are there any group discounts available?
Yes, and yes. We cannot think of a better way to study for the following reasons:
- The accountability with other students
- A regular meeting time each week
- Interaction about covered material and lesson questions
- The possibility of scheduling occasional Q & A sessions with an instructor as a group
Because our costs in producing this curriculum have been great we are not able to offer substantial group discounts...but we do want to help and promote group study as much as we can. See the costs page for details about group study discounts.
How long will it take me to complete the certificate program?
We project that the entire curriculum will include about 180 hours of taped instruction. Add to that the amount of time it will take you to read the equivalent of about 15 books. From that you will have to do the math figuring in how many hours each week you plan to devote to your studies subtracting the weeks you will be on vacation or not studying for whatever reason.
Are there any academic prerequisites for enrollment?
No, we do not require any specific training prior to enrollment. We are working hard to strike a balance in our courses. One of our target students is the pastor with good pastoral training but was never exposed to or insufficiently trained in the area of biblical counseling while in college or seminary. On the other hand, we believe any thoughtful and growing lay person, deacon, pastor's wife, Sunday School teacher, youth worker, Christian School teacher or administrator, elder, or full time homemaker will be able to profit from our curriculum--not only helping them grow as biblical counselors to others but in their own walk with their Savior!
What kind of lecture format and quality can we expect?
As with any endeavor we are learning and improving as we go. Our charter students have been a great help to us with their input. We have been able to improve the quality of our video produce with each course as we learn more and more about producing quality videos. We now have several quality, “state of the art” digital video cameras to work with. Many of the lectures were recorded privately with Dr. Adams lecturing in a “closed” venue. Other courses were recorded as Dr. Adams and others lectured at the Redeemer Biblical Counseling Training Institute (RBCTI) in South Carolina.
RBCTI? What’s that?
The Redeemer Biblical Counseling Training Institute is a NANC certified training center located in Moore, SC, between Greenville and Spartanburg. It is a ministry of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church (ARP). Bill Slattery is the pastor of the church and the Dean of the Institute. Dr. Adams and Donn Arms are faculty members. The Institute meets on Monday nights for three 10 week quarters during the school year. It is because of the kindness of RBCTI and Redeemer church that INS is able to exist. There is no organic connection between the two, however, only a happy working relationship. We do insist that anyone living within driving distance of Moore, SC take the classes in person at RBCTI rather than study by extension through INS. Exceptions to this can only be made by the dean of RBCTI.
How can I arrange for my deacons or elders to use the Church Discipline course? What will it cost?
Contact our Executive Director for information at (864) 233-3297 or
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
What can I do to help the Institute?
Several things:
- Pray, especially for Dr. Adams’ health.
- Enroll
- Encourage. E-mail us with your comments.
- Advertise. Tell others about the Institute and urge them to check out our web site (www.nouthetic.org).
- Give
- Form a group to study with you.
Why must I sign a doctrinal statement to study with INS?
You will notice that the statement we ask students to sign is a simple, basic statement. We do not require that all our students agree with us on every abstruse point of theology. We hope to minister to students who are still formulating their theological “grid” and be a positive influence toward a solid orthodox theology. Having said that, we certainly wish to exclude those who are theologically liberal or members of a cult or non-Christian religion.
I have just started reading the Christian Counselor’s Manual where on page 12 Dr. Adams says counseling is pastoral work and that “persons with a life-calling to do counseling ought to prepare for the work of the ministry and seek ordination, since God describes a life-calling to counseling as the life-calling of a minister.” Does Dr. Adams mean a counseling ministry is not possible for women since women are not ordained?
Absolutely not. While all pastors should be counselors it does not follow that all counselors should be pastors. Listen to what he says earlier on the same page. “To say that the Christian minister is counselor and preacher, par excellence, means that he is called to these works as his function or office in the church. It does not exclude much teaching, exhortation, and counseling on the part of every Christian, incidental to his particular gifts and calling.” We know of no pastor who would not desire to have a whole company of well trained women counselors in his church to call upon and refer other women to.
What about licensing or certification by the state? Will your training satisfy any of the government’s licensing requirements that would lead to becoming a Licensed Social Worker, Professional Counselor, Marriage and Family Therapist, or other type of mental health professional?
Yes, this is really a frequently asked question. We would respond with questions of our own. What branch or agency of either the federal, state, or local government has jurisdiction over the ministry of the Word of God? Would you want there to be such a government entity? By what criteria should such an agency make their evaluations? What would you do if such an agency concluded you were not qualified to teach the Word of God? Would you then stop ministering God’s Word? If you are seeking to become a professional counselor in the world’s system apart from the church of Jesus Christ then frankly, you would not be happy with the training you receive from the Institute for Nouthetic Studies.
Why do you need my picture if I enroll?
Since our students do not study “in house” with us we do not get to meet most of our students in person. In an effort to get to know our students better and pray for them regularly we have a large bulletin board in our office where we post student pictures and mark their locations on a map, much like your church does with its missionaries. Please humor us by including a picture with your application and be sure to write your name on the back so we will not misidentify you.
Where can I hear Dr. Adams in person? Does he still travel and lecture?
Dr. Adams no longer travels far from home for speaking engagements. His only scheduled engagements are the annual NANC meetings. He continues to teach in his local church and at RBCTI, a ministry of his church.
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