Helping Relationships
How do we grow in walking alongside others? This course seeks to develop your ministry skills, whether in everyday friendships or more formal, counseling relationships. You'll grow in your ability to listen well, know people, interpret another person’s story from a biblical perspective, carefully and wisely apply Scripture, and offer biblically-based truth that will motivate others in their growth in Christ.
What to Expect
Course Work
- Each week you'll listen to lectures, read articles and books, and engage with other students through online forums and live small group discussions.
- You'll complete various projects and papers, demonstrating your understanding and personal growth in the topics covered during the lectures and reading.
- Your online instructor will give you feedback and interact with you throughout the course.
- Throughout the semester, you'll have the opportunity to participate in optional online engagements with your instructor.
- Please note: you must have access to a computer to complete this course.
Unique Course Requirements
- This course has two unique requirements. First, you will be grouped with 4–5 other students for a bi-weekly community group. This group will decide when they want to meet and what format works best (Skype, Google Hangout, Phone Call, etc.).
- You will also meet weekly for an hour with someone (a friend, fellow church member, neighbor, etc.) to put into practice what you are learning in Helping Relationships. You will receive more information about these activities in your course syllabus and in the opening lecture.
Course Objectives
- To connect ministry methods to its theological foundations
- To establish a simple platform for all personal ministry that has unlimited potential to build and enhance ministry skills
- To bring this model and the related skills into your church in a way that refines church culture
Course Schedule
- Week 1: Foundations for Wise Methods
- Week 2: Model of Care
- Week 3: Skills for Knowing People
- Week 4: Skills for Knowing People, cont.
- Week 5: Skills for Knowing People, cont.
- Week 6: Skills for Knowing Scripture
- Week 7: Skills for Knowing Scripture, cont
- Week 8: Skills for Knowing Scripture, cont
- Week 9: Skills for Knowing Scripture, cont
- Week 10: Final week
At a Glance
terms offered
Every January & June
course cost
course length
workload
Formation Certificate
Helping Relationships is one of two courses in the Formation Certificate. Learn more about our current courses and certificates of completion below.
Certificate options
current students
Meet the Lecturing Faculty
Ed is a faculty member and counselor at CCEF, where he has served since 1981. He holds a doctor of philosophy in counseling (neuropsychology) from the University of Utah and a master of divinity from Biblical Theological Seminary. Ed is a licensed psychologist and has been active in local church ministry for decades. He has written numerous books, including When People Are Big and God Is Small (P&R Publishing, 1997), Shame Interrupted (New Growth Press, 2012), Side by Side (Crossway, 2015), and Created to Draw Near (Crossway, 2020).
Ed's resources
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Each of us has personal and interpersonal struggles. Jesus Christ knows those struggles, cares about strugglers, and enters in. We see him bring about significant change in people's lives every day. This passion for Christ's relevance in counseling is our heritage and heartbeat.
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