Biblical Counseling Archives

Interested in Getting a Biblical Counseling Degree without Moving? You Can Do It at @RTSCharlotte

June 1, 2021

This past April, I spoke at the TGC Women’s conference in Indianapolis. I also spent a good bit of time talking to women at the RTS booth about their hopes and dreams for ministry education.

I was asked repeatedly about which degree program would be helpful for women wanting to go to seminary. Although all our programs are great, I think the RTS Charlotte Master of Arts in Christian Counseling degree (MACC) is a wonderful option.

Here are a few important facts about Charlotte’s MACC:

1. Half of the MACC’s 66 credit hours are in Bible and theology. That means the degree is not filled only with counseling courses, but also with Bible and theology courses. After all, how can you have a biblical counseling degree without studying the Bible?

Thus, MACC students not only know how to counsel, they know the crucial content of their counseling.

2. You can get the MACC in four years without relocating. Let me say that again. You can get the MACC without moving. How do we do it? We offer the MACC degree in a flexible Summer/Winter format so that all the counseling classes can be taken in-person, face-to-face.

To be clear, this means our MACC degree is not an online degree like so many other degrees today. All our counseling classes are residential and in-person. They are simply done in intensive formats during the winter and summer.

Given that counseling is inherently a relational exercise, we think it is a bit counter-intuitive to get a counseling degree by only plugging in the head phones and looking at a computer screen. Instead, counseling is best taught and learned in a face-to-face environment where students can interact with each other and with the professors. [Read more…]

@RTSCharlotte Hires New Professor of Biblical Counseling

April 21, 2020

A number of years ago, RTS Charlotte launched a two-year Master of Arts in Christian Counseling degree (MACC) and it has been wonderful to see how it has grown. We believe that solid, Christ-centered, biblical counseling is critical to the health of the church.

Last week we announced the hire Dr. Nate Brooks as Assistant Professor of Christian Counseling at RTS Charlotte beginning June 1, 2020. Dr. Brooks will join Dr. Jim Newheiser who is the associate professor of Christian Counseling and director of the program.

Dr. Brooks earned a B.S. in Business Administration from The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, CA. After completing his undergraduate degree, he attended The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for his M.Div. Most recently, he received his Ph.D. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

His research interests revolve around the intersection of counseling and systematic theology, with a special focus on anthropology. Brooks completed his doctoral studies under T. Dale Johnson, contrasting the historical Reformed understanding of the heart with that of second-wave cognitive behavioral therapy.

I am so pleased to have Dr. Brooks join the faculty at RTS Charlotte. He combines academic rigor and theological depth with a love for people that embodies the RTS motto, ‘A mind for truth and a heart for God.’ We know he will bless both our students and the larger church world for many years to come

In addition to having two fantastic core faculty, Charlotte’s biblical counseling degree has a number of other distinctives: [Read more…]

Interested in Getting a Biblical Counseling Degree without Moving? You Can Do it @RTSCharlotte

February 17, 2020

Two years ago we also announced that we are now offering the MACC degree in an exciting new Summer/Winter format. This means that students can now get the MACC degree over the course of four years without having to relocate.

We are rolling out this new structure because we know there are many people who want to benefit from the MACC program, but are not able to move. This new format can help address that problem.

The fact that this program is meeting a real need was evident during the counseling classes we just offered in our winter term last month. As I visited with the students, I realized they were from all over the country, including Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Virginia, and more. Clearly there is a great desire for more biblically-based counseling courses.

And this simply highlights the thing that makes the Charlotte program unique: our counseling classes are not taken online. They are all residential classes right here in Charlotte. They are simply done in intensive formats during the winter and summer.

So, we are excited to see how this new Summer/Winter MACC program can allow people to get a degree without moving, but at the same time preserving the important face-to-face, relational aspects of counseling.

In addition, Charlotte’s biblical counseling degree has a number of other distinctives: [Read more…]

How Dangerous is Money? A Great New Resource for Avoiding the Pitfalls

October 14, 2019

Ok, so we all know the main Bible verse about money: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” (1 Tim 6:10). In fact, we know it so well that we rarely let it sink in.

If we ponder it for just a brief moment, we would realize that money, though it can be a blessing, can also be one of the most dangerous things in the world. If a person is not careful, it can shipwreck your life.

For this reason, I am very thankful for Jim Newheiser’s recent volume, Money: Seeking God’s Wisdom (P&R, 2019). Jim is director of the biblical counseling program here at RTS Charlotte and brings deep, pastoral, biblical wisdom on this important issue.

Needless to say, in the world of Christian ministry, money issues are often front-and-center in the lives of your congregation. Whether you’re a pastor or a counselor, this book will help you address those issues with compassion and grace.

Another thing I love about this book is that it is in the form of a 31-day devotional. In fact, I plan to work through this volume with my kids in our morning devotionals. It’s a great opportunity to get them thinking about the blessings and pitfalls of money.

Here’s the book description: [Read more…]

Interested in Getting a Biblical Counseling Degree without Moving? Now You Can Do It @RTSCharlotte

June 20, 2018

This past week, I spoke at the TGC Women’s conference in Indianapolis. I did three sessions on a number of different topics, but the highlight was the RTS-sponsored lunch conversation where Melissa and I discussed why theology matters for women.

Afterwards, I was asked repeatedly about which degree program would be helpful for women wanting to go to seminary. Although all our programs are great, I think the RTS Charlotte Master of Arts in Christian Counseling degree (MACC) is a wonderful option.

What makes the MACC degree distinctive is that half of the 66 credit hours are in Bible and theology. Thus, MACC students not only know how to counsel, they know the crucial content of their counseling.

And here’s the big news: we recently announced that we are now offering the MACC degree in an new Summer/Winter format. This means that students can now get the MACC degree over the course of four years without having to relocate.

Let me say that again. You can get the MACC without moving.

But, here’s the thing that makes the Charlotte program unique: our counseling classes are not taken online. They are all residential classes right here in Charlotte. They are simply done in intensive formats during the winter and summer.

In addition, Charlotte’s biblical counseling degree has a number of other distinctives: [Read more…]