Japan Biblical Counseling Association

What is JBCA(Japan Biblical Counseling Association)?

Vision: Speaking the truth in love, we grow up toward Christ (Ephesians 4:15).
Mission: to exalt Christ by strengthening the church in Japan through collaboration in training and living out gospel-centered biblical discipleship and counseling.

Our Prayer-Dependent Goals:
We endeavor to take gospel-centered biblical discipleship and counseling training to every major city and rural region in Japan.
We endeavor to network churches and individuals with experienced and trained Christians who can provide gospel-centered biblical hope and direction.
We endeavor to produce basic training materials and discipleship (counseling) resources in the Japanese language.
We endeavor to encourage the ever-increasing involvement of Japanese in the leadership and funding of this association.

Disaster Heart Care

We work with people in affected areas who need crisis spiritual and emotional care. We seek to connect these hurting people to Christian friends and leaders who can compassionately and wisely offer biblical hope and direction in their time of need.

“Foundations in Biblical Counseling” Training

This program is held semi-annually in a designated city in Japan. There are four modules in total. Participants will learn about personal spiritual growth and biblical counseling. After each module’s seminar training, you must complete an assignment within a designated period before taking the next module. These assignments enable significant spiritual growth and provide a deeper understanding of biblical discipleship and counseling. The ultimate goal of this four-module program is to equip you to provide gospel-centered, biblical hope and direction to the people around you as a Christian friend or leader.

In Module 1, you learn what biblical discipleship and counseling are and their importance in every Christian’s life and church. You learn how to apply gospel-centered, biblical methods in making disciples of Jesus Christ.

In Module 2, participants learn about the process and steps involved in providing gospel-centered, biblical hope and direction as a Christian friend or leader. You will gain practical knowledge on how to compassionately and wisely connect people to Christ and His Word to experience His life-changing power in their daily lives. The importance of the application of biblical truth through homework and ongoing accountability are emphasized.

In Module 3, we address the common issues that people face. Participants will learn how a person’s story and the redemptive story of Scripture connect. This approach will enable them to handle these issues from God’s perspective and with the power of the gospel. Whether it’s marriage, family, work, or relationships, you’ll gain insights on how to provide effective help and hope from the Scriptures for the heart and relational issues people face.

In Module 4, participants learn how to effectively use charts, materials, and books when sharing biblical hope and direction. In addition to counseling observations or role-play practice, you will receive next-step advice for applying biblical discipleship within your church community.

What next?

After completing all four modules and their assignments, each person should be equipped to be a Spirit-filled, praying Christian friend or leader who can offer biblical hope and direction. We encourage those who complete the four-module basic training to join one of our six-month online small groups that provide a gospel-centered community in which to mature as a Christian and to role-play as a counselor. After this, some of you may want to receive additional feedback from an experienced biblical counselor. During this stage of training, you would practice and be observed counseling others for at least thirty hours. Those who complete this necessary stage of training may also volunteer to serve as JBCA-approved biblical counselors.

Biblical Counseling Resources