Grace Fellowship Church in Florence has opened registration for its 22nd annual Counseling & Discipleship Training Conference, a 30-hour program that drew 278 attendees last year. Of those, 211 came from Northern Kentucky.
The conference teaches pastors, small group leaders, and community members how to help people facing anxiety, grief, addiction, and marriage conflict using biblically grounded approaches. It begins Friday, September 18, at the church's campus on Gunpowder Road.
"More than ever people are overwhelmed by life, and equally overwhelmed by the sources of so-called experts who are all wanting to give us advice," Erin Greenwood, director of counseling at Grace Fellowship, told the NKy Tribune on Friday, July 18.
The conference is open to anyone, not just Grace Fellowship members.
Two tracks
Participants choose between a Foundations track for first-timers and an Advanced track for those who have already completed Foundations.
Foundations spans three weekends: Friday and Saturday, September 18–19; Friday and Saturday, October 16–17; and Friday and Saturday, November 13–14. Sessions cover what makes biblical counseling distinct, the process of change, discerning problems, parenting, and marriage. The track also fulfills the Fundamentals Training requirement for certification through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. Grace Fellowship is a certified ACBC training center.
The Advanced track runs September 18–19 only and focuses on abuse and trauma, including domestic violence intervention, victim care, and case studies.
Cost and registration
Foundations costs $150 through Sunday, July 19, rising to $165 after that date, according to the church's conference page. The Advanced track costs $110. Discounts are available for first-time attendees, counselors, and ministry leaders.
Registration is open at graceky.org/cdt. The conference will not be live-streamed, but video recordings will be available to registered attendees afterward.
Speakers
Confirmed speakers include Brad Bigney, lead pastor at Grace Fellowship since 1996; Chris Moles, senior pastor of The Chapel in Eleanor, West Virginia, who specializes in domestic violence intervention; Randy Patten, president of TEAM Focus Ministries and former ACBC executive director; Dr. Curtis Solomon of the Sentinel Institute; Dr. John Henderson of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Dr. Charles Hodges, a family physician and biblical counselor from Indianapolis; and Doug Markesbery, a Grace Fellowship counselor who spent nine years establishing a biblical counseling school in Romania.
Early-bird pricing ends Sunday, July 19. The first weekend of sessions begins Friday, September 18, at Grace Fellowship Church, 9379 Gunpowder Road, Florence.
