Greetings from The Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling!
It is difficult to believe that we are halfway through 2026. This has been an exciting year for our organization. As we round the bend of the calendar year, we would like to reflect upon what the Lord has done in and through our organization in 2026, thanks to supporters like you.
Basic Training Course 2025-2026
Our Basic Training Course wrapped up in April and May for the 2025-2026 year. We held classes in 12 different locations across 7 different states, with a total of 120 students! Here are just a few of our graduates from this year!
Basic Training Course 2026-2027
With the 2025-2026 classes wrapping up, we are already preparing for our 2026-2027 classes to begin! This is an exciting year for IRBC as we launch an updated Basic Training Course. Executive Director Dr. Jared Poulton has recorded a new lineup of 48 lectures that will be rolled out in our revamped course.
So far, we have hosts signed up in the following locations for the 2026-2027 year:
- Hudsonville, MI
- Wyoming, MI
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Escondido, CA
- Kinnelon, NJ
- Bellevue, KY
- Boise, ID
- Sanborn, IA
- Dyer, IN
- Luverne, MN
- Port Lavaca, TX
- Lynden, WA
- Borger, TX
- Calgary, AB, Canada
- Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Carterton, Wellington, New Zealand
We are still looking for more hosts! Would your church like to explore Biblical Counseling together to grow in your culture of care? Become a host site today!
Counseling Foundations Course
As we transition to a new curriculum for our Basic Training Course, we are reformatting our previous lectures as a new educational opportunity. You can now purchase our Counseling Foundations Course (the previous IRBC Basic Training lectures and notes). This format is ideal for those who are looking for counseling-related Sunday School material or further personal development.
This course is the first of future offerings to develop on-demand pastoral care and discipleship resources, in addition to our Basic Training Course, to serve Reformed congregations by providing materials to equip their pastors, elders, and church members in pastoral care and discipleship. Previous IRBC students can now also access these videos for a monthly fee of $15.
Events
We exhibited at several conferences and events this year! We enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting many new ones at events such as Covenant Baptist Theological Seminary’s Covenant Conference, Classis Central and Classis Michigan of the United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA), O, Church Arise! Conference, RBNet Regional Conference, and the meeting of the OPC Presbytery of Michigan and Ontario.
We look forward to several more events in the remainder of the year, such as the PCA General Assembly (June), the Puritan Reformed Conference (August), Reformed Forum’s National Conference (September), Mid-America’s Center for Missions and Evangelism Conference (October), and CCEF’s Annual Conference (October). Would you join us in prayer that the Lord would use our time at these events to make lasting connections in order to build and support a culture of care in Reformed congregations around North America and beyond? If you will be at one of these events, please come by to say hello!
New Resource – Christ and Counseling Podcast
Dr. Jared Poulton, along with two friends, Dr. Joseph Hussung (Fieldstone Counseling) and Dr. Lucas Sabatier (Word of Life Bible Seminary and FOCO Seminary), are launching a new podcast entitled “Christ & Counseling”. The purpose of this podcast is to encourage charitable conversations between Biblical counselors as we labor together to keep Christ at the center of our counseling. This podcast will include interviews with leaders across the biblical counseling movement, with early episodes including conversations with Dr. Kevin Carson (The Biblical Counseling Coalition), Dr. Dale Johnson (The Association of Certified Biblical Counselors), Dr. Gunner Gundersen (The Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation, CCEF), and more!
Give Christ and Counseling’s pilot episode a listen today, and be sure to leave it a rating and review to help us reach more listeners. Follow the podcast to receive an update when the first interview goes live!
You can also keep up with other resources from Dr. Jared Poulton at jaredspoulton.substack.com.
Top Posts from IRBC’s Blog
Here are the top three most-read articles from the Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling over the past several months.
“How David Powlison Taught His Students to Think Like Cornelius Van Til” by Dr. Brandon Burks
“The Mother as Counselor” by Mrs. Kerry Poulton
“How Should I Respond When I Sin?” by Dr. Jared Poulton
New Counselor Portal
We launched a brand new Counselor Portal this year in order to streamline our certification process. Anyone interested in certification can begin their application through this portal, and it will walk applicants through every step of the process.
Interested in certification? Read about biblical counseling certification and why you should consider certification. Ready to begin? Visit the Counselor Portal today!
Institutional Update
We have officially become a 501(c)(3)! As of June 2026, the Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling and the Shepherd’s Way Counseling Ministry Network are now operating under the parent non-profit ministry: Reformed Counseling Ministries, Inc.
Financial gifts can now be addressed directly to Reformed Counseling Ministries, Inc., as well as The Institute for Reformed Biblical Counseling, IRBC, or The Shepherd’s Way. We are thankful to Cornerstone URC for their previous service to our ministry in overseeing our finances and processing donations.
$25,000 Matching Gift Campaign – Finished!
Thank you to everyone who participated in our matching challenge! Thanks to this campaign, IRBC was able to raise $20,400! We praise God for his provision through your generous gifts.
Thank You!
We are humbly grateful for your support and encouragement. We continue to meet people who are impacted through the work of our ministry, whether through reading an article, taking a course, or receiving counseling from an IRBC counselor. If you have benefited from our work, would you consider becoming a monthly supporter?
As we continue to grow as a ministry, we are very thankful for one-time donations. At the same time, monthly donations and pledges give us the confidence we need to continue producing resources and expanding our ministry’s impact. Would you prayerfully consider joining our support team? Even monthly donations of $10, $25, or $50 can play a significant role in advancing Reformed Biblical Counseling.
We look forward with anticipation to what the Lord will do in and through us in the remainder of the year, all for His glory!
In Christ,
Dr. Jared S. Poulton
Executive Director
