Foundation Certificate in Conversational Ministry
Dynamics of Biblical Change
with David Powlison
Our first course in the Certificate Programme that lays the foundations for conversational ministry.
Date and duration of next course:
DBC 10 weeks: Autumn 2026
DBC 6 months: Spring 2027
The application form opens in a new window, and you need to submit the form within 60 minutes of opening.
What to expect
COURSE WORK
Your conversations with others are determined by how you understand God, yourself, other people, life’s pressures, and, of course, the process of change. Dynamics of Biblical Change addresses these things and more. It describes how Christ’s past grace, present grace, and future grace speak to our hearts and change the way we live our daily lives.
This course is about people and the way they (and we) face the troubles of life. It is about dealing with our inner struggles and changing into the likeness of Christ. Through Scripture, online lectures, assigned readings and case studies, you’ll explore these practical ministry questions. Two personal ‑change projects are key to applying the principles of the course personally.
Students study online material in their own time, and join a live 2-hour seminar once a fortnight with experienced BCUK tutors. Seminars are offered in locations around the UK, and there are online seminar options for those not in reach of one of our centres.
Each course takes one academic term of 10 weeks. It’s also possible to take the three Foundation courses at a slower pace over 6 months.
All students start with the foundational course, Dynamics of Biblical Change.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the biblical view of progressive sanctification.
- Describe and apply the biblical counselling model of change to your own life as well as to other situations presented in case study format.
- Analyse the ways that the biblical counselling model of change might affect a church’s worship, preaching, evangelism, overseas mission, leadership, youth work, fellowship, children’s programmes, and training.
COURSE SCHEDULE
DBC 10 week course:
The 10 week DBC course is offered every Autumn term and includes 5 seminars in a venue of your choice. The next DBC course commences on 14th September 2026.
DBC 10wks has five seminars where we meet with other students to reflect on what we are learning and encourage one-another. Each seminar is led by an experienced tutor. We believe the best learning experience is for people to meet face to face in geographical venues. However, if it is difficult to attend one of our seminar locations, we provide online seminar groups that meet via Zoom.
Belfast – Thursdays (7-9pm)
Cambridge – Tuesdays (7-9pm)
Exeter – Mondays (7-9pm)
Haywards Heath – Thursdays (7-9pm)
Liverpool – Wednesdays (7-9pm)
Sheffield – Tuesdays (7-9pm)
Online Thursday Mornings – Thursdays (10am-12noon)
Online Thursday Afternoons – Thursdays (1-3pm)
Online Tuesday Evenings – Tuesdays (7-9pm)
DBC 6 months course:
In this half-speed version of Dynamics of Biblical Change, commencing on 18th January 2027, students have a fortnight in which to watch the lectures and complete the reading and assignments for that “week”, all at time that suits their own schedule. An online message-board offers interaction with other students. We estimate the minimum time commitment as 10-12 hours per fortnight.
Feedback on coursework is provided by BCUK graders, and students have the option of attending any of the Tutor Cafés offered – these give students the opportunity to ask questions of a BCUK tutor.
Key Facts
Venues and dates:
DBC 10 weeks with seminars in 9 venues across the UK or online.
DBC 6 months without seminars, though students supported in Tutor Cafes.
Course cost:
DBC 10 weeks: £525
DBC 6m: £485
Difference in cost reflects that there are no seminars in DBC 6m
Course length:
DBC 10 weeks: 10 weeks of study from September to November with one week half term break.
DBC 6 months: This half speed version of Dynamics of Biblical Change, where each of the 10 modules of study are in fortnights rather than weeks. There is a month break around Easter.
Workload:
10-12 hours study per week
(10-12 hours study each fortnight in DBC 6 months)
Foundation Certificate
Dynamics of Biblical Change is the first course in the Foundation Certificate.
Those studying DBC 6 months course who wish to go on to complete a Foundation Certificate, will need to make up the contact hours for DBC, which you can do through our Access Programme .
The application form opens in a new window, and you need to submit the form within 60 minutes of opening.
Meet your teacher
David Powlison served as CCEF’s executive director (2014-2019), a faculty member, and senior editor of the Journal of Biblical Counseling. He held a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and an MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary. David wrote extensively on biblical counseling and on the relationship between faith and psychology. His books Seeing with New Eyes and Speaking Truth in Love probe the implications of Scripture for how to understand people and how to counsel. The Biblical Counseling Movement: History and Context explores the background and development of CCEF’s mission. David is survived by his wife Nan, their three children and spouses, and seven grandchildren.
