Biblical counselling and its powerful impact

“What do you hope to get out of this seminar?” I enthusiastically enquired.

“Well, a woman I knew of tragically died by suicide recently. I want to learn more about how to help and biblically counsel people in such challenging situations,” a fellow participant replied reflectively.

This conversation took place at a two-day biblical counselling training seminar in Kansai in March 2023. This event was the first module of a two-year biannual training programme run by OIC Japan, a JEMA-endorsed ministry. (OIC here stands for Overseas Instruction in Counseling: https://discoveroic.org)

Sociocultural issues in Japan

Two major sociocultural issues in Japan are suicide and hikikomori (social shut-ins). According to Statista, “In 2022, over 21.8 thousand people died by suicide in Japan. The overall number of suicides had shown a steady downward trend over the past decade but began to rise again in 2020. The unexpected upward trend is likely to be connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.”¹

Referencing hikikomori, Rooksby, McLeod, and Furuhashi state, “Given at least 1.2% of the population (around a million people) are affected, hikikomori is a significant social and health problem.”²

An answer

What can help alleviate these and other major challenges in modern-day Japan? One answer is biblical counselling and its powerful impact on people, churches, and communities. What is biblical counselling? Biblical counselling is rooted in knowing Jesus Christ and is the process of applying biblical teaching to the challenges of life. This results in inner change and a focus on living a life that is pleasing to God. The following example illustrates this point. Sandria was suicidal in her younger years. She tried to take her life several times from the age of five to her twenties. At 28 with over 200 visits with secular psychiatrists and having received absolutely no help or hope, Sandria scheduled regular biblical counselling with a local pastor. During the counselling, Sandria and her husband realised they needed Jesus, so they accepted him as their Lord. Sandria says, “When I accepted Christ, it felt as if a burden was lifted from my shoulders. Christ changed me in a second.”³ Sandria found hope, healing, and restoration in God as a result of participating in biblical counselling and by finding faith in Jesus Christ.

OIC trains people worldwide in Bible-based soul restoration so that they can offer counselling and train others in biblical counselling. OIC offers various seminars and courses such as introductory seminars and the Church Leadership Training (CLT) certified course with four modules.

Kansai training seminars

Module 1 was about the theory of biblical counselling and covered seventeen areas of spiritual growth.⁴ The bilingual teaching included presentations, a video testimony, small group discussions, roleplaying by the trainers, and question-and-answer sessions. One highlight was watching a powerful video testimony by a former hikikomori who had become a Christian believer as a result of biblical counselling. Last autumn, I participated in Module 2 of the Kansai training, titled “How do you do it?” This module was more practical and answered the question of how biblical counselling is done. Participants received counselling projects to complete before the next module, for example, conducting some discipleship meetings with believers who need help and hope. Modules 3 and 4 focus on effectiveness and how to share, respectively.

Powerful real-life testimony

Two friends of mine, Rev. Bruce Allen and his wife, Dorothy, successfully biblically counselled a schizophrenic man for three years. He came to believe in God. They also counselled a suicidal Japanese university student. They boldly asked her if they could have Wednesday evening church in her apartment. She agreed, and they met weekly for counselling and fellowship. After a year, the student gratefully remarked that their biblical counsel had saved her life.

Conclusion

Participating in an Overseas Instruction in Counseling training course will encourage, inspire, and equip mature Christians to counsel others more effectively and lead them into a deeper relationship with the ‘master counsellor’, our Lord Jesus Christ. OIC Japan is praying for more churches throughout Japan to host the Overseas Instruction in Counseling training. For more information, please see the OIC Japan entry on page 114 of the 2023 JEMA Directory or contact Takayuki Hayashi: oicjapan.counseling@gmail.com at OIC Japan.

1. “Total number of suicides committed in Japan from 2013 to 2022,” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/622065/japan-suicide-number/ (accessed July 24, 2023).
2. Maki Rooksby, Hamish J. McLeod, and Tadaaki Furuhashi, “Hikikomori: understanding the people who choose to live in extreme isolation,” The Conversation, https://theconversation.com/hikikomori-understanding-the-people-who-choose-to-live-in-extreme-isolation-148482 (October 29, 2020).
3. “Sandria,” faithlafayette.org, https://www.faithlafayette.org/counseling/get-help/testimonials (accessed February 14, 2024).
4. “Church Leadership Training Program Modules Topics,” Overseas Instruction in Counseling, https://discoveroic.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/OIC-CLT-Modules-Topics-2020-06-29.pdf (accessed February 19, 2024).