Immanuel Baptist Church offers access to a free biblical counseling ministry with qualified pastors and lay people. Pastor Ernie King who supervises the program is certified with NANC (National Association of Nouthetic Counselors). This ministry is designed to provide personal help from God’s word for those stuck in sin. The goal is to assist a person to apply biblical principles in his/her life so as to get “un-stuck” from a sinful pattern of living and to begin moving forward again in the process of changing and growing in their relationship to God.

The counseling ministry is available to anyone. You do not necessarily need to be a member or even attending IBC to qualify for biblical counseling. However, we only have the resources to take on a certain number of cases at a time and priority is given to IBC members and those regularly attending the church. In addition, the counselor(s) reserve the right to accept or reject a case at their discretion. They can also choose to terminate any counseling case at any point if they deem it appropriate.

The first step to getting biblical counseling is to call the church office at (916) 444-6184. The church administrator will put you in contact with Pastor Ernie King. He will then decide whether or not we can meet with you at this time. If there is availability then we will set up an appointment with you for an initial session during which it will be determined if you qualify for more extended formal biblical counseling.

A person should seek biblical counseling if he/she is “stuck” in sin and does not know how to get out. Biblical counseling is meant to provide a more personal and private ministry of the Bible to help a person understand God’s way of dealing with his/her sin so as to begin again the process of spiritual change and growth. The issues could range from sexual immorality (i.e. homosexuality, fornication, adultery, pornography etc), “addiction” (alcohol, gambling, pornography etc.), eating "disorders," failing marriages and other relational breakdowns, anger, fear, anxiety, depression, grief, and many other problems not mentioned here.