Lay counselling is the emotional and psychosocial assistance given to people in need by either staff or lay leaders who do not have a formal degree in counselling. In the church setting, many lay counsellors have been rendering this important service to many needy people. While many Christians have both spiritual and emotional maturity through their studying of the Word of God and life’s experiences, their desire of helping others can be enhanced by undergoing some training in basic people-helping skills. This course aims to equip participants with the basic skills and knowledge to further strengthen lay counsellors in the church. The training will consist of two levels of 12 hours each.

Level 1 will examine the “what, why and how” of basic counselling skills. Fundamental counselling concepts and techniques will be discussed and examples shown from both secular and biblical narratives. Participants will learn how culture and developmental issues can be a hindrance to one’s effectiveness as a lay counsellor. The training will also increase one’s self-awareness so that the self will not be a stumbling block to helping others. Participants will see the importance of creating the right therapeutic environment with their help-seeker before any attempt to solve their problems. Participants will be shown how to build rapport with their counselees through attending skills and body language. Basic counselling skills such as restatement, paraphrase, reflection and questioning will be discussed, demonstrated and developed.

Level 2 consists of practical sessions where they can practise their learned skills using the triad method. Practice sessions will be video-taped and transcribed using the 4-column method to help in the consolidation of counselling skills and the heightening of self-awareness. The video recordings will be reviewed by a trained supervisor on a group and/or individual basis. When participants are more confident with these attending skills, they can then move on from that “lab environment” to be more effective in helping others as home-cell leaders, people-helpers or lay counsellors.

Dates :
Level 1 : Mar 14, 28, Apr 4 & 18,
Level 2 : Apr 25, May 9, 23 & 30

Time: 10am to 1pm
Venue: Pantai Baptist Church, 18, Jalan Pantai 9/7, Seksyen 9, 46000 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Registration Fees
RM400 (for members who sign up for full certification program package
Rm560 (for members)
RM800 (for non-members)

Understanding Families, Supporting Healing, Strengthening Relationships
Families are deeply interconnected. When one member is hurting, the impact is often felt by the whole family. As Scripture reminds us, “If one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12:26). In family life, emotional pain, conflict, and unhealthy behaviour rarely affect only one person. They often ripple through relationships, communication, and family functioning as a whole.

This workshop is designed to help lay leaders, church helpers, parents, caregivers, and those involved in pastoral care gain a clearer understanding of family dynamics from both a biblical and psychological perspective.

Rather than focusing only on the behaviour of one person, participants will learn to see the broader family patterns that may be shaping the problem.

These include:

• communication and interaction patterns
• closeness and emotional distance
• loyalty, dependence, and independence
• repeated conflict cycles
• generational patterns passed from one family member to another

Participants will also be introduced to practical family counselling concepts such as:

• Genograms
• Self-differentiation
• Emotional triangles
• Emotional cut-off
• Multigenerational transmission

Through teaching, case studies, role-plays, discussions, and practical activities, this workshop aims to equip participants with greater insight, compassion, and confidence in supporting individuals and families more effectively.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand the basic principles of family counselling from both biblical and psychological perspectives
• Recognise common family patterns that affect relationships and functioning
• Understand tools such as genograms, self-differentiation, emotional triangles, and emotional cut-off
• Identify how unhealthy patterns may be repeated across generations
• Apply practical insights to support healthier family relationships in ministry and helping contexts

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is suitable for:

• Lay leaders
• Cell group leaders
• Pastoral care teams
• Church helpers
• Parents and caregivers
• Anyone interested in understanding family dynamics and supporting families with greater wisdom and grace

Workshop Details

Dates: April 18, 25, May 9, May 16

Time: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

Format: Hybrid

Venue: NACC Office, G-10-3A, Setia Walk, Puchong, Selangor

Online Option: Via Zoom for participants outside Klang Valley

Join Us

Come and grow in your understanding of family relationships so that you can care, guide, and support families more effectively in your ministry and community.

Fees:

RM200 for NACC member who sign up full certification program package
RM280 (for members)
RM400 (for non-members)

NACC Contact Hours Awarded: 2 hours

Conflicts in both church and society often arise from seemingly incompatible needs, values, and perspectives—such as personality differences or doctrinal disagreements. While healthy conflict can foster growth and deepen commitment, unresolved or poorly managed conflict can lead to division, hurt, and toxicity, hindering both individual and collective missions. Mediation provides a structured, balanced, and non-adversarial process where conflicting parties are encouraged to share their perspectives and express their underlying interests. Rather than producing winners and losers, mediation focuses on reaching mutually acceptable solutions that honor the concerns of all parties. This approach promotes the restoration of relationships, fosters honest communication, and emphasizes the parties’ ownership of the outcome. As a biblically grounded alternative to legalistic or adversarial methods, mediation offers a path to healing, reconciliation, and deeper understanding. While issues may come and go, relationships—especially within the body of Christ—should be preserved and nurtured.

Target Audience

This course is open to counsellors, church leaders and anyone seeking to help others resolve conflict with love, respect, and understanding—rather than through blame or litigation.

Course Objectives

Participants will:

• Gain an understanding of why mediation is a biblically sound and effective tool for resolving disputes among believers and non-believers alike.
• Learn basic communication techniques for managing strong emotions, along with creative problem-solving tools for addressing conflict constructively.
• Be encouraged to envision how churches and community-based organizations can serve as alternative justice platforms—helping resolve disputes before they escalate into legal matters. This reflects our calling to be peacemakers (Matt 5:9) and godly arbiters (1 Cor 6:1–11).

Course Structure:

Week 1 : Introduction on Disputes, Tools on communication using open and close questions, Biblical model on reconciliation and restoration, Building communication Tool Box.

Week 2: Negotiation strategies and parameters, BATNA,WATNA , Framework of Negotiation – shifting Position to Interests. Role play on negotiation skills

Week 3: Mediator Skills and Ability, Four Phases of Mediation, Framing Issues and Agendas, Role Play on Mediation

Week 4: Building Understanding and exploring Interests, Defining goal of the Agreement, Transition from Stage 3 to 4. Mediator’s guidance to direct parties towards goal statement. Stage of Resolution, Working towards a Memorandum of Understanding and Agreement.

Date: June 6,13, 20 & 27, 2026 (4 Sats)

Time: 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM

Venue: NACC, G-10-3A, Setia Walk, Puchong, Selangor

Contact Hours Awarded: 8 hours

Registration Fees
Rm280 (for NACC members)
RM400 (for non-NACC members)

Limited to 30 participants only on first-come basis