Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I am having problems watching videos on this website? We use two types of video players because Google Video no longer accepts new videos. Therefore, we have to host all of the newer ones on our own server. Although Google videos should have adequate bandwidth, we cannot guarantee that our server bandwidth will always be adequate if quite a number of people are watching videos at one time. When beginning to watch a video expect it will buffer from 5 to 10 seconds before beginning. Because streaming video consumes Internet bandwidth it is important to watch no more than one video at at time and close other internet programs or you may experience momentary hesitations while buffering catches up. Therefore, if you start a video that you do not finish, refresh the page before starting another. If hesitations occurs, try ending any other Internet programs on your computer, watch Google videos, or watch at a later time. If all else fails, E-mail us at treiner@wolm.org or call us for assistance at 316-729-7997.
Do I have to be working on a certification or degree to take classes at WOLI? No. You can take any class you would like just to learn more about the Bible, as self-help or to learn how to more effectively help people, or for continuing education credit. You may upgrade a class for credit that you have taken for up to one year after you complete it.
What is Word of Life Counseling Training Institute? Word of Life Institute is the counseling training ministry of Word of Life Ministries, the non-profit corporate entity of Word of Life Church, all of which are located in Wichita, Kansas. For more on other ministries of Word of Life Church visit www.wolm.org.
What is Faith Therapy? Faith Therapy is a new method of Christian counseling derived directly from the Bible and based on the process of salvation by faith. It provides the core methodology for training counselors at Word of Life Institute.
How is Faith Therapy different from other Christian counseling? The primary difference is that it is based completely on the Bible and God's plan of salvation by faith. The counselors job is to remove the roadblocks to that process. Because building faith in God is essential to that process it uses many stories from the Bible to teach the client how to live and to overcome the difficulties in his life.
What is Bible-based Life Coaching? Bible-based life coaching is intense mentoring or discipleship to help reasonably mature Christians find God's call on their lives and successfully carry it out.
How is Bible-based Life Coaching different from other secular and Christian life coaching? Bible-based life coaching is solidly based on and derived directly from the Bible. Where all secular coaching and even a lot of "Christian coaching" focuses on making the client more successful in this life, Bible-based coaching focuses on success from God's point of view.
Do I need a state license to practice as a Christian counselor? No. Christian counseling is excluded from state licensure as long as you are an ordained or licensed minister or as part of an official church program. Please note that you can obtain ordination or a ministerial license through LOGOS Christian College and Graduate School after you receive your degree through us.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of state licensure? In order to obtain a state license you will have to meet all state requirements including studying secular counseling theories, demonstrate competence in secular methods, years of study, high costs and possibly student loans. If you do obtain a counseling job in the secular world, you will most likely be restricted in what you are allowed to do or say concerning your Christian beliefs and the use of Biblical counseling methods. However, you can still use your state counseling license to counsel in a church but you will also have to continue to meet all secular licensing requirements, fees, and continuing education units. The main advantages of obtaining a state license is that you will be able to counsel in a secular job or institution, may be able to receive court referrals, and possibly accept higher third-party health insurance payments for your counseling. Your choice in pursuing a state counseling license (not available on this website) should be determined by what God has called you to do. Since this can be a confusing issue, feel free to E-mail us at treiner@wolm.org or call Dr. Reiner at 316-729-7997 for further clarification.
If I do not need a license, why should I get a certification or degree? Certifications give you credibility as a counselor and a means of showing that your have been deemed competent by some certifying agency. If you wish to charge any fee at all for your counseling you will need liability insurance in case someone might sue you for malpractice or some other reason. Except in the case of drug and alcohol counseling, mental health liability insurance companies require that you have a degree in a mental health field before they will insure you.
How is training and getting a degree from WOLI different from obtaining a degree from a secular or Christian college or university? In order to meet state licensing requirements, most counseling degrees obtained at even Christian colleges and universities require that you learn numerous secular theories and methods not based on the Bible, they usually require more time in a classroom, and they cost much more. At WOLI we are training Christians to counsel in the church environment based on the Bible, not training Christians to meet the secular requirements and use secular theories to counsel in secular institutions. Because all of our counseling is Bible-based, it takes much less training time to train a Christian who already knows the Bible and has ministry experience in the church. That is why LOGOS Christian College and Graduate School gives credit for passing a Bible knowledge test and for life experience, and that is why less time is required in the classroom and more time is focused on actual counseling experience.
What accreditation do courses taken through Word of Life Institute have? Courses taken at Word of Life Institute are accepted by LOGOS Christian College and Graduate School. LOGOS is the institution that grants our degrees. LOGOS is licensed in the state of Florida by the Florida Board of Independent Colleges and Universities. It is accredited by the Southern Accrediting Association of Bible Colleges and Institutes.
Are degrees from LOGOS Christian College and Graduate School earned through Word of Life Counseling Training Institute regionally accredited? No. Regional accreditation is reserved for liberal arts colleges. Courses and degrees from WOLI and LOGOS are limited to Christian curriculum and Christian ministries as needed by the church. To apply for regional accreditation a school is required to teach a whole range of additional subjects like mathematics, English, philosophy, sociology, etc. However, just because courses are taken at a regionally accredited institution does not guarantee that other colleges will accept them and just because they are not regionally accredited does not ensure that they will not be accepted. Many LOGOS students have been accepted and courses transferred to regionally accredited institutions in the same way that other Bible School courses and degrees are accepted. If you do plan to transfer your credits to a regionally accredited institution you should determine in advance whether they will accept our credits. Regional accreditation is not required in order to do Christian counseling.
Why do you offer free video training? Our mission is to prepare the body of Christ to effectively help the hurting people in our churches and society. What God has freely given us we freely give away. However, it is only right that we do receive some compensation for our costs and effort expended on your behalf. Therefore, we do charge fees for our books and our services like grading papers and tests, supervision, certifications, and granting degrees, but not for what we teach.
If you have other questions that are not answered on this website, please feel free to sent them to treiner@wolm.org and we will do our best to answer them as soon as possible.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. 1 John 4:11