Ethics, Boundaries & When to Refer

Course Syllabus

Course Description

This final course of the certificate teaches you how to carry other people's burdens safely and faithfully. You will study ethics rooted in Scripture, the honest limits of lay ministry, confidentiality and its limits, informed consent in plain words, power and dual relationships, and physical, emotional, financial, and digital boundaries, including the special realities of re-entry such as supervision conditions and no-contact orders. You will learn to recognize when to refer, how to make a warm referral, how to respond in a crisis, how to document and report within a ministry, and how to care for your own soul so you can serve for the long haul. You will finish by writing your own Ministry Ethics & Referral Handbook and being commissioned. This is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license.

Faith Integration

Galatians 6:2 calls us to bear one another's burdens. Bearing a burden well means knowing what you can carry, what you must not carry alone, and when to bring in others who are better equipped. In this course we treat boundaries as an expression of love, honesty about our limits as humility, and referral as faithfulness. We honor both prayer and professional care as good gifts from God.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Explain ethical principles for lay ministry rooted in Scripture, including integrity, love, and do no harm (Philippians 2:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 5:22).
2. Describe the scope of lay counseling and coaching and introduce yourself with an honest title.
3. Explain confidentiality and its limits, and give informed consent information in plain language.
4. Recognize power differences and dual relationships, and set physical, emotional, financial, and digital boundaries.
5. Apply boundaries to re-entry realities, including supervision conditions, no-contact orders, and co-defendants.
6. Recognize red flags that call for referral or immediate help, and make a warm referral.
7. Follow basic crisis-response steps and document and report within ministry policy.
8. Build a self-care and accountability plan and complete a personal Ministry Ethics & Referral Handbook.

Course Materials

• This student workbook
• A Bible (King James Version)
• Pen or pencil
• Printed scenario cards, templates, and quick sheets from the instructor (no devices required)

Weekly Schedule

How You Will Be Graded

To pass this course: earn 70% or higher overall and attend at least 80% of sessions.

Classroom Covenant

• We begin and end each session in prayer. Participation in prayer is always welcome, never required.
• What is shared in class stays in class. We protect one another's stories.
• We speak with respect, listen without interrupting, and disagree with grace.
• We come prepared, do our own work, and ask for help when we need it.
• We follow all facility rules. Safety and security come first.
• We believe the best about one another and about what God can do.

Support & Accommodations

If reading, writing, vision, hearing, or any other need makes a part of this course harder, tell your instructor privately. Materials can be read aloud, enlarged, or completed orally. Missed sessions can be made up using the module pages. If you are transferred or released, your completed work stays on record and you can finish online.

Welcome

Welcome to the final course of the Biblical Lay Counseling & Christian Life Coaching Certificate. This course teaches you to bear burdens safely: with integrity, clear boundaries, honest limits, and the humility to refer. This companion walks beside you with a weekly reading, five devotions for the days between sessions, and a Quick Guide you can keep with your Ministry Ethics & Referral Handbook. Remember: this is a lay ministry credential, not a clinical license.

How to Use This Companion

• Read the weekly reading after each class session. It takes about 10 minutes.
• Reflect on the questions. These are for you; you do not have to turn them in.
• Meet with God through the five daily devotions between sessions.
• Keep the Quick Guide at the end to carry home after release.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.— Psalm 119:105 (KJV)