This research is to clarify using and training of a lay counselor in Korean church. Pastoral counseling is not only a pastor's original possession and duty, but also a obligation for all of the laity.
Today, many counselors are doing their counseling ministry in a church and their life situation publically, non-publically, or systematically, non-systematically. Most of all church is consisted of 99% laymen. Actually these lay people are the object of counseling and potential counselee. If a pastor does ministry to about 100 church members in a church, if a church member has at least two or three problems in their life and faith situation, a pastor has to involve with problems more than 200-300 at a minimum. Like this, a pastor can not solve all these problems actually.
In this research, the researcher dealt with training of a lay counselor who solve for his/her peer's problems instead of a pastor. The researcher classified official and unofficial counselor as non-professional counselor. The official counselor meant to do counseling ministry through counseling center in a church. Also, the other meant that unofficial counselor as a peer counselor is to counsel in their life situation to the friends, other laymen, and their family members.
The researcher dealt with layman counselor's qualification, important matter, education method, lay counselor's education, education substance, and the limitation and dangerousness as nonprofessional counselor. Also, the researcher suggested curriculum for lay counselor training. The curriculum must consist personality through faith, case study, practice, moral principle, Bible study, crisis counseling, and referral counseling methods, including lay counselor's practical use and model. A lay counselor had potential ability for counseling. So, a lay counselor is going to give a lot of benefit to the church. Accordingly, a church and a pastor should not ignore lay counselors, should develop their talent. This is a real model for modern church or biblical ministry.