life counseling ministries

What life counseling ministries does

Life Counseling Ministries (LCM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Christian ministry founded in 1987 and headquartered in Conestoga, Pennsylvania, that delivers Christ-centered counseling, counselor training, and complementary thrift retail to individuals, couples, and families within the Anabaptist community and the broader Lancaster County region. The counseling portfolio spans individual sessions (60-75 minutes), intensive multi-day engagements (3-5 days) conducted on-campus in dedicated client apartments, marriage and family counseling, and small group programming covering emotional healing, grief, marriage enrichment, and sexual abuse recovery. The training business consists of a nine-day Core 1/Lab 1 workshop for pastors and lay people and a Ten-Course Certificate Program delivered over two to three years, producing a steady intake pipeline of LCM-credentialed lay counselors.

The underlying delivery model is human-intensive and methodology-driven rather than technology-driven, with the differentiated "Biblical Counseling Approach" tailored to strengthening connection to God, family, and local church. Staff hold a mix of clinical credentials (Doctor of Psychology, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Master's in Clinical Counseling with trauma specialization) and biblical/theological training (Providence Theological Seminary, Lancaster Bible College, Westminster Theological Seminary, Colorado Christian University, Cairn University), supporting the dual clinical-pastoral positioning. Distribution is primarily in-person across a main campus in Conestoga, a Spring Garden Satellite Office in Kinzers, and a Thrift Shoppe in Leola, with annual banquets, mental health seminars, and audio/video archives extending the organization's reach.

The revenue model is donation-based: counseling services are provided on a donation basis with a board-established $110 per-session guideline, services are rendered regardless of ability to pay, donations above cost are tax deductible, and the Thrift Shoppe retail operation provides a secondary commercial revenue stream. The organization is funded by individuals, churches, and businesses, audited annually by an accountant, with financial statements available upon request. Go-to-market relies on the website, quarterly newsletters, annual events, and word-of-mouth within the Anabaptist community; there is no disclosed advertising spend, no parent company, and no institutional investor ownership.

Name

life counseling ministries

Legal name

Life Counseling Ministries

Website

https://life-ministries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Life Counseling Ministries is a Conestoga, PA-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that delivers Christ-centered individual, intensive, family, and group counseling alongside a two-tier counselor training program and a Thrift Shoppe, serving the Anabaptist community and broader Lancaster County region on a donation basis with a $110 per-session guideline.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Counseling Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Christian Colleges with Theological Programs (EDAHAKAG), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Christian counseling services
• Biblical counselor training
• Marriage family counseling
• Intensive counseling programs
• Faith based therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Conestoga

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Life Counseling Ministries provides services on a donation basis. The organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in 1987, funded by individuals, churches, and businesses. The board has established a donation guideline of $110 per counseling session. Donations above costs of counseling are tax deductible.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Life Counseling Ministries delivers Christ-centered individual, intensive, family/marriage, and group counseling services, alongside a counselor training program (Core 1/Lab 1 workshop and Ten-Course Certificate Program) for pastors and lay people. Services are offered on a donation basis with a board-set guideline of $110 per counseling session, and the ministry is supported by a Thrift Shoppe whose proceeds help fund operations.

Product overview

Life Counseling Ministries operates as a single unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization provides Christ-centered counseling services (individual, intensive, family/marriage, and group counseling), counselor training programs (including the Core 1 Lab 1 workshop and Ten-Course Certificate Program), and operates a Thrift Shoppe retail location. Services are provided on a donation basis, with counseling sessions priced at a guideline of $110 per session. The organization also hosts annual events including Mental Health Seminars and maintains audio/video archives of past events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Counseling Services Christ-centered individual, intensive, family/marriage, and small group counseling sessions provided on a donation basis (board guideline of $110 per session) to strengthen connection to God, family, and local church.
• Core 1, Lab 1 Workshop A nine-day on-site counselor training workshop teaching pastors and lay people to be more effective in biblical counseling.
• Ten-Course Certificate Program A series of ten courses completed over two to three years, providing comprehensive biblical counseling training and certification for participants.
• Leola Thrift Shoppe A physical thrift retail location offering used clothing, household items, small appliances, and toys, with all proceeds supporting the counseling ministry.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services: Large faith-based behavioral health provider offering Christian-integrated clinical counseling, training, and residencies — a broader, more clinically scaled peer sharing LCM's faith-integrated care model.
• Focus on the Family Counseling: National Christian family ministry with a counseling referral service and pastoral counseling resources — comparable in faith-based counseling and family-issue focus, but operates at much broader national scale.
• American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC): Large professional association serving Christian counselors with training, conferences, and resources. A broader incumbent in the same space; overlaps with LCM on training and counselor community but operates at much larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Faith Biblical Counseling Ministries: Faith-based counseling and training ministry with a similar biblical counseling methodology and counselor training program, operating as a comparable small nonprofit peer with multi-year certification tracks.
• Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC): National certification body and training network for biblical counselors, offering structured curricula and certifying counselors — directly comparable to LCM's Core 1/Lab 1 and Ten-Course Certificate Program.
• Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF): The flagship biblical counseling organization in the U.S., providing Christ-centered counseling services, a multi-year biblical counseling training curriculum, and certification — the closest direct peer to LCM in mission, methodology, and service mix.
• Biblical Counseling Center (Mark and Mary Petersheim): Counseling ministry previously run by Mary Petersheim before she joined LCM in 2024 — a directly comparable Anabaptist-aligned biblical counseling peer with overlapping service offerings.

Regional players

• Oasis Counseling (Lancaster): Lancaster-area counseling center where former LCM counselor Michael Hochstetler worked; shares geographic market and partially overlapping specialization (e.g., sexual addiction counseling) with LCM.
• Northern Youth Programs: Anabaptist/Plain community ministry in Ontario where multiple LCM-affiliated staff previously served — comparable faith-based community counseling and youth/wellness work, but operating in Canada rather than Pennsylvania.

Emerging players

• Shepherd's House Biblical Counseling: Small faith-based counseling and training ministry in the Reformed/Anabaptist-adjacent space — a comparable small-scale peer with overlapping counseling methodology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/life-ministries

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about life counseling ministries