Introduction to Pastoral Care & Counselling

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25

Lessons

25

Videos

06

QUIZZES

6 Weeks

Duration

English

Language

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is a study of the functions of ‘Pastoral Care’ and different counselling skills to equip students to be aware about themselves and others. It provides a better understanding of the tasks of a pastor and pastoral counseling in their social setting and being sensitive to the genders, culture and ethos of a society. This subject would like to give an awareness of the Pastoral tasks from the Biblical, theological, sociological, and psychological perspectives in order to become a better Pastoral Care provider and Pastoral Counsellor in a Church setting.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, students will be able to gain:

  1. Knowledge:
    1. To understand the core and true character of pastoral care provider.
    2. To understand and study the different areas where Pastoral Care and Counseling is needed.
    3. To understand the Pastoral Care tasks from the Biblical, theological, sociological, and psychological perspectives.
  2. Skills:
    1. To become better Pastoral Care provider to the needs of the Church.
    2. To become better Pastoral counselor to the broken-hearted people.
    3. To reflect Christ and His compassion to the people through Pastoral Care and counseling ministry
  3. Attitude:
    1. To have compassion towards the lost who don’t get true Pastoral Care and Counseling.
    2. To empathize with the emotionally broken people through Pastoral Care and counseling.
    3. To feel the need of Pastoral Care and Counseling in today’s Church setting.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

REQUIRED READING

Clinebell, Howard J. Basic Types of Pastoral Counseling. New York: Abington Press, 1996.

Miller, Calvin. Letters to a young pastor. USA: David C Cook, 2011.

Minear, Paul S. Images of the Church In The New Testament. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960.

Murry, Ezamo An Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling. Delhi: ISPCK, 2005.

SUPPLEMENTARY / RECOMMENDED READING AND TOOLS (Bibliography)

Antony, John. Skills of Counselling. Dindigul: Anugraha Publications, 2003. 

Augsburger, David W. Pastoral Counseling Across Cultures. Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1986.

B.J. Prashamtham Indian Case Studies In Therapeutic Counselling. Vellore: Christian Counselling Centre, 1975.

Brister, C. W. Pastoral Care in the Church. New York: Harper & Row. Publishers, 1964.

Bruce, Larson, Paul Anderson and Dough Selff (eds). Mastering Pastoral Care. Portland, Oregon: Multnomah Press,1990.

Chadwick, W. E. Pastoral Teaching of Paul. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publication, 1984.

Collins, Gary R. Biblical Basis of Christian Counseling for People Helpers. America: Nav Press, 1993.

Collins, Gary R. Counseling and Marriage. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1979.

Donald, Capps. Pastoral Counselling and Preaching: A quest for an integrated Ministry. Philadelphia: The Westminister Press, 1980.

Hiltner, Seward. Pastoral Counseling. Nashville: Abingdon, 1949.

Jay, E. Adam. The Christian Counsellor’s Care Book. Michigan: Baker Book House, 1974. 

Kay, William and Weaver, Paul. Pastoral Care and Counseling. Carlisle, United Kingdom: Patmos Publishers,1997.

Lobo, Geroge V. Moral and Pastoral Questions. Anand: Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, 1985. 

MacArthur, John. Rediscovering Pastoral Ministry. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995.

Matthew K, Thomson. Spirit Lead Pastoral Care. Tiruvalla, Kerala: Readers Publishers: 1999.

Oden, Thomas C. Pastoral Theology. New York: Harper Collins Publishers,1983.

Patton, John. Pastoral Care in Context: An Introduction to Pastoral Care. Louisville. 

Peterson, Eugene H. Five Smooth Stones for Pastoral Work. Grand Rapids. W.B. Eerdmans, 1992.

Ramsey, William M. Historical Commentary on the Pastoral Epistles. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publication, 1996.

Taylor, H. Tend My Sheep. Delhi: ISPCK, 1989

GUIDELINES FOR INTERACTIONS

We anticipate our students to have varied viewpoints which will enrich the discussions in our learning community. Therefore, we ask our students to be charitable and respectful in their interactions with each other, and to remain focused on the topic of discussion, out of respect to others who have committed to being a part of this learning community.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

  1. Discussion Forum

A. Weekly Discussions and Written Responses: 300 Words each (Total 35%).

Late responses are not accepted. Each week’s initial response is due on Wednesday (11:59pm) and interactions with other responses are due on Saturday (11:59pm).

Attendance in this course is demonstrated by regular log-ins and up-to-date participation in forums.

Every Monday a weekly discussion question will become visible. Each student will read through the question and take time to formulate a response.

Aim for responses that display a thorough understanding of the textbooks and primary sources relevant to each question and a clear engagement with the class discussions and lectures, especially identifying areas of your understanding of each week’s themes that have challenged, changed, and/or enriched you. This is not a summary of the readings and the lectures, but a response to particular themes/arguments. Be specific and brief, but not superficial.

The initial response should be 300 words but there is no set limit on words for the subsequent interactions between students. In order to maximize the benefit of this element of the course, the student should post his/her initial response by 11:59 pm on Wednesday of the week and then spend the remainder of that week interacting with their colleagues in the class until Saturday at 11:59pm.

Each weekly questions and themes will be discussed on following week during optional class meetings

Discussion Forum and Grading Rubric (see the General Grading from FBC Grading standards)

Areas of Evaluation
Grade A
Grade B
Grade C
Grade D
Completeness of post
Addresses all parts of question; meets and did not exceed word limit; comprehensive response
Addresses all parts of question; respectable length & did not exceed limit; somewhat comprehensive
Addresses some parts of question; shorter length; incomplete post
Rarely addresses question; far too short or far too long; incomplete post
Clarity of post
Clear and concise posts; grammatically correct with rare
Clear, but can be more concise; a few grammatical or spelling errors
Somewhat clear, but with significant number of errors in spelling and grammar
Unclear, poor spelling and grammar in most posts
Critical engagement with class material (lectures, readings)
Thoughtful; opinions and ideas are substantiated with class material and additional resources (quotations and/or references); active reflection & questioning; obvious integration with one’s context
Thoughtful; opinions and ideas are occasionally substantiated with class material; some reflection & questioning; some integration
Less thoughtful; opinions and ideas are sometimes substantiated with class material; insufficient reflection & questioning; less integration with one’s context
Opinions and ideas are not substantiated with class material; no reflection & questioning; no integration with one’s context
Promptness & quality of responses
Posting on time; responds to all group members’ comments on your post, interacting with other students’ postings in timely manner; thoughtful responses
Posting on time; responds to some of group members’ comments on your post, limited interaction with other students’ postings in timely manner; somewhat thoughtful responses
Posting mostly on time; interaction with only 1-2 students’ postings; less thoughtful responses
Late posting; rarely responds to group members’ comments on your post and/or students’ postings; responses not thoughtful

B. Critical Book Review (Secondary Source): 300 words in Quiz Section – weightage 15%.  The submission of the assignment can be either as a doc. Or docx upload or a Quiz Essay/Open question.  Due on ——

Write a critical book review of Ferguson, Everett, Church History Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation. The review needs to concentrate more on the ideas than on the details. Talk about (1) the author’s overall theme and thesis of the book, (2) the author’s purpose and/or agenda of the book, (3) the book’s structure and/or order of the materials and its relation to the purpose of the book, (4) the book’s strengths and shortcomings, and (5) the book’s contributions and implications. To address these areas, you will need to include some content, but try to focus on the main issues that he raises and deals with.

C. Essay/Research Paper: 1500 Words, 35%. Due on ———

Write an essay/ research paper that directly engages with one of the issues, themes, events, or people encountered in the course using secondary sources. In other words, research is required for this paper. The paper must be transparent, meaning that you will clearly state what your primary and secondary sources are, and how you have gone about turning them into “data” for your argument.

You need to demonstrate familiarity with the specifics and details of the issues, themes, events, or people you selected, as well as demonstrate your ability to place your topic within the larger context of Christian history. The paper should not simply report, summarize, or review materials, but demonstrate thoughtful analysis and reflection and embody an argument (thesis), which will be a summary of the paper’s argument, early in the introduction. The body of the paper will support your thesis. Show how your argument is drawn from the primary and secondary sources you used by carefully documenting it. 

SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

Evaluation is based upon the completion of the following assignments:

1.

Weekly Discussions and Responses

15 %

2.

Class Interaction and Assessment Completion 

35 %

3.

Critical Book Review

15 %

4.

Research/Essay Paper

35 %

5.

Total Grade

100 %

GENERAL GUIDELINES FOR THE SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN WORK

Submission Method and Late Submission
Submission: Papers to be submitted electronically in .doc or .docx format via Global Classroom

Late Submission Penalties:

  1. Weekly Responses and Primary Source Analysis Paper will NOT be accepted as
  2. All other late assignments will be penalized 1% (1 point) per

Citing References

In all assigned work, proper style guidelines must be used and followed exactly; failure to do so will render the submitted assignment unacceptable.

For proper citation style, consult the MLA Style Guide.

Academic Integrity

Integrity in academic work is required of all our students. Academic dishonesty is any breach of this integrity, and includes such practices as cheating (the use of unauthorized material on tests and examinations), submitting the same work for different classes without permission of the instructors; using false information (including false references to secondary sources) in an assignment; improper or unacknowledged collaboration with other students, and plagiarism.

Global Classroom takes seriously its responsibility to uphold academic integrity, and to penalize academic dishonesty.

COURSE EVALUATION (Feedback)

Global Classroom values quality in the courses it offers its students. End-of-course evaluations provide valuable student feedback and are one of the ways that Global Classroom works towards maintaining and improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. Student involvement in this process is critical to enhance the general quality of teaching and learning.

Before the end of the course, students will receive an email with a link to the online course evaluation. The link can also be found in the left column on the course page. The evaluation period is 2 weeks; after the evaluation period has ended, it cannot be reopened.

Course Evaluation results will not be disclosed to the instructor before final grades in the course have been submitted and processed. Student names will be kept confidential and the instructor will only see the aggregated results of the class.

ONLINE PRIMARY SOURCE READINGS

The readings can be found as PDF files on the course web page at under “Materials”.

Course Content

Expand All
WEEK 01 - PASTORAL THEOLOGY, EPISTLES AND FUNCTIONS OF PASTOR
WEEK 02 - BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS AND MODELS OF PASTORAL CARE
WEEK 03 - CHURCH GOVERNANCE, CHARACTER OF A PASTOR AND ELEMENTS OF COUNSELLING
WEEK 04 - COMMUNICATION, PSYCHOLOGY AND FACTORS IN COUNSELLING OUTCOME
WEEK 05 - HUMAN TEMPERAMENTS, SUPERVISION AND SELF-CARE
Lesson Content
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