Pastoral Care & Congregations

Catalog description

This survey course is designed to introduce students to the fundamentals of pastoral care, including its history, literature, theories and practices. Students will explore pastoral theology and pastoral care practice as essential components within Christian and other faith traditions and parish ministry. In this respect, students will further explore the nature of holistic care for individuals and families within faith and social communities. Through film, lectures, texts/readings and class discussions, this course will consider pastoral care and counseling principles and approaches and their relationship to common issues and concerns, e.g., worship and spiritual needs, marriage and family, sexuality, boundaries, illness, loss, grief, death and dying. In light of the fact that students find the role plays very helpful in their formation as pastoral care providers, this class will be taught twice each week; one class is devoted to lecture and the other class is a lab structure for modules (role plays). [20 max enrollment]