This course introduces participants to the basic functions of congregational care, learning ways to provide spiritual guidance and emotional care as well as when and how to be a knowledgeable resource for referrals to appropriate services. By taking the course, participants will be more able to oversee appropriate congregational care issues.
Course objectives
- Identify the foundational concepts of Pastoral Care
- Explore and Evaluate different models for Pastoral Care
- Identify and Develop practices for providing Pastoral Care, especially those related to navigating experiences of grief and loss.
About the course
This course is comprised of five self-paced learning modules and two synchronous Zoom sessions. Each learning modules involves a combination of readings, videos, and reflection exercises designed to help participants understand pastoral care and navigate its many challenges by utilizing different approaches and methods. In the Zoom sessions, participants will continue to engage the material together, discussing its themes and practical implications.
The main textbook for this course is Carrie Doehring's The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach, and participants are asked to secure their own copy prior to beginning the course.
Schedule
- Learning Module One: What is Pastoral Care?
- Learning Module Two: Historical Models of Pastoral Care
- Learning Module Three: Who is a Pastoral Caregiver?
- Learning Module Four: Loss & Grief in the context of Pastoral Care
- Learning Module Five: The Ethics of Care, Interpersonal Competencies, and the Celebration of Communal Care
If you have any questions or problems, please email pathways@wesleyseminary.edu.
Pastoral Care
This course is part of a set of five that make up the Pathways Ministry Certificate. All courses in the certificate can be purchased and taken separately, or as a package. IF you are interested in purchasing the Pathways Ministry Certificate please click here