Pastoral Care
The Pastoral Care specialization prepares students for pastoral ministries within a community of faith or other para-church institutions, as well as providing for pastoral counseling skills. Students will learn that caring for their own lives is foundational if they are to provide spiritual care for other persons. The Crisis Counseling for Ministry course equips students to address occurrences of crisis in people's lives where the stakes are very high for either disintegration or growth. It also offers students the opportunity to learn and practice pastoral crisis intervention techniques for various types of crisis and examines theological and faith issues that arise during crisis events. The Marriage and Family Counseling for Ministry course uses family systems theory as a framework to expose students to basic concepts in pre-marital, marriage and family therapy, as well as, basic pastoral counseling skills and techniques. A theological and biblical foundation for marriage and family processes will provide the lenses through which the relational realities of marriages and families will be approached. The Cross-Cultural Counseling for Ministry course examines multicultural issues in counseling and pastoral care and explores the dynamics and complexities of culture, race, and religion in counseling as it relates to individuals and families. Students who complete this specialization should be able to apply a core set of skills in pastoral care in order to participate effectively in God’s advancing mission in the world.