Professional ethics sets forth the values and standards of pastoral care, assists in making decisions and guiding behavior, provides a means for accountability, and helps inform expectations regarding pastoral care providers. Students will analyse case studies, apply ethical reasoning, and develop a personal code for the practice of pastoral care supported by ethical reasoning.
Critical thinking skills are necesssary in order to evaluate ethical issues when ministering pastoral care. Student must not only know the issues, but the ethical implications of decisions and how to apply ethical reasoning when communicating with healthcare professionals and to "clients."
Pastoral caregivers wrestle with many issues regarding working in institutional settings while honoring their own faithgroups and working with other professionals of other faiths. Often, those engaged in pastoral care minister to others outside their own faithgroup.
Biblical faith is intended to interact with real-life complex issues. Core values are defined, and then through a process of reasoning, careful ethical application is made.
Those engaged in pastoral care are to live out their calling with their roots in biblical faith, caring for others involves reaching out to others where they are with all of their patients' hurts and pains in the name of Christ.
Pastoral care may take the place in an institutional setting rather than a church. Special ethical guidelines for these contexts based upon biblical and accepted ethical principles helps bring help and comfort in this unique context.
In most ministry settings, within or outside the church context, ministry is provided to those in different cultural settings, whose norms must been understood and respected where appropriate.
Ethics for pastoral caregivers involves the right way to relate to one's self, other professionals, their faith groups, and their clients and patients--in all aspects regarding the functioning of the pastoral caregiver.
Ethics in pastoral care involves specific situtions and examples from daily ministy. This course will help those engaged in pastoral care to function with integrity and honor.
