Why Pastoral Care?

The Undergraduate Certificate in Pastoral Care offers community ministry practitioners and those involved in the spiritual care of others the following capabilities:

• a theological understanding of personhood and ones relation to geographical place
• ability to assess a person's faith development in a pluralistic setting
• ability to increase capacity of spiritual caregiving to generate personal and social transformation
• ability to to evaluate ones own personhood and being so as to create insights into appropriate contextual mission strategies
• ability to apply ethical principles in assisting others in making decisions and guiding behavior
• ability to develop a pastoral communication model for relating to people with differing cultural context, ethnic diversity, gender, sexual orientation, age, education, religious orientation, and socioeconomic status
• ability to assist the lost and the lonely, the bruised and the battered, the broken and the bored

Pastoral Care is the support that Christians offer one another in daily living and at times of need or crisis in personal and communal life. Thus, pastoral care consists of helping actions directed towards the healing, sustaining, guiding, reconciling and nurturing of persons whose troubles and concerns arise in the context of daily interactions and ultimate means and concerns. A major component of pastoral care is that of "spiritual care" which recognises and responds to the needs of the human spirit when faced with trauma, ill health or sadness and can include the need for meaning, for self worth, to express oneself, for faith support, perhaps for rites or prayer or ordinance/sacrament, or simply for a sensitive listener. The Undergraduate Certificate in Pastoral Care equips students to serve individuals and families by providing spiritual, emotional and relational support to the most vulnerable in diverse settings (homes, senior residences, correctional/prisons, health care and others).

Core faculty

Dr. David Hormenoo

Core courses

Pastoral Care Core - 21 credit hours