Someone running towards their friend, who is down a pit, and struggling with life.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral
Self Guided
Purchase for personal study

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The Christian life is difficult for everyone – that is inevitable in this fallen world – and, as believers, God calls us to walk alongside each other in the good circumstances and the hard. This course is not designed to turn us in to therapists but to equip us to begin to turn towards one another with confidence in Christ. As the units progress, we will gain an understanding of who people are, why people struggle, the biblical process of change, and our role in that process. Not only that, we will also explore the manner in which we can all engage in that pastoral care, conscious that Christ-like character is vital when encouraging others to persevere or change to be more like the Lord.

This course will equip us to move towards people in all the circumstances of life and do so with humility, love, faithfulness and wisdom. It will help us listen well to their pain, speak words of truth with care and prayerfully encourage them to turn to Jesus, alongside us, for all the help and hope they need.

Summary

  1. Church as a place of care
  2. People in need of care
  3. How people change
  4. The importance of character
  5. How to listen well
  6. Opening the Bible well
  7. How to speak well
  8. Practical care
  9. Issues in pastoral care

The normal price is £24 for an individual, and £18 for a member of a group of at least 3. Discounts are also available for partner organisations.

“The pastoral care course was a super helpful course to go through. Although it was bitesized, I didn’t feel like it was superficial and it managed to encourage conversation and self-reflection at every step of the way.” Foundation learner.

If you want to share this opportunity with others from your church, use our downloadable invitation bundle (zip file):

Building on what you learn

To build your foundation for having these conversations, you may find our twin courses on Christian Doctrine helpful. We also recommend our course on Christian Ethics, which is incredibly useful for thinking about some of the thorny issues that come up in pastoral conversations. Take a look at our full list of Foundation courses.