Pastoral Care in a Marriage Context
PC089-612/712/812
EVERY SEMESTER
To take this unit at level 9, speak to the Academic Dean.
Lecturer
Aaron Sironi & Winston Smith (CCEF-recorded lectures), Karl Hood (tutor)
Is this unit for you?
Marriage is a gift of God and yet can also be the context of conflict, pain, and abuse. If you can see the great need in our society and in our Churches for God’s wisdom to be brought to bear in marriage and related contexts, then this unit can help you to gain the skills and understanding to be able to respond to the need and to bring positive directions into people’s lives.
What you will learn
The unit considers pastoral care and pastoral counselling skills in a marriage context, including counselling for various stages of marriage for marital conflict, unfaithfulness, separation, blended families, domestic violence, and remarriage.
Unit content
Section A: Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counselling Skills in a Marriage Context
- Aims, methods, and the mechanics of care such as administration, confidentiality, boundary issues etc.
- Relationship counselling skills
- Equipping others by teaching, encouragement, recognition of abilities, training, etc.
Section B: Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counselling Issues in a Marriage Context
- Biblical and theological models of relationship and Christian marriage
- Pastoral care and counselling for various stages of marriage such as courtship, early marriage, child rearing, retirement.
- Pastoral care and counselling for various situations and crises such as marital conflict, unfaithfulness, separation, blended families, domestic violence, remarriage.
- Pastoral care and counselling for the end of marriage
Delivery
- Online lectures
- Essays and assignments
KEY TEXTS
- T. S. Lane and P. D. Tripp, Relationships: A Mess Worth Making (Greensboro: New Growth, 2008).
- W. Smith, Marriage Matters: Extraordinary Change through Ordinary Moments (Greensboro: New Growth, 2010).
