1. Pastoral Counseling Session 1-A

2. Sharing Name and how would you describe yourself Type of ministry involved in Expectations from this class

3. Introduction Saundra L. Washington says, “ Perhaps our greatest weakness as ministers is that of counseling. It is an unavoidable responsibility that confronts us more often than we may desire… counseling is an integral , if not, inseparable part of pastoral care .”

4. Introduction The ministry of Pastoral Counseling is often in want because of the following 10 reasons: 1. Limited Understanding of what pastoral counseling is all about. 2. Poorly Trained in the area of effective pastoral counseling. 3. No Models to work with. 4. Lack of knowledge of the human nature

5. Introduction 5. Seen as Unnecessary Ministry in the church context (“waste of time”) 6. Overly emphasizing on the “spiritual” 7. Unfounded fear of the “secular” theories and approaches to counseling 8. The counselor is carrying a lot of extra baggage 9. Bad experience with counseling 10. Seen as too demanding to pursue

10. True Christianity must reflect what true Humanity is.

17. Sharing How can my personal issues affect my effectivity in Pastoral Counseling?