The Role of Pastoral Theology in Theological Education for the Formation of Pastoral Counselors

Abstract

SUMMARY Formal theological education, as mediated through degree programs and specialized academic courses of study, provides the foundational outlook and breadth of religious knowledge and practices upon which are built personal beliefs, professional identity and skills, and vocational direction. To be a pastoral counselor, one is expected to be grounded in formal theological education as an essential ongoing resource for forming one's identity and guiding one's practice of counseling. Pastoral theology is the discipline within formal theological education that serves as a bridge between the broader theological milieu and the crucible of pastoral counseling education, supervision and practice in which the more particular elements of the identity, role, and skills necessary for becoming a pastoral counselor come together