WESTERN SEMINARY/SAN JOSE
Providing Pastoral Care
PTS 506; 2 Credit Hours
Fall, 20042
Steve Korch, Adjunct Professor
408-356-6889 ext. 408, stevekorch@westernseminary.edu
SYLLABUS
Course Description
This course will equip you to shepherd the church. A philosophy of pastoral care and the skills required for the practical application of this philosophy will be addressed. The role of the shepherd will be examined, as well as the spiritual foundations for pastoral care. The duties that come with shepherding will be taught, including the conducting of ordinances, weddings, and funerals. The essentials of pastoral counsel, visitation, care to the dying, and congregational accountability will be covered.
Course Goals
This course contributes to the fulfillment of the core outcomes for the Master of Divinity degree with two specific goals:
1. Know the biblical, theological, and ministerial foundations for pastoral ministry, including pastoral identity, the nature of pastoral ministry, preaching, soul care, and ministry programs.
2. Be able to perform relevant pastoral duties such as administering the ordinances,
performing weddings and funerals, doing visitation, dealing with crisis situations, counseling, equipping, and practicing church discipline.
Course Objectives
Cognitive Objectives
The student shall articulate with understanding …
1. A biblical/theological foundation for a shepherding ministry.
2. Concepts related to spiritual guidance in a shepherding ministry.
3. Concepts related to crisis management and spiritual discipline.
Conative Objectives
The student shall acquire and demonstrate skill in …
1. Performing weddings, funerals, and worship ordinances.
2. Performing visitation ministries in homes, hospitals, and care centers.
3. Social skills and the appropriate behavior of a shepherd.
Course Textbooks
Anderson, Robert. The Effective Pastor. Northfield Pub, 1999.
Adams, Jay. Shepherding God’s Flock. Zondervan, 1986
Course Requirements
Note: a two-hour course includes approximately 60 hours of outside study.
1. Reading Assignments (10 hours)
Students must read 500 pages from the required books at familiarity level.
2. Ministry Interviews (6 hours)
Students must interview a hospital chaplain and a funeral home director and write a three-page summary of each interview.
(goal: to gain insight into pastoral care of the grieving)
(goal: to gain insight into pastoral care of the sick)
3. Ministry Experiences (24 hours)
Students must partner with a local pastor to gain first-hand experience in conducting a wedding and a funeral. Students must write a five-page summary of each experience.
4. Written Applications (20 hours)
Students must produce two practical ministry documents (undetermined length).
Develop a complete wedding plan, including an outline of a premarital counseling curriculum, a basic format for a wedding ceremony, a basic pastoral message (charge to the bride and groom), and five variations of wedding vows.
Develop a complete funeral plan, including steps to be followed from the point of being informed of a death to the one-year anniversary of that death. The plan must also include a basic order of service and a pastoral message for two funerals – one for a believer and another for an unbeliever.
Course Outline
September 14 Biblical Foundations for a Shepherding Ministry
September 28 Practical Components of a Shepherding Ministry
October 12 Baptism, Communion, & Special Services
October 26 Weddings: A Shepherd’s Ministry to Marriages
November 9 Funerals: A Shepherd’s Ministry to the Grieving
November 23 Visitation: A Shepherd’s Personalized Ministry
Course Policies
1. Attendance
Student attendance will be recorded for each class. One unexcused absence is permitted. Any absence beyond that one may decrease the course standing by one full grade. It is the responsibility of each student to obtain any missed material or assignment instructions from others students.
2. Written Assignments
All written assignments must be submitted on time, at the beginning of class. Late papers will be reduced one letter grade per week unless a valid excuse is provided and approved.
Unless the professor indicates otherwise, papers must be written to a near-thesis standard, in accordance with MLA. They must be typed and include a title page with the student’s name and box number on it. English grammar, idiom and spelling must be up to graduate level. Qualities valued include clarity, conciseness, comprehensiveness, cohesiveness, and correctness.
Note: 10% of the grade will be on "form," i.e., conformity to the above standards. The purpose for this is to motivate Western Seminary students to present work in a manner that reflects the quality of the content.
Course Grading
Grading Scale:
A+ 99-100% A 95-98% A- 94-93%
B+ 92-91% B 90-88% B- 87-86%
C+ 85-84% C 83-81% C- 80-79%
D+ 78-77% D 76-74% D- 73-70%