West Texas Clergy Education: Courses

This module introduces to the student the important task of Shepherding God’s People in the context of the local church. Caring for people is a central part of the role for those who enter the ranks of ordained ministry. Jesus’ words to Peter, “Take care of my sheep” (Jn 21:16), apply to all who are called to shepherd or pastor.

This module will help the student understand and practice the principles of Christian “care of souls” in a manner that is comprehensively faithful to the biblical faith and human existence. This “care of souls” is not the exclusive responsibility of the ordained clergy but includes the laity in the ministry of the whole church. This curriculum is intended to help the student apply caring principles to the context of any local church. Pastoral care and counseling need to fit with the other pastoral responsibilities of preaching, teaching, leading, equipping, administrating, and many other tasks. This module introduces the student to the many broad topics commonly associated with the title of pastoral care and counseling. Because of the time constraints of the course, the student is encouraged to begin a lifelong journey of discovery and learning to hone the skills needed to be an effective pastor.

The overarching vision for this module is for each student to embrace the biblical model of “servant” as the driving force and organizing principle within the individual as he or she seeks to lead a Christian community of faith.

In the context of biblical and theological foundations, and from the perspectives of spiritual, strategic, and skills formation, the course will invite each participant to a lifelong pursuit of and commitment to personal and corporate understanding of Christian leadership and the unique relationship of Christian spirituality and the leadership responsibility of the pastor.

This module deals over and over with the development of the administrator—that’s you, the prospective pastor. As the basic foundation for such development, this module teaches that all church leaders work from three ever-present realities: (1) what you are, (2) what you know, and (3) what you do.