Counseling Demands,Procedures,and Preparation of Parish Ministers: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Ministers continue to be involved in a significant amount of the counseling presently occurring. The purpose of this study is to provide a feedback loop from pastors now in the parish to seminary curriculum committees and others involved in the training of pastors regarding (a) the kind of counseling pastors are expected to do, (b) the counseling procedures they generally use, and (c) the areas in which they feel their seminary counseling training was either adequate or deficient. A random sample of 54 active pastors from a northern and southern community completed a questionnaire which focused on the above questions. The results of the questionnaire are discussed.