Course Catalogue 2024-2025

his course will address the issues and challenges surrounding the current pastoral care ministry in churches and explore the genuine role and function of pastoral care within the church. The course will delve into the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of pastoral care to reclaim the authentic pastoral identity that is not overly fixated on psychological theories, psychotherapeutic skills, and techniques, Students will also learn about the cure of souls in their denominational tradition to gain wisdom and inspiration from religious predecessors. The course aims to explore who provides care, whom the care is for, and how the care is given. The course will comprehensively analyze the development of pastoral care practices within the church, ranging from the Early Church to the Reformation, Modern, and Post-modern eras, in order to investigate how the church provides care, as well as to evaluate the evolution of methods and approaches employed over time. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze and evaluate the essential characteristics of pastoral care practices from classical models to contemporary approaches. Therefore, the ultimate goal of this course is to cultivate the authentic role and function of pastoral care ministry in the church by promoting a balanced approach that integrates classical, modern, and contemporary methods while maintaining its pastoral identity, so that the church can offer sufficient care to those in need.

This pass/fail course builds on the material offered in TXP2511H Boundaries & Bridges and TXP2521H:
Advanced Formation in Pastoral Care Ministry and is designed to expand students€™ mastery of the practices essential to effective and ethical pastoral care. This course requires attendance on-site at St. John€™s Rehab of five hours per day, four days per week, for 10 weeks. The TXP2521H course instructor
and on-site supervisor of this 1-credit internship will work collaboratively and be in regular communication about students€™ progress first in the in-class component and then in the internship. The primary focus of this course is to provide students with opportunities to learn and demonstrate
their ability to:
understand and embody the principles of bringing themselves to ministry with skill, authenticity and integrity (i.e., competent use of self)
articulate a pastoral image of themselves that is lived out in their pastoral functioning
skillfully engage in a range of pastoral skills essential to providing pastoral care to diverse populations
competently and accurately assess the strengths and needs of those they are serving pastorally
integrate their conceptual in-class learning with the practice of pastoral care in the internship
The overarching goal of this course is for each student to gain the requisite skills involved in becoming a person who values and has the ability to offer sensitive and effective pastoral care, is committed to the ongoing task of developing their capacity for ethical thinking, and consistently behaves with authenticity
and integrity.
The internship placement is comprised of time spent visiting patients, time spent in group supervision, and time spent writing reflection papers about the experience of providing pastoral care and being in a supervision group.

In 1936 Christian chaplain Anton Boisen wrote that people with mental illnesses are often forgotten by the church.  As we consider his words from the vantage point of the early part of the twenty-first century, how much of what he said still rings true? This question is important as more people are being diagnosed with mental illnesses than ever before in Canada. How can spiritual leaders in faith communities create space for people experiencing mental distress? What can community members do to support those in their faith community who have mental health concerns and who are often marginalized by both society and the church? In this course students will consider the history of mental health/madness  in relation to Christian theology. Students will explore ways that injustice and oppression exist in the history of mental distress and consider how to address these issues within their contexts. We will question contemporary controversies in mental health research and policy such as the creation of the DSM and the pharmaceutical industry and explore how these relate to theology/spirituality. We will explore Christian responses to mental distress as well as first person narratives of people with lived experience of mental illness. Working together, we will develop outside of the box  thinking regarding inventing and implementing ideas for ministry with/spiritual care for people with mental health concerns within a Canadian context.

Surveys the origin and development of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in its magisterial and radical dimensions, and in its theological, social, educational, cultural, and political expressions. Provides a narrative overview of key developments; examines Reformation historiography; probes the impact of reform ideas on lived spiritual experience; outlines the dynamic between print, literacy and reform ideas; explores changes in education, the arts and culture; addresses changes in the relationship between church and state wrought by new theological perspectives; and considers the legacy of the Reformation.

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their lives. Originally focused on the physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality, social, and moral changes in infants and children, developmental psychology now includes adolescence, adult development, and aging, throughout all stages of the entire lifespan. Several developmental stage theories have been developed, emerging from a diverse set of assumptions and models of human behavior, that divide child development into distinct stages. These stages are characterized by quantitative and qualitative differences in behaviour. There are a number of different views about the way in which psychological and physical development might proceed throughout the life span. This course will present a survey of the most important theoretical models including models that emphasize spiritual development. With respect to spiritual developmental each developmental theory will be examined from the point of view of spiritual development and their attention to spirituality throughout the life span. Formal theories of human growth and development within the Buddhist, Muslim and Christian perspectives will be introduced. Methodological issues will also be discussed.

Pastoral Counselling for the non-professional counsellor engaged in ministry. The goals of the course include acquiring basic counselling skills, developing awareness of counter-transference and exploring how to refer to other professionals.

Pastoral Counselling for the non-professional counsellor engaged in ministry. The goals of the course include acquiring basic counselling skills, developing awareness of counter-transference and exploring how to refer to other professionals.

Pastoral Counselling for the non-professional counsellor engaged in ministry. The goals of the course include acquiring basic counselling skills, developing awareness of counter-transference and exploring how to refer to other professionals.

This course introduces students to practices of care with an emphasis on self awareness, assessment and interculturality in pastoral/spiritual care. The first part of the course will focus on systems theories. Students will explore their own families and cultures of origin and their social identities as a means to learn the related theories and to develop self awareness for pastoral/ spiritual care practice. The second part of the course will relate systems and intercultural approaches to theories of grief and loss, death and dying, aging and dementia while deepening students' understanding of the therapeutic relationship and assessment in spiritual/pastoral care. This course is suitable for students preparing for work in spiritual care and counselling and for students preparing for social and congregational ministry.

Beginning new churches to serve areas and cultures where no church exists is a historic expression of the missio dei. The practice begins in the Book of Acts and has continued through Christian history, but is taking fresh and sometimes unconventional forms in Western society today. This course lays foundations for church planting and fresh expressions of church in scripture and theology, and then looks at contemporary practice through exposure to current resources, issues, and practitioners.

As an introduction to the major mental disorders, this course aims to prepare students for working with clients with serious mental health problems in private, institutional and community settings. The course focuses on a biopsychosocial and spiritual understanding of mental health and well-being. Utilizing the holistic approach to mental health, this course will explore classifications and symptomatology of the more severe and chronic forms of psychiatric disorder, their etiology and nature, and their diagnosis. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) will be used as a reference point. The students will also be introduced to the critical influence of culture, class, race and ethnicity, religion, and social values of the individual, family, group, and social institutions in the assessment of mental health disorders. The course will critically review current classification systems and major theories regarding the nature of mental disorders, their diagnoses and etiologies, the treatment approaches available to help people in their recovery, and culturally relevant variables. As a result, the students will be able to critically utilize terminology and concepts in the DSM-5 and identify best practices in psychotherapy practice.

This course is an exploration of the following themes in the light of Christian revelation: creation, the human person, sin, grace, and eschatology.