Overview
Pastoral care as the caring, nurturing and compassionate work of the church as a whole, increasingly viewed as outward-facing, lay-centred, and attentive to communal, societal and cross-cultural dynamics.
The word pastoral in pastoral care conjures up images of pastors - ministers, priests, clergy. Instead, this paper will present pastoral care as the work of the church as a whole. Thus this paper will provide opportunities to explore pastoral care as missional, involving all Christians in a variety of settings.
About this paper
| Paper title | Current Perspectives on Pastoral Care (Advanced) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pastoral Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $981.75 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level PAST or PASX paper
- Restriction
- PAST 216
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Notes
- May not be credited together with PASX 207 or PASX 307 passed in 2013.
- Eligibility
Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
Dr Lynne Taylor email lynne.taylor@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme’s website
- Teaching staff
Lecturer: Dr Lynne Taylor
- Paper Structure
Topics:
- Introduction to Pastoral Care
- Theological and Historical Underpinnings of Pastoral Care
- The 20th Century Pastoral Care Paradigm and its Post-modern Critique
- Wisdom From Beyond the West
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 1: The Congregation
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 2: Mental Health and Migration
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 3: An Unjust World
Assessment:
- Online discussion - 15%
- One assignment - 25%
- Two assignments - 30% each
- Teaching Arrangements
Six 2-hour videoconferences and one teaching day held in Wellington
- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Course outline
- View the course outline for PAST 316
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation, scholoarship.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper at 300-level will be able to
- Understand the biblical and theological foundations of the church's ministry of pastoral care.
- Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the therapeutic paradigm which undergirded the normative understanding of pastoral care and counselling in the latter half of the twentieth century.
- Critically assess theological and sociological rationales for the shift to the communal-contextual and intercultural paradigms of pastoral care in the present era.
- Recognise the core components of today's congregational setting of pastoral care (lay involvement, pastoral care with families/couples, visitation ministries with the sick, the ageing, the dying and the bereaved).
- Be aware of key underlying principles and examples of pastoral care in the community setting, including pastoral care with prisoners, the homeless, and the mentally ill.
- Understand the basics of what is entailed in intercultural pastoral care, with a particular focus on ministries with immigrants and refugees.
- Comprehend the essence of the theological foundations and practical expressions of pastoral care in the context of global injustice, particularly pastoral care ministries with the poor.
- Design a pastoral care programme for your church or community which incorporates relevant insights from your reading and research and articulates your own theology of pastoral care.
Timetable
Overview
Pastoral care as the caring, nurturing and compassionate work of the church as a whole, increasingly viewed as outward-facing, lay-centred, and attentive to communal, societal and cross-cultural dynamics.
The word pastoral in pastoral care conjures up images of pastors - ministers, priests, clergy. Instead, this paper will present pastoral care as the work of the church as a whole. Thus this paper will provide opportunities to explore pastoral care as missional, involving all Christians in a variety of settings.
About this paper
| Paper title | Current Perspectives on Pastoral Care (Advanced) |
|---|---|
| Subject | Pastoral Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 (Distance learning) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2025 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- One 200-level PAST or PASX paper
- Restriction
- PAST 216
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music, Theology
- Notes
- May not be credited together with PASX 207 or PASX 307 passed in 2013.
- Eligibility
Any student can study Theology, whether they are of the Christian faith, another faith or of no religious faith at all. Theology is an examination of the scriptures, history, content and relevance of the Christian faith, but it presupposes or requires no Christian commitment from students. All it requires is an inquiring mind and an interest in those skills that can be gained through the study of any subject in the Humanities.
- Contact
Dr Lynne Taylor email lynne.taylor@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
View more information on the Theology Programme’s website
- Teaching staff
Lecturer: Dr Lynne Taylor
- Paper Structure
Topics:
- Introduction to Pastoral Care
- Theological and Historical Underpinnings of Pastoral Care
- The 20th Century Pastoral Care Paradigm and its Post-modern Critique
- Wisdom From Beyond the West
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 1: The Congregation
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 2: Mental Health and Migration
- Pastoral Care Today, Setting 3: An Unjust World
- Teaching Arrangements
Six 2-hour videoconferences and one teaching day held in Wellington
- Textbooks
Textbooks are not required for this paper.
- Course outline
- View the course outline for PAST 316
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Communication, Critical thinking, Ethics, Research, Self-motivation, scholoarship.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete the paper at 300-level will be able to
- Understand the biblical and theological foundations of the church's ministry of pastoral care.
- Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the therapeutic paradigm which undergirded the normative understanding of pastoral care and counselling in the latter half of the twentieth century.
- Critically assess theological and sociological rationales for the shift to the communal-contextual and intercultural paradigms of pastoral care in the present era.
- Recognise the core components of today's congregational setting of pastoral care (lay involvement, pastoral care with families/couples, visitation ministries with the sick, the ageing, the dying and the bereaved).
- Be aware of key underlying principles and examples of pastoral care in the community setting, including pastoral care with prisoners, the homeless, and the mentally ill.
- Understand the basics of what is entailed in intercultural pastoral care, with a particular focus on ministries with immigrants and refugees.
- Comprehend the essence of the theological foundations and practical expressions of pastoral care in the context of global injustice, particularly pastoral care ministries with the poor.
- Design a pastoral care programme for your church or community which incorporates relevant insights from your reading and research and articulates your own theology of pastoral care.
- Assessment details
This paper is fully internally assessed.
- Two 2,300 word assignments (30% each)
- One 2,000 word assignment (25%)
- Online discussion (15%)
There is no final exam for this paper.