PACO 509 Spiritual Formation in Pastoral Counseling

In order to establish a framework for spiritual formation in pastoral counseling, students must demonstrate a clear and thorough understanding of the spiritual formation process. This foundational awareness will serve as the basis for identifying and implementing transformative strategies that foster both personal and professional growth in the context of ministry.

Textbook readings, assessments, web-engagements, and lecture presentations/notes

It would be wise to back up course work on an external source. If the student’s computer crashes, it is next to impossible to rebuild lost files. Unless otherwise stated, all assignments must be submitted through corresponding assignment links. The student must not submit assignments through email unless requested by Instructor. The student should see the Course Schedule for more details.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences and is accomplished via Discussions which require the student to noticeably/meaningfully employ insights and skills gleaned from each of the assigned readings, assessments, lectures, web resources, and as applicable, the Scriptures.

Due to the nature of these connected, collaborative, cumulative research-based and fully-involved conversations, these Discussions will have a “paper or presentation-like feel” (i.e. more is expected than in typical Discussions). Required texts, assigned readings, assessments, and lectures-to-date are to be noticeably and consistently used to ground assertions. In response to prompts from each Discussion, the student must synthesize pertinent material and write a substantive research-based thread and reply.

All posts must be written with clarity and conciseness, without spelling, grammar, word choice errors, and adhere to Discussion Guidelines and rubric expectations. Students must follow current APA standards or current Turabian standards. (CLO: A, B, C)

Using the reading materials and the attached chart, choose two (2) character cases to apply spiritual formation strategies. Address the following elements:

• Spiritual Formation Need: Identify the spiritual formation need for each character you chose.
• Spiritual Formation Strategies: For each character, identify at least 3 different strategies to engage those needs.
• Scholarly Support: Find at least one scholarly article to support your pastoral counseling response. Scripture also needs to be included as you explore the character.
• Each case should be explored within 250-500 words, double-spaced, in APA 7^th format, professional version.

(CLO: B)

Growing spiritually can be analogous to the development of stalagmites and stalactites in caves. Both stalagmites and stalactites form slowly, from drops in a ceiling or moisture on the cave floor. Similarly, we are being continuously spiritually formed; our spiritual development is a journey which occurs over time within the right environment. This development is fostered through our experiences, practice of spiritual disciplines, and is also influenced through the cognitive, emotional, and psychological development which occurs over the human lifespan.

In this assignment, you will explore your own development as you craft your spiritual formation autobiography. Please address the following:

• Salvation story (include people, events, defining moments)
• Significant influences (people, events, defining moments)
• Important transitions (from both a spiritual formative and lifespan development perspective)
• Emotional development and spiritual formation (discuss the role your personal emotional development has played in your spiritual formation – be sure to consider the information from your learning resources as you develop this section)
• From the Lens of Another (interview someone with whom you have had a personal relationship who has been witness to your spiritual development; use the following questions, to guide your exploration: who do you think has had the greatest influence on my spiritual formation? what do you see as major events that shifted my spiritual development? What do you see as the indicators for the slower, more continuous journey of spiritual development in my life? How have you noticed how emotional maturity has either influenced my spiritual development of how my spiritual development influenced my emotional maturity?)

This assignment should comprise 750-1000 words, be double-spaced, and follow APA 7 formatting (professional version). Please use headings to delineate each section identified above. Scholarly citations and references are not needed for this paper, but you may reference them if desired.

(CLO: B)

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis provides a unique view of temptation by illustrating letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, advising his nephew, Wormwood, on how to sway a human “patient” away from faith and toward sin.

In this assignment, the Letter from Your Tempter invites you to step into a similar framework of C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters. From your character analysis activity from the previous week (Module 5) consider the biblical character you selected facing temptations aligned with today’s societal pressures—materialism, social status, digital distractions, or others.

· Craft a letter from the perspective of their “tempter,” revealing how modern tactics might challenge their character and values.

· Then, as if you were counseling that character, develop a counseling plan that engages spiritual discipline and spiritual formation principles to help mitigate the temptation. Include 3 pastoral counseling goals which are grounded in spiritual formation principles and spiritual disciplines

· This needs to be presented in 750-1000 words, double-spaced. Be sure to cite and reference resources used throughout previous modules. Use APA format

(CLO: B)

In this assignment, you will develop a proposal for a Spiritual Formation Retreat. This retreat should be targeted toward a group of 10-20 individuals. Please format this proposal as a detailed outline that includes the following components:

· A platform statement or rationale for the proposed retreat, informed by scripture and your assignments in previous weeks

· A timeline for the weekend retreat

· Specific activities that promote spiritual formation principles and spiritual disciplines. The activities should align with the inward and outward practices (these must be different than what was used in the counseling plan), as well as corporate practices (the Foster text can inform this).

· Intended outcomes (what you would like to see as a result of attendance at the retreat)

· Intended audience

This should be informed by at least four (4) references as well as course content, assignments, and activities.

(CLO: C)