For three months starting on November 2021 and ending on January 31, 2021, I had the opportunity to teach a course on Pastoral Counseling and Congregational Care on ATS (Advanced Training Seminars’) e-learning platform.
Between January 14 and 16th, I met the students at “Panicel” to conclude the course, after almost one year without the possibility to host almost no public gatherings.
in the middle of the Carpathian Mountains.
This was the next to the last course in the three year Advanced Training Seminar Program hosted by BIG Impact Ministries.
In an inductive, interactive and experiential environment, the students had the opportunity to share their final project on Pastoral counseling, and have the final project evaluated by their peers and the educator. The students have also been introduced to The Skilled Helper Course designed by Judy Davids, an excellent tool that recently translated into Romanian language to train church members gifted in the area of personal care help other church members and not only find explore and exploit their own God given gifts and resources to get unstuck and start living the abundant life Jesus promised.
Please pray that the students (full time or part time Pastors, and church leaders) will listen more to God, and to the people they try to help, before they come up with solutions!
In the words of a student who was greatly encouraged to ask more questions, to be attentive to the counselee’ pain, and to lead him or her in that direction: “I learned to use the counselee’s words, in the counseling process instead of mine…”.