The Need for Equipped Pastoral Counselors

Dr. Cary Lantz sent in this quote from Caring for Souls: Counseling Under the Authority of Scripture by Harry Shields and Gary J. Bredfeldt (Acknowledgments section):

While teaching a graduate school course in pastoral care and counseling, I was struck by the selectivity that students employed when describing their ministries. They used glowing terms to portray the joy they experienced when preparing and delivering weekly sermons. They spoke with a certain degree of confidence when they talked about their successes in crafting mission statements, creating programs, and leading the church into new dimensions of change and growth. But when those same students talked about the work of pastoral care and counseling, they expressed obvious apprehension. When I asked them to elaborate on the reasons for their reluctance to engage in the work of soul care, the majority said that they simply did not know what to do with people who were depressed, fearful, anxiety-ridden, or in conflict with spouses and children. Obviously they were taking a class in caregiving, but they admitted they would rather refer "people-problems" to other counselors. 

I am not a professional counselor by training. However, I am convinced that pastors have been all too willing to surrender their role as spiritual counselors. (Emphasis mine, again—Cary) I affirm the contribution that professional counseling can have in the community at large. But the apostle Peter's exhortation for pastoral leaders to shepherd God's flock still stands. Pastors will want to continue to prepare biblically sound messages and manage church tasks as effectively as possible. However, these same pastors must also be concerned about spiritual counsel that enables every believer to live a Christ-centered life that is shaped by the truths of God's Word.