Pastoral Theology
God's word proclaimed and lived
What Is Pastoral Theology?
Pastoral theology at Westminster involves an application of theological truth to all of life, particularly the life and work of the church. As part of this process, students develop skills, character, and convictions necessary for understanding and proclaiming God’s word. Pastoral theology focuses on four areas: preaching, leadership, biblical counseling, and evangelism and missions.
Basic Guidelines
A wide variety of writing projects are assigned in pastoral theology classes. Each assignment has its own characteristics and special requirements. The following guidelines are broadly applicable to pastoral theology. However, always consult your professor and syllabus for specific guidance for each assignment.
Be Practical
Writing practically can be challenging, especially for students who are more used to theoretical and abstract argumentation. While theoretical thinking has its place in pastoral theology, your writing should focus on asking and answering practical questions: How is a particular issue affecting the church? How can unbelief be exposed and dismantled by a particular biblical text?
Be Thoughtful
While being too theoretical in your writing is problematic, it is also unacceptable to write thoughtlessly. That is, there cannot be a wise and timely application of God’s truth without an understanding of that truth. Practical questions need practical answers, but wise answers arise from thoughtful reflection on how the word of God should apply to a given context. It is this sort of reflection which pastoral theology classes endeavor to prompt and which should be evident in your thoughtful, practical writing.
Be Personal
A major goal of pastoral theology is personal spiritual development. Some assignments are explicitly oriented at self assessment, criticism, and counseling. Others may provide opportunity for you to respond to how a reading assignment challenges or affects you personally or to expound a biblical text with an illustration from your own life. As you have opportunity, and as it is appropriate to the assignment, use writing projects to engage your own spiritual development. This is useful both to yourself and to those to whom you will minister, who will learn from your experiences and follow your example.
Be Pastoral
A major responsibility of those who lead in the church is that of vision and oversight. The overseers (Greek episkopoi) of the church are charged with the shepherd-like tasks of surveying the state of a congregation (or larger Christian body), identifying points of weakness and need, and seeking to creatively strengthen and care for the flock. This calling to service in the church was envisioned by Jesus for his chief disciple, even in anticipation of Peter’s greatest failure: “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32). This calling to care for the church, strengthening the weak, is at the heart of discipleship. How can you, as a student preparing for ministry, begin to think about caring for the church? Pastoral theology writing assignments are prime opportunities to reflect on pastoral questions, to consider how various issues affect the health of the corporate body of Christ, and to train a watchful eye for potential problems and sources of strength.