DIENS EN GENESING IN PASTORALE BEGELEIDING

• Main Author: Els, Johannes Stephanus
• Other Authors: Prof J Janse van Rensburg
• Format: Others
• Language: en-uk
• Published: University of the Free State 2013
• Subjects: Practical Theology
• Online Access: http://etd.uovs.ac.za//theses/available/etd-07192013-085159/restricted/

When a person experiences a specific problem, he/she may turn to the pastoral councillor for guidance. The pastoral process may become a temptation to be used as an escape route from the problem. In this way the potential of the problem for life formation is not accounted for and may inhibit a growth process. This thesis advocates that a pastoral counselling process takes into account the fact that suffering or problems are moments to facilitate being a whole human being. Therefore, a problem should be dealt with, rather than trying to escape from it. To be a complete person, one has to be prepared to serve. The essence of service is derived from the image of God: a healthy human being is a person who thrives on relationships, is creative, behaves ethically, exists responsibly, recognizes need and see life as eschatological. A life without service is reversal of the image of God and consequently leads to an unfulfilled life. The recovering of the role of service in life is a healing experience and can lead to a life of abundance. Events of suffering or the experiencing of problems need an appropriate action. This reaction will shape each person in his/her unique way by discovering the manner in which he/she can become a servant in the image of God. The Biblical way of dealing with suffering and lifeâs problems is not merely explanation but exploitation as well. God and man form a covenantal relationship to integrate suffering and problems into being as life giving events. Man finds his unique place in life and God gives healing. This utilisation of suffering and problems will subsequently be a healing process. Existing pastoral counselling models were analysed and show that it is possible to integrate serviceable life through pastoral guidance. However, most models also show that being of service through utilising problems is not a specific aim in the process of healing. Three participants in a qualitative research indicated that by ministering their specific events and problems to other wrought healing. Their problems, alcoholism or dependency issues, rape and cancer respectively, helped them to serve other people with the same problems. There is a clear correlation shown between healing the problem and the associated controlling thereof by being of service to other victims/sufferers. Therefore, the expectation that service awareness of problems as a strategy for pastoral care will be a healing act on problems. Pastoral markers who promote healing through being of service is a pastoral counselling that takes image of God as a point of departure, strives to achieve holistic-existential goals, is hermeneutical-pneumatological in character, moves from discipleship to apostleship and progresses educational-covenantal.