Not Required by the Book of Order, Offered by Many Programs

INTRODUCTION TO PASTORAL CARE:
In most presbyteries, an introductory course deals with the needs of both the care giver and the recipient, with strong emphasis on hospital visitation, boundary issues, ethical concerns, roles and issues, and referrals to other helping professionals. The Lay Pastor is taught how to distinguish between pastoral care and pastoral counseling.

Evaluation often includes case studies and role-playing. Some presbyteries have a paper concerning boundary issues.

PASTORAL CARE ISSUES:
Follow up courses in pastoral cares will often focus on particular pastoral care issues, such as: conducting pastoral visits, conducting hospital visits, grief counseling and planning for funerals, alcoholism in the church/rural setting/urban setting.

Evaluation of these courses often makes use of case studies or verbatims using a CPE (clinical pastoral education) model.

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT/PRAYER:
Using the Book of Order, particularly "The Directory for Worship," participants learn to lead spiritual formation courses in local congregations according to the Reformed Tradition. Focus is on prayers and other disciplines of spiritual life. Exercises and techniques for teaching others the elements of spiritual formation will be employed.

Evaluation is often creative-perhaps asking participants to keep a prayer journal for a period of time-Advent, Lent, or a month.

ETHICS:
This course is an introduction to ethics: What are ethics? What are the boundaries of ministry? How do the historic Presbyterian values growing out of the Reformed tradition speak to ministry today? What is the Social Witness policy of the PCUSA-and what does it mean when the General Assembly makes theological/ethical statements? What is the preacher's/pastor's responsibility in ethical proclamation and formation? What does our constitution mean when it says we cannot bind the conscience of another?

Evaluation of this course could be a paper concerning current ethical/theological issues before the General Assembly, or other issue arising out of the course.

EVANGELISM:
An introductory course in evangelism looks at historical and practical help in personal and congregational evangelism, new member recruitment and assimilation as well as caring for and recovering inactive members.

Evaluation for this course could be to ask participants to plan an evangelism program (to create an evangelism committee, a plan for contacting new people in the community, a plan for doing mailing or leaving information in the neighborhood, etc.). If the congregation already has an active evangelism program, the student could consider new ways of reaching out.