Pastoral care and counselling to people involved with faith healing within belief systems of M.C.A.N. and L.I.C
Abstract
When people with belief systems in churches and communities find themselves in situations needing people to respond with pastoral caring support, justice can only be done when caregiving is competent, sensitive and contextual. On the one hand, Mission instituted churches (MICs) follow the models of pastoral care and counselling developed in the west. On the other hand, African Instituted churches (AICs) have caregiving approaches guided by among other things, beliefs, faith, caregivers, doctrinal teachings, values, founder’s convictions, care resources and the history behind them. A dialogical engagement between Biblical Pastoral care and counselling, biomedical and existing models in AIC churches bring out Biblical principles and values that illuminates AICs caregiving approaches. This in a way sheds light to the gaps in AIC caregiving approaches. Doing so makes it possible to come up with relevant strategies of integrated Biblical Pastoral care and counselling that can address the identified gaps in caregiving, thus helping pastors and congregations to give sensitive, holistic and competent pastoral care in their churches.
This study researched pastoral care and counseling of people involved with faith healing within the belief systems of the L.I.C and M.C.A.N churches. This research aimed at investigating healing and care strategies to develop a pastoral care and pastoral counseling model to help people involved with faith healing within belief systems of the L.I.C and M.C.A.N churches. The primary question that guided this study is: ‘What Model of Pastoral care and counseling would show pastors and congregations how to care for people involved with faith healing and belief systems of the L.I.C and M.C.A.N. churches?’
The study commences with a presentation of the introduction to the entire research and the statement of the problem as set out in chapter 1. The response to the primary question was enabled through the four main research objectives that took on the four tasks of practical theological research, as designed by Osmer. Chapter 2 is a description of faith healing and healing practices of people involved in L.I.C and M.C.A.N. The chapter responded to the question: ‘What are the faith healing beliefs and healing practices of people in L.I.C and M.C.A.N?’ This is an Empirical- Descriptive task, according to Osmer, which attempted to answer the question: ‘What is going on?’ To respond to the question, the researcher employed a mixed-method approach that contained quantitative and qualitative aspects. The researcher used a sample of 50 participants for the quantitative study using questionnaires with closed-ended questions. Out of the 50 participants, 15 participants also participated in the qualitative study in which open-ended questions were used. The data did not indicate any existing formal biblical pastoral care model in use in L.I.C and M.C.A.N.
The second task this study addresses in accordance with the four tasks of practical theological research as set out by Osmer, as reported on in Chapter 3, is the Interpretive task. The task presents the evaluation of the interdisciplinary models of biomedical and pastoral formal care being used in L.I.C and M.C.A.N. The question the chapter answered by means of the Interpretive task is: ‘What are some of the models/methods from other disciplines used for caring for and counseling people with faith healing and belief systems?’ A discussion was held concerning the relevance of biomedical models so as to ascertain their relevance in the care and counseling of people involved with faith healing within belief systems. Similarly, a comparative, dialogical approach was followed to bring under discussion Louw’s Four-Stage model and Breed’s Biblical model. Points of convergence and divergence between the models were presented. A context-sensitive approach
for integration was used to establish points of linkage between the pastoral models of care and the African traditional counseling model as applied in Africa.
The Normative task, as proposed in Osmer’s model, is performed in Chapter 4 to explore biblical perspectives, principles and values concerning care and counseling. The question this chapter answers, based on the fourth objective, is: ‘What Biblical perspectives on Pastoral care and Counseling are available to those caring for people within the faith healing practices?’ To answer the question, an exegesis was performed of the pericope Mk 5:25-34 by applying the historical critical and textual approach. The Biblical perspectives, principles and values presented were used to develop an integrated Biblical Pastoral Care and Counseling model to assist pastors and congregations in caring for people involved with faith healing within the belief systems of L.I.C and M.C.A.N.
Chapter 5 covers the Pragmatic task, as described by Osmer. In this chapter, the ways of responding to the care and counseling needs are presented via the ‘proposed integrated pastoral care and counseling model.’ This is an answer to the chapter question: ‘What pastoral care and counseling model would help the pastors and congregations in dealing with faith healing beliefs and healing practices in L.I.C and M.C.A.N? A full pragmatic response is reached at after having brought into discussion the data from the literature review on pastoral care and counseling, AIC care and counseling experiences, empirical study findings on faith healing practices in L.I.C and M.C.A.N, interdisciplinary models in pastoral care and counseling, and historical critical and textual exegesis of Mk 5:25-34. A conclusion to the study, lessons learnt, recommendations, and areas for further research are presented in chapter 6 of this study.
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