Date
11-2020
Department
Rawlings School of Divinity
Degree
Doctor of Ministry (DMin)
Chair
David C. Dixon
Keywords
Pastors, Counselors, Self-worth, Motivation, Cultural, Discipleship
Disciplines
Counseling | Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Walker, Charles T., "African American Pastoral Counseling: The Dynamics on Self-worth, Personal Efficacy, Motivation, and Responsible Discipleship" (2020). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 2735.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2735
Abstract
This qualitative study evaluated the counseling practices of African American pastors in the Southeastern region of the United States. The study examined their perceptions and relevant themes when counseling their parishioners on self-worth, personal efficacy, and motivation. Relevant themes were: Cultural Context counseling; impaired self-worth and self-love in rural young females; and whether the rural male is dominated by loss of hope. The exploratory study collected data from 19 digital surveys, 10 selected pastoral counselors’ semi-structured interviews, and 10 collected member focus interview questionnaires. The findings from the data collected show that members felt comfortable receiving counseling from their pastor who: 1) identified culturally; 2) had a long-established relationship of trust; 3) was highly educated rural bi-vocational pastors who influenced self-worth, personal efficacy, and motivation; and 4) recognized that solution-focused and Integrated Counseling techniques are ideal therapies. Many African American pastors can draw from the study insights that will help them implement a successful counseling program ministry in their Church.
