| Today, being a pastor is a difficult job, which requires specialized, highly educated and well-trained people. Regularly, mostly theoretical books are being published about the professional pastor. The research Pastor and Competence focuses on the theological and professional competence of the pastor, as distinct from the competence of the psychosocial worker. In a survey design we search for an answer to the following question: with respect to what kind of problems and why is the pastor considered to be competent, in comparison with the psychosocial worker? This survey, which analyses and compares the responses of vicars, parishioners and psychosocial workers, aims at establishing the pastor's competence in relation to that of the psychosocial worker. The results of studying the literature on the theological nature of pastoral counseling will be related to the results of empirical research, with a view to contributing to the theological profile of the pastor. |
