I’ve been taking some training in counseling and pastoral care this spring, in addition to taking my last course at seminary (which is also related to counseling). Since I feel God has called me to be a pastor, I think its pretty important to have a strong foundation in how to provide pastoral care. I’ve learned many things about myself, many things about people, many things about counseling models, and many things about the Bible.
But I think the most important thing that I’ve learned is that I still have many things to learn about all of these things. Prior to taking this training, I thought I had a better handling on these matters than I do. But I haven’t arrived yet. I am still learning and growing in this area, and I pray that I always will.