Counseling in the Work of Assembly of God Pastors in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract

Researchers has shown that people often perceive pastors as the initial sources of help when people encounter marital, emotional, and mental health challenges. However, limited research exists on the work of counseling among pastors, particularly Assembly of God (AG) pastors. I conducted a single case multiple participant case study in order to understand counseling in the work of AG Pastors in the Pacific Northwest. To answer the guiding question of the study, “How is counseling represented in the work of AG pastors in the Pacific Northwest?” I investigated three sources of evidence: interviews with pastors, review of participants’ websites, and a survey of people who attend AG churches in the Pacific Northwest. I found, as is consistent with existing research, AG congregants go to their pastors for counseling. In addition, AG pastors consider counseling as an important part of their work; however, they drew a distinction between the counseling they provide and that of professional counselors. Pastors recognized the limitations of their training in providing counseling and were willing to refer to professional counselors, though they refer only after meeting with counselees. Furthermore, participants expressed a desire for more training in understanding basic psychopathology and more training in how to make an appropriate referral to professional counselors. While this study adds to existing research, more studies are needed in order to understand the entirety of counseling in the work of pastors.