Pastoral Care training pathway 2026

Opportunities for further training arranged according to increased complexity, cost, time commitment, and accreditation.

 

DIYs:

The DIYs were developed over a period of time within the VicTas Synod. These offer a wealth of training materials for congregations and presbyteries at an introductory level. The ones that particularly relate to pastoral care include:

• DIY E2 The ministry of Elder within the congregation
• DIY E3 Communication issues for Elders
• DIY E4 Grief care
• DIY E5 The ministry of Elder – pastoral visiting
• DIY E6 Crisis care
• DIY E11 Pastoral care with older people
• DIY E12 Dementia and pastoral care
• DIY E13 Dementia friendly congregations

All DIYs are available as free downloads from CTM Resourcing.

Who for	Level	Cost	Accreditation
Congregations	Introductory	Time	none

 

Group workbooks:

• God’s Love in Action: Pastoral Care For Everyone (2016) by Jill McGilvray, Morning Star Publishing, 2017, Australian. Available from Koorong.

 

Who for	Level	Cost	Accreditation
Congregations	Solid introductory	Time + cost of books	none

 

Mental Health First Aid Australia

For more information – see https://www.mhfa.com.au/

 

Who for	Level	Cost	Accreditation
Congregations, Chaplains, Ministry of Pastor, Lay Preacher	Intermediate	Time + see https://www.mhfa.com.au/	See https://www.mhfa.com.au/

 

Pastoral Partner Program

Providing strategies and resource for effective pastoral care. 

Pastoral care is at the very heart of congregational life. This program seeks to establish an ethos of care among the congregation by establishing and maintaining a network of pastoral care. By identifying those with the gifts and willingness to use them for others, this program offers TRAINING and SUPPORT over a period of three years to equip carers for the task. Establish a team of partners who will ensure that everyone in the congregation will be connected and cared for. This Coordinators Manual is a complete resource for establishing and maintaining your pastoral care program.

(from Wayzgoose Print – Pastoral Partner Coordinators Manual)

 

The Participant’s Guide provides thorough teaching resources for pastoral carers in conjunction with the Coordinator’s Manual.

(from Wayzgoose Print – Pastoral Partner Participants Guide)

 

To mark the tenth anniversary of the Pastoral Partner Program, MediaCom has released this new resource Pastoral Partners Moving Forward. This resource offers additional material to strengthen the work of those committed to pastoral care. It provides additional teaching resources for meetings and brings encouragement to pastoral partners in the incredibly important work they do.

Includes:

• Keeping your Pastoral Partner Program Fresh
• Pastoral Care and Leadership
• Pastoral Care – Integral to Leadership
• Pastoral Care and Evangelism
• Pastoral Care and Small Groups
• Pastoral Care for Various Cultures in a Congregation
• Pastoral Care and the Church’s Life – When the Church’s Heart Breaks
• Pastoral Care and Hospitality
• Journeying with People Experiencing Dementia
• Journeying with People with Disabilities
• Walking alongside People who Experience Mental Illness
• Life Beyond Full-Time Work
• The Transition into Aged Care.

(From Wayzgoose Print – Pastoral Partner Moving Forward)

 

Who for	Level	Cost	Accreditation
Congregations and Presbyteries	Comprehensive for congregational needs	Significant time commitment for learning + cost of resources	none

 

Uniting Clinical Pastoral Education – The John Paver Centre (Uniting CPE)

Uniting CPE – The John Paver Centre is one of a number of Clinical Pastoral Education Centres in Victoria.

Traditionally associated with hospital settings, the Centre offers the same accreditation to people engaged in a range of community-based pastoral care roles, either as an employee or volunteer.

Participants are placed in diverse settings, such as prisons, forensic and community mental health, disability, schools, aged care, congregations, and hospitals.

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is a rigorous action-reflection process of education focused on enhancing pastoral identity, skills, and responsiveness. Feedback and learning is gained from small-group peer interaction and individual supervision.

The Centre is registered with the Association for Supervised and Clinical Pastoral Education in Victoria (ASACPEV) and its programs are run in conjunction with the equipping Leadership for Mission division of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.

 

Applications

Participants are required to supply evidence of an agency or organisation’s support for the duration of a placement. By negotiation, an on-site Administrative Supervisor will also be appointed. More information and an application form can be found here.

Applications are welcome from students pursuing academic studies with the University of Divinity.

For more information regarding UD/CPE accreditation and processes, contact Allison Whitby, Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program Director, School of Professional Practice, University of Divinity on +61 3 9853 3177 or awhitby@divinity.edu.au

 

Admission requirements

• Submit a written application, including referees and placement arrangements
• Be available for a potential interview
• Sign a Code of Ethics Agreement

 

 

Who for	Level	Cost	Accreditation
People engaged in a range of community based pastoral care roles (employed or volunteer).	Advanced	While the cost of time and money are significant, the outcomes are also significantly worthwhile. See links: ·        CPE Vic https://www.asacpev.org.au/ ·        CPE Tas http://www.taspe.com.au/clinical-pastoral-education/	An CPE graduate is accredited with one unit (either Level 1 or Level 2) by ASACPEV. University of Divinity students gain credit according to undergraduate or post-graduate enrolment.

 

Pilgrim Theological College

Pilgrim Theological College offers courses accredited by the University of Divinity, including the Graduate Certificate in Spirituality, Graduate Diploma in Pastoral and Spiritual Care, and the Masters in Pastoral and Spiritual Care, and the Undergraduate Certificate in Divinity and Bachelor degrees.

The following 3-day units are offered within our courses in 2026:

DP1011P/8011P Spiritual Care: Independent Practitioner

DP1021P/8021P Spiritual Care: Ritual, Meaning and Reflective Practice

DP9041P Spiritual Care: Trauma and Moral Injury

DP1071P/8071P Care at Death’s Door

DP1072P/8072P Care in a Grieving Community

DP2061P/9061P CPE and Therapeutic Pastoral Theology

Applications

Please contact the Registrar, Ms Erlinda Loverseed via study@pilgrim.edu.au or 03 9340 8892

Admission requirements

Admission requirements vary between units of study and courses, so please see the University website: https://divinity.edu.au/courses and speak to the Registrar at Pilgrim Theological College for personalised advice.