Ethics are a set of principles for appropriate conduct.  While often based on morals, which is the understanding of what it right and wrong, ethics differs from morality.  Some things that moral behavior generally considers “right” may not be appropriate conduct in terms of professional ethics. For example, it is morally good to foster friendships with others.  However, the ethics of most professions discourage friendships with those to whom a professional provides a service.  That’s not because friendship is wrong.  Instead, it’s because that boundaries of the professional relationship need to be maintained so that a person receives a quality service from the professional that isn’t influenced by a friendship.

In this course, we will explore ethics and their application for professional pastoral ministers.  We will consider the boundaries that define the relationships between professional pastoral ministers and congregants.  We will also consider how the professional minister’s right to privacy helps to maintain appropriate boundaries and serves as an essential aspect for self-care.

To synthesize an understanding of one’s own spirituality and theological foundations for pastoral ministry.

To assess personal character and values with an ethical paradigm for professional ministry.

To integrate values related to competence within one’s identity as a pastoral minister.

To recognize the relationship between the power differential between pastoral minister and congregant as a context for spiritual and sexual abuse.

To appraise the role of confidentiality in pastoral ministry, including maintaining confidential information from congregants as well as protecting the pastoral minister’s privacy.

To formulate an applied approach to ethics for a specific context of pastoral ministry.