WELCOME TO KENTERPRO:
CHALLENGES OF PASTORAL COUNSELLING AMONG YOUTH MINISTERS IN FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIAN STUDENTS (FCS) IN BENUE, NASSARAWA AND PLATEAU STATES

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

There is an overwhelming increase in the number of youth globally. This though positive, yet poses great challenges to the youth ministers, who automatically become those to render pastoral Counselling. There is also global advancement with good effects; more youths have increased knowledge, acquired more skills, advanced technologically and so many of them are exposed to internet. Globalization and modernization seem to be the order of the day. These though positive, yet shows clearly that the youth ministers would need to build up their capacity in order to surmount the attending challenges.

More youths are into drugs, pornography, homosexuality, crimes of various forms. Some youths are trapped by get-rich-quick syndrome which has given birth to indulging in gambling and fraudulent activities. The effect of such vices among youth shows clearly the need for not just counseling, but pastoral counselling. The quest to find solutions to the challenges faced by the youth minister as regards pastoral counselling is the propelling force behind this research.

The counsellor’s work is to stimulate change in the people he or she counsel. This work can be influenced by the constant changes that take place in the world around (11). These constant changes make the counselor seek to develop himself to cope with the current changes especially among youth. The youth are caught in the web of these changes and as a result the youth minister rendering pastoral counseling must be well prepared. Collins in his book “Christian Counseling” outlined the following changes:

* The pace of life is changing, and many people are overwhelmed with business: When the pace of life is too fast, or when we are too busy or overwhelmed by work, there is limited time and energy for spiritual growth, marriage and family building, or even counselling. One result has been the growth of short-term therapies that seek to speed along the process and let the counselees get along the process and get back to their busy lifestyle as quickly as possible.

* Ever-advancing technology has changed the ways in which we live and do our work: Technology enables us to be in close easy touch with counselees in other parts of the neighborhood or world, keep and access records when we need them, consult specialist, get their own information from the internet or join visual support groups. All of these can overwhelm the non-technical counsellor, but we are surrounded with technical experts, some as young as six or seven, who can solve the computer problem that we “non-techies” might encounter.

* The ever-escalating flood of information can be useful yet overwhelming. All of us, including our counselees, can access a wealth of information efficiently. Increasingly, counselees come to us with detailed and sophisticated understanding of their problems and know more about possible treatment plans than we do. As a result, the counselors become the learners (11). Collins went further to say, “Is it surprising that all these changes have created an environment where spirituality and search for foundational beliefs and values have exploded? Only a few years ago, counsellors avoided anything spiritual. Perhaps none of these had made a greater impact on our world and youth than the rise and general acceptance of the post-modern world view. What does this mean for the post-modern worldview? What does this mean for the pastoral counselor? Older counselors and other mental professionals, along with perhaps the majority of churches, have chunked to the traditional ways of caring, communicating and bringing change. Yet with the explosive growth of post modernism, the foundations of our work have begun to shift” (11).

Most of the world’s population is young and even in understanding countries, post-modern values and influencers have infiltrated most of the culture by means of the media, the internet, interactive technologies, innovative ways of learning and even politics, business and the entertainment industries  (11-12). Certainly counseling can be gratifying work, but it doesn’t take long for most counselors to discover that this also can be difficult, emotionally draining work. Counselors sometimes make hasty judgments and disperse advice like fictional counselors. As more and more needy people come for help, the tendency is to keep increasing our counseling load-pushing ourselves closer to the limits of our endurance (16-17). This depicts the picture of the youth minister in Fellowship of Christian Students (FCS) in Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau States.

The global changes, the increasing number of youth that needs pastoral counselling and the ever-increasing challenges for pastoral counseling among youth ministers is the quest for this research. The researcher is of the opinion that the youth ministers need to understand the challenges he is faced with; develop himself and effectively render pastoral counseling to the teaming youth.

• STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Most staff of FCS in Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau states came into youth ministry without considering the enormous demand on them. So it appears many were moved by zeal and passion for youth ministry, hence they get into it to satisfy such zeal. However, the youth ministry is too delicate to be done only on the basis of zeal especially for the youth minister that would be involved in pastoral counseling so that he can have effective ministry.

In Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau states, the youth Ministers in FCS are faced with challenges that queries their preparedness and effectiveness. So many questions are begging for answers: were these ministers prepared before coming into youth ministry? Do they understand the challenges of pastoral ministry? Could it be they are overwhelmed by the demands of pastoral counseling? Perhaps due to the general misconception that the main duty of the FCS staff are school visitation and distribution of Christian literature. Perhaps it is due to lack of proper preparation or training on pastoral counseling.

• RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions were raised to guide the study:

1. Do youth ministers in fellowship of Christian students render pastoral counseling?
2. What are the challenges of pastoral counselling?

• What are the causes of the challenges that youth ministers encounter during pastoral counseling?

1. What are the importance of pastoral counseling?
   • AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

            The aim of this study is to sensitize the Youth Ministers to take pastoral counseling as a vital tool for effective ministry among youth and as stewards of God’s flock to use scriptural injunction in helping to raise godly youth.

The specific objectives of this research are as follows:

1. To assess the involvement of FCS staff in pastoral counseling
2. To investigate the challenges that youth ministers face and proffer solutions to such problems.

• To find out what are the causes of the challenges

1. To examine the benefits of Pastoral Counseling
   • SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study is unique and essential in the sense that it seeks to sway its relevance in the following perspectives: the research will create more awareness on the concept of pastoral counselling, the challenges of pastoral counselling among youth ministers in Fellowship of Christian Students in Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau States and to proffer solutions to the challenges.

It is hoped that the research will serve as a resource base for institutions or persons that render pastoral counselling and to provide guide for youth ministers in the Fellowship of Christian Students.

• SCOPE AND THE LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This research has FCS youth ministers as its target on the issue of challenges of pastoral counselling. This target group is spread all over the nation Nigeria where fellowship of Christian Students operates which will be too vast for this study. The research therefore is limited to the staff of the Fellowship of Christian Students in Benue, Nassarawa and Plateau States. The research is limited to this scope due to time constraints, the huge financial implications if one is to go round the entire nation and the challenges of insecurity.

• DEFINITIONS OF OPERATIONAL TERMS

Pastoral: This refers to the part of the work of teachers and priests that is concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance to the youth about their personal matters in life.

Counseling: This includes exploration of the client’s situation and understanding of their world therefore discovering better ways of helping the youth cope with specified problems identified.

Pastoral Counseling: This is a valuable church instrument of translating the good news into the language of relationship which allows the minister to communicate a healing message to youths struggling in alienation and despair to deal with their problems and be able to live a godly life.

Youths: They are people between the ages of thirteen (13) and twenty three (23) in the church or fellowship who need encouragement and counseling in order to become more involved in spiritual life.

Challenges: This refers to some certain problems that youth in the church face that are greater than their effort which need pastoral counseling in order to live a godly life.

Ministry: In Christianity, ministry is an activity carried out by pastors or Christians to express or spread their faith, the prototype being the great commission.

Modernism: This refers to modifying traditional beliefs in accordance with modern ideas or quality of thoughts, approach, expression and technique by a minister of pastor in other to describe the present challenge the youth face with the aim of finding a solution to it.

Globalization: A world that has become increasingly networked into a global community. It can be understood as the phenomenon of the interdependence of nations and continents through economic, financial and trade relations, and increasingly also in the domains of culture, lifestyle and even moral convictions of people. 

Contemporary: This refers to the period in which the youth are in which a methodical and coherent approach has to be identified, analysed and evaluated in a broad context with the aim of developing responsive adequate and quality public policy to efficiently solving their problems.

Staff: These are people employed by FCS as full time workers.

State: The geopolitical location of state in Nigeria.

Area: The combination of states (3, 4 or 5) of FCS operation.

Office Assistant (OA): A support Staff in FCS office

FCS: Fellowship of Christian Students. This is a meeting of Christian students

JFCS: Junior Fellowship of Christian Students. This is a branch of FCS that exist in primary school.

POSEC: The branch of FCS that exist in tertiary institutions.

Associates: People that are also involved in FCS ministry as school visitors, counselors but not employed or under the pay role of FCS ministry.