A study of hindrance factors towards pastoral counseling as perceived by pastors in the protestant church in West Indonesia

Abstract

This study aims to identify factors that hinder the process of pastoral counseling as perceived by Indonesian pastors, particularly the pastors of the Protestant Church in West Indonesia (GPIB). The study also tries to categorize these hindrance factors into three sub-groups based on the challenges that each factor represents. The primary methods used in this study are those of conducting interviews with some pastors from different places in Indonesia, and distributing questionnaires to the pastors located in the area of Sumatra islands and Jakarta. The data gathered is analyzed using statistical tools. The study seeks to assess the significance of eighteen factors that might hinder the pastoral counseling process in Indonesia. These factors can be categorized into three subgroups, namely: cultural challenges, psychological challenges and extrinsic challenges. The most dominant factors of three categories which were rated as “very hindering” are : (a) cultural challenges such as highly excessive demands, reticence in expressing problems, and dependency upon the pastors; (b) extrinsic challenges such as lack of time, problems with methods and techniques, inadequate seminary preparation， and awkward social situations; (c) psychological challenges such as gender and transference and counter-transference and psychological tensions of pastors. Further hindrance factors mentioned by pastors include the coming of parishioners for counseling only one or two times, and misunderstandings about pastoral counseling itself. Since pastoral counseling is then understood as trying people in court, many people are ashamed to seek pastors for counseling. Others realities that effect pastoral counseling include the inheritance from the Dutch mission church (a) of a pastoral model which considers pastoral counseling mainly as one-way advice giving and (b) a church polity that is primarily hierarchical. In response to these challenges, the writer suggests that Rogers's client-centered counseling method can be very instrumental and helpful in overcoming hindrances in pastoral counseling in Indonesia. Rogers emphasizes three conditions that should occur in counseling: unconditional positive regard or acceptance, empathy and genuineness or congruence. He also stresses that relationship and listening are very significant in dealing with people in counseling. His basic assumption is that the solution to a person’s problems lies in the person himself or herself. Client-Centered Counseling can be readily elaborated with a theological perspective for adaptation into a Christian setting such as "GPIB" (The Protestant Church in West Indonesia). From the results of the study, recommendations are drawn to overcome the hindrance factors toward pastoral counseling. These include training in pastoral counseling for pastors and the need for GPIB to evaluate its polity in order to enhance and contextualize pastoral ministry in the Indonesian context.