An Assessment of Church Leaders’ Skill in Counselling in the Accra Metropolis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v4i6.294Keywords:
Counselling, Skills, Church, LeadersAbstract
This study investigates the counselling competencies of church leaders within the Accra Metropolis in terms of providing effective guidance and counselling services. The research examines whether church leaders possess the requisite skills for counselling and discusses the influence of perceived closeness to God on their counselling abilities. A mixed-methods approach was utilised, with purposive sampling of eight churches and two seminaries. The sample entailed 85 church leaders and lecturers who completed questionnaires, plus 15 church members who had received counselling. Quantitative data were cleaned, described and subjected to chi-square tests. Among key findings, the study revealed that the counselling training courses significantly enhanced competencies among participating church leaders. Female counsellors also tended to facilitate the clients in thinking about the problems for themselves. Thus, such research emphasises professional counselling training among church leaders, which entails systemic programs that aim to develop particular competencies. First of all, allowing the provision of professional counselling channels, then the legislative support towards mandatory training, followed by the development of counselling courses within the theological study. The paper contributes to the narrowing of the gap between spiritual guidance and professional counselling within religious institutions.
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