How Personality Testing Transforms Pastoral Counseling

Pastoral Counseling: A Sacred Responsibility and the Need for New Tools

Pastoral counseling is a vital part of ministry, a specialized calling that adds to the weight of delivering sermons and leading worship services. Week after week, parishioners come to their pastors with deep questions, seeking spiritual guidance, emotional support, and practical wisdom for the challenges they face in life. Whether it’s a young couple seeking advice on marriage, a teenager wrestling with identity issues, or an elder struggling with loneliness, the scope of pastoral counseling is immense. Yet with this immense responsibility comes an equally immense burden. For the pastor that’s being pulled in too many directions, there is a new form of help – read on:

Pastors are naturally and often beheld as the shepherds of their flock, entrusted with guiding their congregations through life’s many ups and downs. The role is not just about listening; it’s about discerning, understanding, and offering biblically grounded advice that aligns with both the individual’s needs and God’s word. This is no small task. It’s a heavy weight, and many pastors, despite their training and spiritual insight, can find themselves overwhelmed. The difficulty lies in the breadth of issues they must address and the unique personalities they must counsel. It’s not uncommon for a pastor to go from counseling a grieving widow to a couple on the brink of divorce, all in the same afternoon. Each person’s story, struggles, and perspective are different. This makes it challenging to provide meaningful, tailored support without falling into generic advice that might miss the mark.

The Missing Tool in Pastoral Counseling

While many pastors appropriately rely on their intuition, prayer life, and scriptural knowledge, what they often lack is a complimentary tool that provides structured insights into the personalities, communication styles, willful resistances, and core needs of their parishioners. This is where Authentic Behavior Contrast (ABContrast.com) can make a significant difference. God created this person in a unique way, and the tensions they feel may well be associated with a belief that they “need” to be something different. This is extremely draining to an individual, and they need to be recharged with the truth about their inborn identity and how no mistakes were made. The same goes for the people in their life they wish would just “change” to suit them – perhaps it’s about a new way of acceptance… acceptance of what they can control (just themselves!) and that free will needs to be extended to others in much the same way as it has been given to them.

ABContrast is a powerful tool designed to offer deep, nuanced insights into individual behavior, preferences, and motivations. It goes beyond surface-level traits to uncover the authentic drivers behind a person’s actions and decisions. For a pastor, this kind of insight can be a game-changer in counseling scenarios. Instead of relying solely on their own interpretations, pastors can use ABContrast to gain a clearer understanding of what their parishioners truly need — whether it’s empathy, direction, practical support, or a listening ear. A corrective plan of action that specifically speaks to the person’s natural tendencies will obviously have better chances of lasting effect, yes?

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Talking Points for Meaningful Conversations

One of the challenges in pastoral counseling is knowing where to start the conversation and how to navigate it without it becoming overwhelming for either the pastor or the parishioner. ABContrast provides talking points based on the individual’s unique type, helping to guide the discussion in a way that feels natural, relevant, and impactful. For example, an individual who leans toward the Autocratic type may need clarity and action-oriented advice, while someone of an Empathic type might benefit more from gentle encouragement and emotional support.

By using a tool like ABContrast, pastors can tailor their approach to fit the person sitting in front of them, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all method. This doesn’t replace the spiritual guidance or scriptural wisdom a pastor provides; rather, it enhances it by giving a clearer picture of who the person is and what they need most in that moment. Consider all the times “redirection” has felt appropriate, but a changed approach wasn’t successful because it wasn’t the right change.

Reducing Burnout and Increasing Effectiveness

Pastoral burnout is a real concern, often stemming from the emotional toll of constantly bearing the burdens of others. When pastors feel they have to have all the answers, the weight can become unbearable. But by integrating tools like ABContrast into their counseling approach, they can find relief in confidence – knowing they have a structured, reliable way to understand and support their parishioners.

ABContrast not only lightens the load but also empowers pastors to be more effective in their ministry. It’s a new way to navigate the complexities of human behavior with greater clarity, helping pastors feel more equipped and confident in their counseling sessions. A big bonus is when they feel better suited to deliver impactful messages from the pulpit since they then realize how Biblical truth is received so uniquely by their congregants. Imagine drawing perfect parallels between Peter’s hasty decisions being corrected in front of everyone and the Dynamic type’s rather rushed attributes. Or how Paul’s apostalic authority can be scary for the reserved types, but brings a controlled smile to the corners of the mouths of the Autocratic types.

A Call to Embrace New Resources

In the face of an uncertain world looking for direction, and as the landscape of pastoral counseling continues to evolve, it’s time for church leaders to embrace new tools that can complement their spiritual gifts. ABContrast is not about replacing the discernment and wisdom that comes from God; it’s about using every resource available to serve others more fully and effectively. By equipping themselves with deeper insights and structured talking points, pastors can provide the kind of tailored, compassionate care that their parishioners need — and that they deserve.

In full disclosure, this project began over 10 years ago in response to a gentle call from God. It’s a system that can confirm which part of the Creator’s fingerprint is on a person’s life. This is critically important as so many earthly lives expire long before they ever happen upon these realizations. If you are a pastor feeling the weight of your counseling role and knowing deep down that there must be “something else” out there, consider exploring the Authentic Behavior Contrast. It might be the key to not only serving your congregation better but also protecting your own well-being as you continue to lead, guide, and shepherd those entrusted to your care.