Online certification · Ministry
The Pastoral Care Certificate is a self-paced online course from Presence College. In about 40 hours you learn to care for people through illness, grief, crisis and every season of life, with compassionate listening, prayer and visitation, then earn a printable certificate endorsed by Shakeid Ministries Global.
One payment, lifetime access
15-day money-back guarantee
Ministry-endorsed by Shakeid Ministries Global · 4 Ministry Credit Hours
A ministry certificate, not a degree or a professional license. What your certificate means
Curriculum
Each module comes as a PDF guide with an audio version and ends with an optional quiz. The final exam comes after the last one.
Who it's for
For Christians who want to provide compassionate, Christ-centered care in churches, ministries and their communities.
You feel called to care for people through grief, illness, crisis or major life changes.
You want to serve in a church, ministry, chaplaincy or community care role.
You want practical skills in listening, encouragement, prayer and spiritual support.
You want to care well while keeping healthy boundaries and knowing when to refer.
Imagine one month from now: you sit at a hospital bedside or with a grieving family, and you know how to listen, pray and bring the comfort of Christ with confidence.
Pastoral care training
Across 10 Christ-centered modules you'll build the biblical understanding, listening skills, healthy boundaries and spiritual insight to care for others with wisdom and confidence.
Discover the calling and character of a caregiver and the biblical models of care, so you know how to show up for people with the compassion of Christ.
Learn to listen well, earn people’s trust and stay steady beside people in hospital rooms, homes and the hardest conversations.
Support marriages and families, children and youth, the elderly and those at the end of life, with care that fits each stage.
Lead prayer, visit the sick and housebound, and serve with confidence at weddings, baptisms and funerals.
Respond to doubt and suffering with clarity and compassion, grounded in who Jesus is and why the Bible can be trusted.
Build and equip a team that cares for your congregation, and grow in servant leadership, wisdom and spiritual maturity.
Your path
Everything is online. You get the 10 modules and the audio lessons the moment you enroll.
Most students finish the 40 hours in four to eight weeks, but there is no deadline and you keep lifetime access.
Optional quizzes after each module, then a multiple-choice final exam with an 80% pass mark. You can retake it.
Download your printable Pastoral Care certificate and use it in your church, ministry or practice, within the rules of your location.
Your future
Care for people with biblical wisdom, compassionate presence and practical skills, in your church, in your community, or in the work you already do.
Visitation, prayer, encouragement and practical support for the people of your church.
Chaplaincy, care homes and community outreach, where permitted by the rules in your location.
Add pastoral care skills to leadership, counseling, coaching or mentoring.
You don't need everything mapped out before you begin. This course can become the foundation of a care ministry or strengthen the work you already do.
Everything included
10 modules, PDF and audio, quizzes, final exam, printable certificate, lifetime access
Faith-based client attraction strategies, simple marketing systems, templates, and guidance for building trust online
Free with every enrollment
Your certificate
Pass the final exam, confirm the name you want on it, and download your personalized PDF certificate, included with the course. Display your training with pride in your church, ministry or practice, and if you would like something to hold, add a printed copy. Printed on premium heavyweight paper, ready to frame, and sent to your door. Shipping is included, wherever you live.
Presence College is institutionally accredited by the Kingdom International Standards Authority as a Christian ministry and religious educational center.
Endorsed by Shakeid Ministries Global, a global Christian ministry equipping ministers and leaders for Kingdom service.
This 40-hour certificate earns 4 MCH. Complete 8 eligible counseling certificates (32 MCH) to qualify for the Diploma in Counseling.
KISA accreditation is private and faith-based and applies to the institution, not to individual courses. It is not government or statutory recognition and does not confer degree-awarding powers or a license to practice. Every enrollment helps support Iris Global and Freedom Ministries in their outreach, education and discipleship work.
What's truly uplifting is how this helps us stay hopeful and trusting in God, while also nurturing our relationship with Him - and the wisdom gained makes us more empathetic and effective counselors.
This program was well thought out and organized, it brought many concepts forward with associated actionable content that will be directly applicable and re-usable as I journey forward.
This Course helped me to understand the deliverance ministry in a more advanced method to help and assist all individuals in need of spiritual breakthroughs and freedom from generational curses and sins and iniquities of past life styles.
Questions
Pastoral care is the ministry of caring for people in the name of Christ through every season of life: listening, praying, visiting the sick and housebound, comforting the grieving, supporting people in crisis and helping them grow in faith. In a church it is shared by pastors, elders and trained lay caregivers, not only the senior pastor. What is pastoral care, and who should do it?
Not quite. Pastoral care is broad, ongoing care for people’s spiritual and practical needs: presence, prayer, visitation and encouragement. Counseling is more structured help with a specific problem, such as grief, conflict or anxiety. The Pastoral Care course includes biblical counseling foundations and teaches you to know when to refer someone to a counselor, a doctor or a licensed professional.
Graduates use the Pastoral Care certificate to serve on church care and visitation teams, support bereaved families, volunteer in care homes or community chaplaincy, and add care skills to leadership or counseling roles. They can also apply for ordination with Shakeid Ministries Global, which reviews each application. The certificate itself is not an ordination, a degree or a license, and hospital and military chaplaincy usually require a degree and clinical pastoral education (CPE).
It depends on the setting. Church-based and volunteer chaplaincy, care homes and community outreach often welcome pastoral care training like this, while hospital and military chaplaincy usually require a degree, clinical pastoral education (CPE) and an endorsement from a faith group. Check the requirements of the organization you want to serve.
The Pastoral Care course covers 10 modules: Foundations of Pastoral Care; The Heart of Caring Ministry; Biblical Counseling Foundations; Specialized Areas of Pastoral Care; Ministry in the Life of the Church; Spiritual Growth and Christian Maturity; Christian Apologetics for Pastoral Care; Leadership and Responsibility in Care Ministry; The Church and the World; and Christology.
No prior experience or qualification is required. The Pastoral Care course starts from the foundations and builds step by step, so it suits beginners as well as people already serving in a church, ministry or practice. All you need is a phone, tablet or computer and a desire to help others. If you are unsure whether it fits your situation, contact us and we will help you decide.
The Pastoral Care course takes about 40 hours of study, spread over 10 modules. It is 100% online and self-paced, with no deadlines: you study when it suits you, around work, family and ministry, an hour a day or a few hours at the weekend. You keep lifetime access, so you can pause and come back at any time.
The Pastoral Care course costs $97, paid once, with lifetime access and no subscription. The price covers all 10 modules with their PDF and audio lessons, the quizzes, the final exam and your downloadable certificate. Take two or more different courses and each one is 30% off. A premium printed copy of the certificate is optional, 28% off when added with the course, and a 15-day money-back guarantee applies.
The course is divided into 10 modules. Each lesson comes as a downloadable PDF guide with an audio version, followed by an optional quiz, and everything sits in your online student account, on a phone, tablet or computer. Your progress is saved as you go, and support from a real person is available by email within 24–48 hours.
You earn the certificate by passing the final multiple-choice exam with a score of 80% or more, and you can retake it if needed. The optional quizzes at the end of each module prepare you for it. As soon as you pass, you confirm the name to print and download your Pastoral Care certificate as a PDF, included with the course. A printed copy is optional, 28% off when you add it with the course. Printed on premium heavyweight paper, ready to frame, and sent to your door. Shipping is included, wherever you live.
It is a ministry certificate, not a license or a degree. Presence College holds private, faith-based institutional accreditation from the Kingdom International Standards Authority (KISA), which is not government or statutory accreditation, and the course is endorsed by Shakeid Ministries Global. The 40-hour course earns 4 Ministry Credit Hours. If you need a qualification for a specific job, membership or continuing-education requirement, check with that organization before you enroll.
Yes. Every Presence College course comes with a 15-day money-back guarantee. Email our support team within 15 days of purchase with your order number and enrollment email for a full refund, as long as you have completed less than 20% of the course and have not started the final exam. See the refund policy for details.
Yes. Students of this course can apply for ordination with Shakeid Ministries Global from their student space. Ordination is a separate step with its own application and review. How ordination works
Start learning at your own pace, with lifetime access to your course materials and a 15-day money-back guarantee.
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