CHRISTOTHERAPY A CATALYST FOR PASTORAL CARE AND COUNSELLING IN

HANDLING SEXUAL IMMORALITY AMONG BAPTIST PASTORS OF KADUNA

BAPTIST CONFERENCE

SUBMITTED TO

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL PRESENTED TO THE FACULTY

OF THE BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, KADUNA
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE MASTER OF THEOLOGY
(PASTORAL CARE AND COUNSELLING)

BY

DANLADI DENNIS EMMANUEL

BTSK/76/24/MT3289
 CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Sexual immorality is one of the major problems and challenges faced by pastors within church

congregation and church communities almost on daily bases. These challenges have many times

thrown the church into the street of pity, shame and ridicule, and other times the church is faced

with questions of spiritual integrity and maturity. The church is often left with difficult moment

to navigate these challenging moments. Sexual immorality has made shipreck of many pastors

and their ministry, because of the psychological impact of the act when cut or reported.

Moreover, Pastors are known to be people anointed by God with the fundamental responsibilities

to provide care and counselling as they discharge their pastoral ministry. Therefore, pastoral care

and counselling responsibilities is to provide physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological

well-being of members of the church congregation, and in extension, to the church communities.

Pastors as spiritual leaders bear upon them the care and counselling of troubling members,

whether it’s trauma, depression, marital conflicts, or spiritual struggles. However, pastors

themselves also have struggling moments themselves, and these moments come with stress,

burnout, emotional burdens and overwhelming demands of ministry, which could impact on the

pastors’ ministry negatively, leading to uncontrollable behaviour, character, and manners.

Sex in its beauty is meant for married couples, those legally joint either by the church,

court or traditionally. Sexual immorality set in when sex is carryout by those not joint legally; it

could either be fornication (sex between the singles) or adultery (sex between those who are

married). Pastors with loose sexual appetite often engage in the act of sexual immorality with the

singles ladies, married women and widows of their churches and within their church
communities. Helping and restoring pastors who are victims of sexual misconduct and

immorality requires a holistic approach, an approach that focuses on Christ-centered healings

and cure, that combines psychological techniques and Christ approaches to care and counseling.

When a pastor is heal and restore from sexual misconduct, his ministry will be restore and

likewise his family, Christotherapy as a therapeutic approach will play a significant role in

helping Baptist Pastors in Kaduna Baptist Conference who are involve in sexual immorality to

receive Christ-like care.

This research seeks to advocate the use of Christotherapy as catalyst in handling sexual

immorality among pastors of Kaduna Baptist Conference. It will explore how Christotherapy can

enhance the care and counselling process of a pastor who is a victim of sexual immorality. The

hope is that the finding will shed light on how Christotherapy can be applied in a practical way in

restoring a pastor who engages in sexual misconduct to the place of discipline, faith, and spiritual

reawakening.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Sexual immorality is no longer a challenge among members only, but it has also crib in among

pastors today. Many pastors who are victim of the temptation of sexual immorality do so for

many reasons. Some fall into the temptation of sexual immorality because of unguided thought,

misunderstanding between spouse, lack of sexual-intimacy among spouse, loss of spouse, the

absent of spouse for a long period of time, uncontrolled relationship and closeness with the

opposite sex, pressure from opposite sex, blackmailing traps, and some is a demonic distraction

to disrupt and to destroy the image and ministry of such pastor. This study will explore the

potential benefits of incorporating Christotherapy (Christ method or way of healing) as an

adjunct technique within a Christian pastoral care and counseling framework in helping pastors

that are victim of sexual immorality.

Christotherapy combines biblical principles that are Christ-Centered in care and

counselling cases. The purpose of Christotherapy is to focus every counselling process with how

Jesus will address counselling cases. However, little research has examined its applications

specifically in sexual immorality within the Kaduna Baptist Conference. By selecting and

enforcing carefully ministerial ethics, ministerial code of conduct and discipline to pastors that

falls into the sin of sexual immorality should be drawn from biblical passage and narration that

teaches the life and love of Jesus Christ, when applied, counselors will find Christotherapy serve

as a powerful tools in helping the victims of sexual sin. Relevant narratives of Christ love will

both help the counsellor and counselee foster empathy, self-reflection and perspective shifts in a

manner total repentance could be achieved. Additionally, the way Christ handled sexual immoral

issues in the bible and the response of the victim could stand as a transformative tools that will

help a counsellor provide care to the sexual immoral victim.

Despite the fact that pastors are seen as spiritual head within the church congregation and

church communities, many pastors continue to struggle with the issues of sexual immorality

which has always leave them at the mercies of it. Traditional counselling methods may not

always adequately address spiritual challenges that these pastors are faced with. There is a need

for counseling approaches that can holistically integrate Christ-Centered therapy with evidence-

based psychological interventions.

This research will in a way establish a Christ-evidence-based model for responsibly

incorporating Christotherapy into a pastoral care and counselling approach tailored toward
healing, guiding, reconciling and sustaining the pastors that falls into the web of sexual

immorality. A mixed-methods design utilizing surveys and potential pilot interventions with

pastors of Kaduna Baptist Conference will aim to develop best practices. Ultimately, the goal of

this research is to equip counsellors with another innovative tool for fulfilling the ministry of

healing, guiding, reconciliation and sustaining of pastors of the Kaduna Baptist Conference are

were involved in sexual immorality.

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Research

The aim of this research basically is to evaluate the efficacy of Christotherapy as catalyst for

handling sexual immorality among Pastors of Kaduna Baptist Conference. To achieve this aim,

this research will seek to:

i. Examine the concept and definition of Christotherapy as a therapeutic approach by

addressing its core principles

ii. Examine the theological stands of Christotherapy in relation to Christ principle of

handling sexual immoral acts

iii. Examine the psychological efficacy of Christotherapy in handling sexual immoralities

iv. Propose possible solutions how to handle sexual immoral acts using Christotherapy.

1.4 Thesis Statement

This research posits that Christotherapy is a catalyst for pastoral care and counselling in handling

sexual immorality among Baptist pastors of the Kaduna Baptist Conference, leading to enhanced

pastoral ministry and the overall well-being of the pastor and their congregations. It explores the

biblical and psychological foundations, and practical application of Christotherapy, assesses its

effectiveness in addressing sexual immoralities among pastors of the Kaduna Baptist

Conference, and evaluates its role as a catalyst for spiritual, psychological, and emotional

healing. by examining its impact on counselling practices, this research seek to demonstrate how

Christotherapy is significant in enhancing counselling process with pastors of Kaduna Baptist

Conference that falls into the temptation of sexual immorality.

1.5 Significance of the Study

This research aims to explore Christotherapy and how it can be a valuable resource for Baptist

pastors who are counsellors and want to help other pastors who fall into sexual immorality. This

research holds significant importance for several reasons, which are as follows.

Practical Application: The research aims to develop a potentially effective tool for

counsellors of the Kaduna Baptist Conference to enhance their counselling skills in addressing

sexual immorality amidst pastors. It will explore methods that integrate meaningfully Christian

teachings of the practical life and teaching of Christ Jesus into counselling practices,

strengthening Christ-based approach to handling sexual immorality.

Cultural Relevance: By focusing on the specific context of the Kaduna Baptist

Conference, the research ensures that the findings and recommendations are culturally relevant

and application to the target population.

Contribution to Literature: This research will contribute to the growing body of Research

on Christotherapy, particularly in its application to Christian counselling and, specifically,

handing pastors that falls into the temptation of sexual immorality.

Social Impact: This research aims to strengthen, heals, restore and sustain pastors who

are involved in sexual immorality, which could potentially positively affect the broader

community and society.

 Replicability: The Christotherapy intervention model developed through this research

could serve as a template for other Christian denominations and counselling contexts, extending

its potential impact beyond the immediate study population.

1.6 Scope and Focus of the Research

This research will focus specifically on Pastors of the Kaduna Baptist Conference. The research

will involve pastors who have been into the pastoral ministry for at least one year and more, and

these pastors must be living within the Kaduna Baptist Conference. The research will focus on

how to motivate counsellors or pastors that want to develop skills in handling sexual immorality

among pastors of the Kaduna Baptist Conference.

1.7 Research Questions

The following questions were formed to guide in the exploitation of the effect of exploring

Christotherapy as a care and counselling technique in handling sexual immorality among Pastors

of Kaduna Baptist Conference: an approach for helping Pastors that are victims of sexual

immorality.

How does the biblical concept of care and counselling align with the use of

Christotherapy in handling sexual immorality?

What are the most common sexual immorality challenges of pastors, and how can these

be addressed through Christotherapy interventions?

How sexual misconduct of pastors does affect the church, and broader society, and how

can Christotherapy be used to decrease these effects?

 Compared to other therapeutic approaches, how effective is Christotherapy as a

counselling technique in addressing specific sexual misconduct, and how to promote sexual

purity among Pastors of Kaduna Baptist Conference.

1.8 Research Hypotheses

H1: Christotherapy significantly improves the effectiveness of handling sexual

immorality among pastors.

H2: Christotherapy leads to more significant improvements in handling sexual

immorality compared to secular therapy.

H3: Counsellors who engage in Christotherapy as part of their counselling skills show

more significant improvements in their care and counselling compared to those who receive

traditional counselling alone.

H4: The effectiveness of Christotherapy in handling sexual immorality is positively

correlated in drawing both the counsellor and the victim to the love and care of Christ.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Christotherapy: M.H. Spero opines that “Christotherapy emphasizes the transformative power

of Christ in the healing process, integrating spiritual disciplines with psychological counselling

methods.”1 John A. Okon added “Christotherapy serves as a holistic approach that aligns divine

healing with psychological well-being in Christian counselling contexts.” 2 John Oliver Yakubu

defines Christotherapy as a “therapy that is centered on Christ” and that “Christotherapy is Christ

1
M.H. Spero, Christo-Therapy and Pastoral Counseling: A Faith-Based Healing Approach (New York:
Paulist Press, 1985), 40.
2
John A. Okon, Faith-Based Therapy and Christian Counselling: An Integrative Approach (Lagos:
Theological Press, 2018), 53.
way of healing.”3 Christotherapy is sometimes referred to as “Christ-Centre Therapy” meaning,

every care and counselling should be centered on Jesus Christ. Therefore, Christotherapy is

Christ therapeutic method of handling challenges.

Catalyst: A catalyst is “an agent that provokes or speeds significant change or action”, 4 in this

context, catalyst refers to a factor that accelerates or enhances the process of pastoral care and

counselling. Christotherapy is explored as a transformative agent that facilitates effective

ministerial support and personal well-being among Baptist pastors.

Counselling: Counselling is “a therapeutic approach, similar to psychotherapy, usually based

upon talking through issues in the context of a focused relationship between counselor and

client(s)”5

Pastoral Care and Counselling: According to Doegring, Pastoral care and counselling “is a

holistic approach that integrates theology, psychology, and human experience to support

individuals in their faith journey and personal struggles.” 6 Pastoral care and counselling in this

context involve the provision of spiritual, emotional, and psychological support by church

leaders to their congregants. It is aimed at guiding individuals through personal challenges,

fostering spiritual growth, and promoting holistic well-being. This study examines how

Christotherapy serves as a means to strengthen these pastoral responsibilities.

3
John Oliver Yakubu, lecture from Theological Foundation of Pastoral Care PCC 640, Kaduna: Baptist
Theological Seminary, 19 September 2024.
4
Merriam-Webster, “Catalyst” from [Link] Accessed
5/3/2025.
5
The New Dictionary of Pastoral Studies, “Counselling” Edited by Wesley Carr, (Grand Rapids: SPCK,
2002), 75.
6
C. Doehring, The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach (Westminster: John Knox Press,
2015), 150.
Baptist Pastors: Baptist pastors are ordained ministers serving within the Baptist denomination,

responsible for spiritual leadership, preaching, teaching, and pastoral care to their congregations.

In this study, the focus is on pastors within the Kaduna Baptist Conference who provide

counselling, care, shepherding and support to their members in accordance with Baptist doctrinal

beliefs.

Kaduna Baptist Conference: The Kaduna Baptist Conference is a regional body of Baptist

churches in Kaduna, Nigeria, affiliated with the Nigerian Baptist Convention. It provides

leadership, oversight, and support for Baptist churches and pastors within its jurisdiction

ensuring doctrinal consistency and ministerial effectiveness.