Journal profile · RELIGION
Journal of Pastoral Theology
ISSN 1064-9867 · eISSN 2161-4504
Journal of Pastoral Theology: CAS Zone 4 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.8 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 112 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 38% (journal website); 29 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Pastoral Theology is in Zone 4 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Theological Perspectives and Practices, Religion, Society, and Development and Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology, together about 55.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Religious studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Pastoral Theology was established in 1990 by the Society for Pastoral Theology to: Further the understanding of pastoral theology as a theological discipline and to clarify the nature of the discipline; Maintain a view of pastoral theology as a constructive theology that emerges from the exercise of caring relationships, with attention both to present lived experience and to knowledge derived from the past; Provide an intentional forum for the voices of diverse persons, women and men, of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds; Foster multi-cultural understandings of issues in the discipline; Promote and encourage multi-discipline and multi-cultural research in the field of pastoral theology; Provide resources for those who teach and those who study, through recording current research and assessing the relevant literature; Provide for the construction of sound theological principles for guidance and critique of practices of pastoral and spiritual care; and Work creatively, through synthesis and construction, to define the frontiers and parameters of the discipline. Peer Review Policy: All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RELIGION
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 16, South Korea 1, Canada 1, Belgium 1, South Africa 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Theological Perspectives and PracticesSocial Sciences25.7%
- Religion, Society, and DevelopmentSocial Sciences17.3%
- Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologySocial Sciences12.6%
- Christian Theology and MissionArts and Humanities10.1%
- Pentecostalism and Christianity StudiesArts and Humanities5.1%
- Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthPsychology3%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences2.5%
- Biblical Studies and InterpretationArts and Humanities2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Religion | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Religion | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCILetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ATLA Religion DatabasePublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 16OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 35OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 50%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 18LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 15,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 15,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 630 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 29 | 6 | 6 |
| 2024 | 21 | 5 | 74 |
| 2023 | 22 | 4 | 29 |
| 2022 | 28 | 3 | 32 |
| 2021 | 15 | 3 | 60 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
112 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 112 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 112 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted1
- research articlesAll research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Journal of Pastoral Theology is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverabilit…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- ISSN
- 1064-9867
- Electronic ISSN
- 2161-4504
- Society / sponsor
- Society for Pastoral Theology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 35, Issue 3 (2025)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Pastoral Theology
What CAS zone is Journal of Pastoral Theology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Pastoral Theology is in Zone 4 of Philosophy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Religion. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Pastoral Theology?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; h-index 16.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Pastoral Theology?
The publisher reports about 112 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 38% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Pastoral Theology based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), South Korea (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Pastoral Theology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Pastoral Theology is indexed in ESCI.
Is Journal of Pastoral Theology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Pastoral Theology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .