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Pastoral Care Ministry
by PAM CRESS
Pastoral care ministries are living expressions of Jesus Christ’s desire that individuals and communities should be supported, cared for, and grow toward wholeness. Pastoral care is the practical application of God’s grace, love, mercy, healing, and reconciling touch in all aspects of human life. Pastoral care can be a clear proclamation of Jesus Christ as living presence within, but never confined to, the community of faith.
Pastoral care ministries express the love of God for every person and declare the worthiness of each life to feel loved, to be free of bondage, to discover wholeness and to grow in relationship with the Holy. There are a variety of ministries that make up pastoral care. These ministries include:
- Caring for those in crisis or circumstances of great stress including physical, spiritual, emotional, mental, or relational dimensions of living.
- Supporting those with ongoing challenges or continuing circumstances for which there are no clear or visible resolutions.
- Guiding persons to receive assistance with a life question or problem.
- Addressing the need in each life for healing of the spirit and reconciliation of broken relationships. This includes encouraging the principles of Christ-like living.
- Celebrating life events and accomplishments.
The ministry of pastoral care lies with the members of the congregation, not just with the pastor or the ordained ministry of the church. In truth, some concerns should be addressed by those with training or specific skills. However, sacred community declares the blessings and giftedness of each life to both give and receive Christ-like love and compassionate care. It is the responsibility of leadership to explore congregational needs and discover pathways for people to provide care within congregational life. It is not the responsibility of the pastor or priesthood or leadership to provide every act of ministry.
Effective pastoral care is as much an attitude of respect and inclusion of persons as it is the practical application of specific ministries. In other words, respect for each person and inclusion of each one as a person of worth is an attitude that speaks of Christ’s compassion. Approaching and paying close attention to people to understand them and listen deeply to what they are saying and what might be underlying their words is important. It conveys the worth of persons no matter the topic or focus. Respectful and inclusive attitudes linked with deep listening are foundational to a Christ-proclaiming congregation of compassionate disciples.
Who are the recipients of pastoral care?
Some think that pastoral care is in-reaching because its focus is on the members or participants of the congregation. This narrow focus forgets visitors, friends and family, and others who live in the community. When the congregation focuses pastoral care ministries on meeting human need with Christ-like love, then all receive the invitation to share in sacred community. For example, a support group for parents or a class on healthy eating can be relevant for people inside and out of the congregation. In fact, such groups and classes could be the invitational path to sacred community. Affirming care that meets real needs within the context of Christ-centered relationships is always outreaching as well as in-reaching.
Not only is pastoral care “for” everyone, but every person who desires to “give” pastoral care can do so if they are willing to 1) actively and deeply listen; 2) practice the ministry of presence; and 3) be prayerful. These three expressions of care are important and necessary, and must be present in the following functions of pastoral care.
Five Functions of Pastoral Care
- Supportive care. This includes all of the ways an individual or family can be supported during a crisis or ongoing difficulty or challenge. A crisis can be an illness, injury, death, job loss, natural disaster, or other trauma. An ongoing challenge could be a difficult health diagnosis, a child born with a developmental challenge, an injury resulting in loss of employment, or some circumstance that is prolonged and not easily or quickly resolved.
Ministry possibilities include:
- Home or hospital visits
- Child or elder care during the crisis
- Meals
- Cards with expressions of care
- Flowers
- Temporary shelter
- Support group or educational class
- Referral to professional care or community agency
- Transportation to obtain needed resources (with companionship along the way)
- Guidance. This form of pastoral care is when a caregiver comes alongside and supports those who may be struggling with moral questions or life concerns.
Ministry possibilities include:
- Helping to arrange a visit or series of visits with a skilled minister or pastoral counselor
- Participation in a facilitated support group or exploration group
- Referral to professional counseling services
- Wellness and wholeness. These ministries focus on healing as a process and wholeness as a journey toward integration of mind, body, and spirit as the Creator intended for each person. Pastoral care can provide opportunities to explore healing in a holistic way, rather than seeking a cure which may not always be found. This can include helping people explore the meaning of wholeness and discovering ways to pursue it in life.
Ministry possibilities include:
- Educational and healthy lifestyle support groups such as classes on nutrition and exercise groups
- Hosting recovery groups or referral to a group
- Providing for healing-focused worship or prayer experience
- Reconciliation. This includes reconciliation with God, one another, and within one’s self, which are all important pastoral care ministries. Therefore, pastors and leaders should consider making every effort to equip and train people in these ministries—especially people who feel called to peacemaking and reconciliation. Identifying persons skilled in these ministries both within the congregation and outside is critical to exploring and discovering personal and relational wholeness. Congregational life can reflect the need for grace and forgiveness in many ways. Healthy and growing congregations will always encounter differences and conflict. Embedding the importance of reconciliation in the life of the faith community and providing the means to seek it are among the tremendous blessings of pastoral care ministries.
Ministry possibilities include:
- Training ordained teachers (and others) for reconciliation ministries
- Congregational or group exploration about the blessings of forgiveness
- Peacemaking studies and activities
- Encouragement and celebration. Encouraging Christ-like living and celebrating the milestones and accomplishments of life are essential to communicating the truth that each life matters. This can create a deep sense of belonging to God and to one another in the body of Christ. No one is alone. All are seen, encouraged and celebrated as persons of worth.
Ministry possibilities include:
- Birthday cards, recognition, and parties
- Post or announce school or work achievements
- Healthy marriage and relationship classes or workshops
- Thank-you’s and other appreciation expressed for service and support
Note: Even when a person needs professional help, pastoral care ministers still make a difference through listening deeply, providing the ministry of presence (perhaps even being in the waiting room while a person is engaged with a professional), and prayer support.
Getting Started in Pastoral Care
Who and what are our resources?
Aaronic ministers, according to their calling and giftedness, can provide great leadership in pastoral care ministries. Of course, all who have a sense of passion, interest, skill, or gift can be engaged in these ministries. There may be medical, mental health, or educational professionals in the congregation as well who may be called upon to help. The building and its location may be a resource for meetings large and small. There may be retired people who can make time available during weekdays to help. Someone may have skills such as cooking or mechanics or assets such as a garden or large home. Take a survey. Make a list.
What are our needs for ministry now?
Look at the functional areas of pastoral care. Some needs are part of every community such as illness, injury, death, birthdays, anniversaries, and achievements at school or work. Other needs are more specific such as unemployment, or struggles with grief issues. The congregation may have newlyweds, teenagers, single-parent or blended families, or aging parents and grandparents among those who attend. All these have special pastoral care needs.
What do we need to learn?
Consider providing classes in listening skills, small group facilitation, or communication skills. Consider a class that explores prayer as intercession. (Given the spectrum of resources on this topic, you may want to consult with your mission center leaders to identify resources that are aligned with Community of Christ enduring principles and beliefs.)
Equip and prepare people for pastoral care ministry. As a congregational leader, you are not expected to have the skills to do this training yourself. But skilled trainers may be available in your mission center or community.
What other resources are available to us?
Compile a directory of community service agencies to access when needed. Include educational, counseling, recovery groups, and other programs or professionals. Invite representatives of community services to share information or consultation. When compiling a directory include meeting spaces and recreational sites.
And, finally, where do resources and needs meet?
No congregation should try to be all things to all people. However, careful exploration should reveal some priorities and some strong possibilities for ministry. Begin with ministries you can clearly support. Work to acquire the training or resources that might be needed. Always allow for debriefing experiences in order to learn as you go and stay open to new possibilities as the congregation grows. Every congregation, small or large, can create the culture of compassionate care and employ the tools of careful listening, the ministry of presence, and prayer.
Providing effective pastoral care often begins by the pastor and congregational leaders asking the right questions. This article poses several significant questions. The pastor and pastor’s leadership team can have a meaningful and helpful discussion about these questions.
- What are the congregation’s pastoral care needs? (What about the community?)
- What do we need to learn in order to effectively address these needs?
- Where do we need to go to find help and resources to help us learn?
- What resources are available to us right now?
- Have members of the pastor’s leadership team read and discuss books on addiction and recovery, suicide prevention, parenting, or life skills for consideration or study by the congregation.
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Pastoral Care and Worship Ministry to Homebound Persons |
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OBJECTIVE
For pastoral care and worship ministers to blend their gifts in ministry to people who are homebound.
PROCESS
Identify church members (or members of the community) who are unable to leave their homes easily to attend services or gatherings and who have expressed a desire for fellowship.
Hold a congregational dinner on Communion Sunday. During or after the dinner, a small team takes Communion to a homebound person where they provide a short service of worship. In addition, the visiting team brings packaged meals from the congregational dinner to share with the person whose home they visit (be sure to find out about possible dietary restrictions in advance). They can leave a copy of that Sunday’s bulletin, announcements, or a video of the service. In larger congregations, two or more visiting teams can go to two or more homes.
Try this each month for six months and then evaluate the experience for possible improvements or changes.
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Grief Ministry | |
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OBJECTIVE
To help congregational ministers care for people who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
PROCESS
Identify a reputable grief recovery or grief support group in the community. Next, identify a pastoral care provider in the congregation who will go with a grieving person(s) to attend the recovery or support group. If the grieving person(s) have children (and if the recovery or support group is for adults), other members of the congregation who are registered youth workers can provide childcare and perhaps a simple meal for the children during the group sessions.
When the group sessions end, pastoral care providers or members of the pastor’s leadership team will listen to the grieving persons to evaluate their experience and improve on the ministry.
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Assessing Our Pastoral Care Needs | |
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OBJECTIVE
To help the pastor’s leadership team assess overall pastoral care needs and resources.
PROCESS
In a meeting of the pastor’s leadership team, have a discussion about the questions that appear at the end of this article on pastoral care. Take your time with this conversation. Be thorough and prayerful in the conversation.
The questions are:
- What are the congregation’s pastoral care needs? (What about the community?)
- What do we need to learn in order to effectively address these needs?
- Where do we need to go to find help and resources to help us learn?
- What resources are available to us right now?