Pastoral Care
Pastoral care is an area of joy for me. It is an honor to accompany individuals though both the joys and sorrows that come into their lives, as they come into all our lives. Pastoral care is about meeting people where they are. Sometimes that is in a moment of confusion in their lives, sometimes it is a crisis point such as illness, divorce, job loss or another life-changing event. The primary responsibility for a pastoral care provider is to listen as a non-anxious presence. The second, although no less important, responsibility is to understand when and how to provide resources when they are needed. One of the first goals I set for a new area is to locate and understand the care resources provided by that location.
Pastoral care is the area of ministry that recognizes the individual life experiences of the people in the congregation. It is not something that happens only in individual conversations or hospital visits. Pastoral care is also expressed in worship. To each service I create, I bring the awareness that someone in the room is rejoicing, someone in the room is grieving, and someone in the room is seeking. Pastoral care also happens in this larger space when we enact ritual or rites of passage or when we are grieving together as a community. All too frequently over the past couple of years, we have needed to come together for vigils to honor those whose lives were ended by violence and the needs of the community to grieve. Pastoral care can happen in these moments, in conversations during coffee hour or office hours, during hospital visits, or even by text message. Nearly every interaction a minister has with a person in the congregation has some element of relationship-building, which is an important element of pastoral care.
Pastoral care can also take the form of spiritual direction, working with people or groups to help them reflect on their selves in a deeper way, to see how the Spirit of Life, God, or the Interdependent Web is moving in their lives.
Pastoral care is a shared ministry; it is up to all of us to provide support and celebration for the sorrows and joys that come into the lives of our community. How we interact with and support one another daily is a part of this relationship. A strong congregation has a clear sense of community and connection.
Pastoral care is the area of ministry that recognizes the individual life experiences of the people in the congregation. It is not something that happens only in individual conversations or hospital visits. Pastoral care is also expressed in worship. To each service I create, I bring the awareness that someone in the room is rejoicing, someone in the room is grieving, and someone in the room is seeking. Pastoral care also happens in this larger space when we enact ritual or rites of passage or when we are grieving together as a community. All too frequently over the past couple of years, we have needed to come together for vigils to honor those whose lives were ended by violence and the needs of the community to grieve. Pastoral care can happen in these moments, in conversations during coffee hour or office hours, during hospital visits, or even by text message. Nearly every interaction a minister has with a person in the congregation has some element of relationship-building, which is an important element of pastoral care.
Pastoral care can also take the form of spiritual direction, working with people or groups to help them reflect on their selves in a deeper way, to see how the Spirit of Life, God, or the Interdependent Web is moving in their lives.
Pastoral care is a shared ministry; it is up to all of us to provide support and celebration for the sorrows and joys that come into the lives of our community. How we interact with and support one another daily is a part of this relationship. A strong congregation has a clear sense of community and connection.