A recent comment asked me to expand on my opinion about pastoral care and spiritual guidance that properly understood, the two are closely linked. In recent years, there has been a demand that churches must move from maintenance to mission. In my experience, pastoral care has become lumped with other tasks under the heading of maintenance – keeping people happy, attending, and of course giving(!) – the human equivalent of keeping the roof on the building. (Spiritual guidance, meanwhile, is treated as a luxury extra for a few individuals!) This, I think, is completely wrong: English Church Law regards pastoral ministry as one of the four aspects of mission to which the Church Council must attend, and, although that requirement dates back to the 1950’s, I can see no reason to ignore it now. In a previous job I was challenged to come up with a mission-focussed definition of pastoral care. This what I wrote, and still stand by ten years later. under the quotation Jesus said: I have come that you might have life, life in all its fullness. (John 10, v10)
What is pastoral care? Pastoral care (from the Latin pastor, meaning shepherd) is a practical expression of our faith in a God who loves us all, and who wants the best for everyone. In our pastoral care we aim to continue the healing, forgiving and reconciling work of Jesus Christ. The purpose of this care is that those within the Church receive the help they need to live Christ-like lives to their fullest potential, and that those outside the Church may encounter the Gospel in action through loving deeds as well as the preaching of Christ’s message.
Obviously that definition can encompass a whole range of activities, but spiritual guidance strikes me as clearly being about continuing the healing, forgiving and reconciling work of Jesus Christ in the context of an individual Christian’s life. In my experience, guiding a Christian to grow involves extended conversations where healing, forgiveness and reconciliation need to flow as naturally as teaching, encouragement and all the other elements. It was that thinking which led me to describe pastoral care and spiritual guidance as closely linked. I would go further than that – instead of being treated as something mysterious and ‘other’, I would want to see spiritual guidance as a (maybe more advanced?) facet of the pastoral mission of the Church. I would want the wider Church to have a higher regard for spiritual guidance, as part of a renewed regard for pastoral care as a vital aspect of mission. I think this revolution is long overdue! Does that help? I hope so! Fr Chris
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