Pastoral care is obviously something that pastors do; but what is a pastor? Is 'pastor' just an alternative name for a minister, vicar, or chaplain? If this were so, then pastoral work would simply be a synonym for chaplains' work in its most general sense. In most English translations of the New Testament the Greek word poimen is translated just once as pastor [Ephesians 4.11 "He gave...some to be pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry"]. However, the same word is translated 16 times as 'shepherd', six of these being about Jesus the 'Good Shepherd' in John 10. ['Pastor' is, of course, the Latin (& Spanish) word for shepherd] So if Jesus is the Good Shepherd [the 'great shepherd' in Hebrews 13; and 'the chief shepherd' in 1 Peter 5] then it is to the Good Shepherd that we should look for the model pastor.
Furthermore, if Jesus is the Good Shepherd, then we must all be his sheep; and pastoral care must be something we all need. Some sheep may need more care than others at particular times, but a shepherd who did not care for all his sheep would definitely not be a good shepherd. So, if we follow the Jesus model, pastoral care must be something that every member of the congregation needs (including the pastors - they are Jesus' sheep too). If we think of Jesus' story 'The Lost Sheep' [Luke 15], it would seem that care for the lost sheep takes precedence over caring for all the other sheep. "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." [cf John 10] "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice."
Although we are all Jesus' sheep (including the pastors), Christian sheep are also expected to become shepherds. In Ephesians 4 Jesus gives pastors to the Church "for the perfecting of the saints for the work of ministry, for building the body of Christ; until we all arrive at the unity of faith and the full knowledge of the Son of God; a complete person, measured by the stature of the fullness of Christ." Similarly, in Hebrews 13 the writer prays for the God of peace to "make you complete in everything good." Jesus tells Peter, "Tend my sheep." [John 21], and 1 Peter 5 tells elders to "tend the flock of God." Christian sheep that remain sheep are failures, not necessarily of themselves, but a failure of the whole church that should have enabled them to become shepherds.
Jesus' words in John 10 are revealing, as he says nearly as much about the Good Shepherd's sheep as he does about the shepherd himself. The Good Shepherd, he says, "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." "He goes ahead of them." "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." "I am the good shepherd. I know my own...and I lay down my life for the sheep."
Of the sheep he says, "The sheep hear his voice...and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers." "I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture."
The key ideas, repeated several times, are that the Shepherd knows his sheep and leads them, and the sheep know their shepherd and follow him. If we are to be both sheep and assistant shepherds, modelled on the Good Shepherd, then the assistant shepherds must know their sheep (by name) and the sheep must know and follow their shepherds.
Summarising: for pastoral care to occur on anything other than a haphazard basis (and that would not be real pastoral care), there would seem to be three prerequisites.
In addition our pastoral care must make provision for 'lost sheep'.
Applying this to St Ursula's, before we can sort out who the 'pastors' are we need to know which sheep are part of the flock. Once we know who the flock are, we can select from among them those who show signs of being good assistant shepherds. Then the assistant shepherds can start to get to know the sheep they are responsible for, and vice versa.
Practically, we must be sure that the assistant shepherds are not worked so hard that they cease to function as shepherds, or forget that they are still sheep that need to be fed and cared for as well.
There are various models for achieving a pastoral care scheme in a church like ours. Next month I will be describing some elements of a scheme that I know has worked elsewhere, and might work well here. Until then, I would like you to think about the questions below. They will not need answering straight away, but they will need answering before we can implement a pastoral care scheme.
What limitations should we put on membership of a Pastoral Care Scheme?
Is it open to anyone who speaks English? Do they have to attend Church / belong to a house group / be part of the pledge scheme / be on the electoral roll / be baptised / be confirmed / live in Berne / live near Berne?
What sort(s) of pastoral care should we provide?
Sick communion (how often?) / home visits (how far?) / (free?) magazines / outreach lunches / assistance for beggars, the homeless, sans-papiers, asylum seekers / care facilities for the elderly / help with problems (marriage, sexuality, children, depression, stress, mental illness, alcoholism, drug addiction, debt)
What else should be included in our pastoral care?
Jesus refers to feeding his sheep, and seeking the 'lost sheep'. What might that mean for us?
How many people (for how many hours a week) would be needed to give the sort of pastoral care you think St Ursula's should provide?
What sort of criteria should we use in selecting assistant shepherds who will provide pastoral care on behalf of St Ursula's?
How should we limit the demands made on a pastoral care scheme (and its pastors) so that it is achievable in practice?
Yours in Christ,
Richard Pamplin