VI A PASTORAL CARE Introduction : ; vas asked to write on the subject of pastoral care, I accept x aes aire reat deal of trepidation and Go pretrrnar ea aed re is a tremendous amount of interest in this area of study, o Part ‘A e writer, interest alone is not a ready belt eee ea Acceptance, however, was accompanied by personal c te ae and a quest for growth and development as a pastor. Thus, I submi x ‘is work humbly, trusting that this work will in some way assist tres young preacher entering the Christian ministry to be sensitive to the people awaiting lis care and gaining insights in order that they may not wait in vain. “The primary resource for this writing is Psychology of Pastoral Care by Paul E. Johnson. The approach used by Johnson is that of interpersonal psychology; that is, the scientific study of persons interacting with other persons. The work done by Johnson is worthy of being seriously studied by any pastor genuinely interested in his work. While there may be a skepticism on the part of some to trust the teachings and discoveries of psychology, the pastor must be cognizant of the deeper aspects of the lives he will touch. To be sure, every word we speak means “something.” Each word says something significant about who we are. So, we begin on the assumption that the reader does not have to be sold on the value and the necessity of psychology in the work of the pastor. THE NEED FOR PASTORAL CARE One only has to be in the ministry a short while before he discovers some of the concerns and needs of his people. Our A.M.E. book of Discipline informs us of our general duties as pastors and our authority as deacons and elders in the church,! but we would be, however, pitifully helpless if these were our only guides. We learn what the people need through our involvement and participation with them. As pastors, we must be deeply concerned with the emotional needs of the people to whom we are called to minister. Concommitant to this, we must be ever mindful of their intellectual interests; their search for meaning; their will to understand. : ie E. Johnson begins his book, Psychology of Pastoral Care, with ; Be eet Sauna enone have problems because they are r makes the claim that the greatest problems of earth are personal problems, Dr. Karl Menninger says: “The world is made up of people, but the people of the world 104et eesaNeR Ec selves, other people fae by brothers . erg dren, and buried by the church and the is. It is hard to believe that, lik fonget th Me aia roared by arena) : oa led by wives . . . flattered by grande! fn consis and priests with the blessings of the churen and Te ares of those left behind . It is easier to speak of fate, and pert and waves of the future than ad a eedistetpest Seer our own fate, right now and in the ee i ing where ey a reach the point of internal desperation Snes rere “distress on the verge of nervous breakdown ee ne a a tim ‘of some unfortunate occurrence, oe Hara me a that has plagued them for years. How do n s ial situati i arnestly pray bitterly curse their circumstantial situations, wate plait aon for deliverance, others seek escape throug! U Sonie tines things do tranquilizers, until a change for the pet eavining years. not get better, seemingly they worsen wit] See caeaiele ay “Every lee : a tate ua aol i aupression pe meaaart -put up a bold front to mal 1 Pivulverability, but from personal experience, we ee ae inner life differs from the outward pa eent ty of us, “guilt inadequacy, anxieties about what other peop! sah un! aerics and self-accusation for our mistakes, unwelcome mi es, shameful impulses, wishes that attract and repel us, uncertain- ties and confusions, disgust and despair plague us all too frequently. Conflicting tendencies and counterforces keep up incessant warfare within us, sapping our energies, blocking efficiency, denying peace of mind.” * It is in such a maddening maze of personal problems that the pastor is called upon to minister. The need for the pastor has never been any greater than in the present. The pastor must be proficiently equipped to deal creatively with such needs. These days of change makes the pastor even more necessary. The need for the pastor is not extinct. It has never ceased. The times have added to the urgency of this need. Says Johnson, “Modern society complicates the business of living. Machines and recent inventions increase the range and speed of mobility and communication, putting us in hourly touch with a larger world, thus confronting us with a deluge of new anxieties, to concern us. Urban and industrial centers have drawn the majority of our population into congested area: f is that breed nervous disorders and delinque: . f : ney. Rapid social changes bewilder our morality and undermine our feces The decline of family unity sets individuals adri ft in isolated loneliness or 105. s social relations without the inti: superficial, age 2 The nervous strains, mental aie sense of belongh trations resulting from these conditions in - ba nore adequate pastoral care.” ® aa society ¢ is a need and a place for the pastor in these times. Th Indeed, aly r has, to some degree, changed over the years, but his role of the pastor . People still need the pastor, and they will call in fanetion i rte ire. People still have domestic troubles. Parents gy him from timplems with their children. Children still find it dificult cope. Death has not ceased to visit families, nor sickness, nor a thousand other things that stifle, plague and deter life. So, the pastor says he is concerned. He sets out to be of help, but his brand of help may be as helpless as no help at all. There is a need and a place for the pastor in today’s world. The conditions of that world and the people who reside in it call for more than a family who has just lost the father. Yes, prayer does change things, but it may not be the whole prescription needed for healing. We are also cognizant of the problems of the local church that are myriad. Seemingly, problems ooze out of the woodwork like melting cement. The steward board that was named by the pastor turns sour. Apparently, Satan himself has once again taken over his duties as leader. Every organization is prone to have internal dissention and st that permeate the entire congregation. What does the pastor do. anything, to offset the derision that has torn his congregation assunder? Without a doubt, there is a desperate need for pastoral care. Black people have a special set of problems that are not always resolved after shouting on Sunday morning. Historically, the bl person's plight in America has been an ominous one. In times pe discriminatory encounters between blacks and whites required tha’ parties “play the game.” Most blacks understood it to be a “game. think what such continuous play does to one’s psyche. “The s stigmatized role of ‘Negro’ is the critical feature of having dark skin Mipeerraaes It is a part of the price the Negro pays for his po: iety, comments James Baldwin, that, as Richard Wright po out, ‘he is almost alwa; ing.” ve lack people 7 ys acting.’”® Do we not see that Black peo? especially need the attention atthe pastor? Paste WHAT IS PASTORAL CARE? : storal Care relates to people. “It is concern shown for the needs : from the Ou of life; from the bricklayer to the structural engines grandmoth ‘Ympic star to the paraplegic, from the school girl to! a er. Whether in the prime of health or incurably ill, in J°¥ 106i id times or be ness, in ZOO" ad—there ma a d is the ay be a need sndicatic f that nee, An indication oO! need ining and stresses of life aff. ; sr people in trouble. Tt is pa ou a sou. Specifically, it deals ‘The pastor who has taken his ; about the needs of his People. has expressed itself in a willin, in the lives of his people, one This is the great glory of sufferings and anxieties; be d for Pastoral care > Tecognition of the point Wiese aa the pastoral ministry. —to relieve the to face the problems, fru: a u if : iS, istrations, disappointments; to be responsive to the yearnings and - possi cer to draw out the best of all entrusted to he ci a 2 r t rn. For instance, we learn that Frederic Oberlin would go at any time to any point i Brooks would sit for hours letting p hie" orice ks we people talk to him. “One of the gre contributions the church has given to the world,” says Kemp, “tas b the pastor who was a true shepherd.”}° The foundation and for pastoral care is that of the minist: iduals whom } ig Was given to single indi Even though he was followed by crowds, he always saw the individual within the crowd. With him there were no dist tions. All found in him a friend. No one came to Jesus and w denied his help. He was never too busy or too hurried to give attention to the needs or the sufferings of one person. He introduced a new spirit of compassion into the world. found expression in the early church, The first church officials were appointed for the express task of caring for the sick and the Poor, and they tried to meet all forms of human suffering a need. This spirit has never been permitted to die. It fow expression in Francis of Assisi in the colony of Lepers; in William Booth in the slums of London; in the acts of «! arity which were maintained in the name of the church: in the establishment of hospitals, orphanages, and other institutions for the unfortunate. This spirit of compassion and concern. 13s en characteristic of all true pastors. John W jatson, out coat own pastoral experience, said, “Be kind, for everyone you 's fighting a hard battle.""" Johnson has defined Pastoral Care 8s 107 5 ual “a religious ministry to individualic ionships, arising from insight into essenti a ee rotentialities for spiritual growth.” a Wee ted that there is a desperate need for pastoral care. There vidual who is exempt from such care. The pastor, by virtue of his strategic position and place in both the larger community where his church is situated and the smaller community of his church congregation, can serve the needs of the people. This is no mere happen-stance relationship. Several books have been written recently which has as a basis the contention that the pastor Is a professional and should approach his work as a professional. This essentially means that in order to do his work effectively and as a professional, he must have “adequate education and psychological qualifications for the task. "8 This does not mean that stors in former years have not done well with less education, but with the multiplicity of problems and concerns of people today, with the psychological maladies that grip them tenaciously, doe: not seem logical that the professional pastor should be intellectually suited and academically prepared for his work? The pastor is a physician of the soul, and just as the physicians today must know far more and practice more expertly to meet the health needs, so will the physician of the soul. “A pastor is essentially one who cares for persons; first, in the sense of affectionate concern; and second, in the active service of their spiritual needs. In contrast to the public leadership of a congregation of people in mass formation, the pastor per- sonalizes his attention to the unique needs of individuals, seeking to understand what life means to each one, entering with him into the joys and sorrows that he experiences with sympathetic appreciation.” ‘4 Again, we are called to see the need to be academically equipped at least to intelligently decipher the minute intricacies of each person's particular situation. Our mere good intentions may not be enough to cope with the dynamic perplexities of human life. Pastoral Care is shared compassion. It is being with people, sharing their deepest concerns, feeling their sorrows, sensing their hurts, in the sete hele difficulties, Tt also means being with people to share moments of jubilee i. and accomplishments, their jo meaningful rapport wvith is in this sense that the pastor establi s attitude toward hs nit his people. He establishes a reputation, by People must ae as a man worthy of confidence and ~ a this occurs, they do not: fi Sate ae nie Broscher Teall 27S Ns Pea esitate to come for moments of counseling persons in dynam! and mutual discovery ig. Arthur L. Tei kmanis says, what our people want to know isSt 5 APCD IRM RRA TP RENO yhether or not Whether or not we ant Telly concerned yj counseling, as in the g, the same in life with their needs game in listening to their prepa oF the Holy Gott’ Palit, in joys. Our people want to know ses we are in lis munion, the willing and competent to render anyother or no need. ~ ve con make known throu, unseling ‘ do in t af pulpit, as well as in our ka ns everything we say and Edgar Jackson puts it this way: “Thro ene calling, hospital visitation, and person-centeren ee oera™ of pastoral his interest of the people in the parish one activities, he indicates healer who seeks the total person, mind boy seh me emotions, and reason.”!6 : Y, and spirit; instincts, pep en Mamta ptr sao tor.”!7 Without this key, doors ‘on, “is the key to the vocation of the a remain shi i Pe ie to be grounded in love, which is “others” oaeitete ee The pastor who is unrelated to 2 . orator, a brilliant scholar, a stent Pee Pa ol ae i pleasures and gains for a cause, or a tireless administrator of church business. But his labors as a pastor of souls will be futile and he will somehow fall short of healing their conflicts or inspiring spiritual growth to fulfill the deepest hungers of his people. . . . But if the pastor is truly related to other persons, then nothing that he does or says or feels is without effect; and somehow growth is possible through the sharing of values. Though one may not be able to explain it, yet life is better for such a relationship.*® ’ The pastor, then, must be related to people in ways that make a difference. His love for them is demonstrated by his concern for their concerns. He is a person of empathy, which means that he is able to ptt himself in another's place and feel what it means to be in his A Ee Through this avenue, the pastor gains the confidence and trus' persons to whom he is related. The pastor is an avid a th give advice, to moralize, or be judgmental as he relat makes it easy for people to talk to him. B I : . neerning the social st He is educationally prepared, ee a psycho-analysis. familiar with the principles of P ines,” raisiny Perceptive, as he es read between oe Aa sonstrator, heeded. He is not only a preacher, teacher Haring and compass Counselor, a sounding-board, @ Sal shepherd. Indeed, he is a doctor of : 10! t we are t h rub services as they sciences, He isEACHING AND PASTORAL CARE . k defines preaching as “Divine Activity” where the Dr. Isaac R. Clark, ed or announced on contemporary issues. It is in word of God is proce to see the relevance of preaching in today's this sense that we itiplicity of maladies, changes, evils, and sicknesses, society with its multip! mplex, multifarious, and multifaceted. Relevant Indeed, the world i e on the present condition of the world. We may preaching, then, sce Bible, but to remain there is to miss the reality of draw our texte se ngregations live in the present. Thus, the Biblical See can male relevant as it relates to where people are in the cont eee . It is only irrelevant preaching that has had oe ior Seat aa box upon which we flaunt our arrogance, ignorance, and vanity in the name of preaching the gospel. The Preacher is not the show. Our voices and pulpit anties are not the things that matter in the long run. We are emissaries of the King sent to direct the attention of those who hear beyond ourselves to God. “Authentic preaching is not an entertainment. It is not a solicitation of personal admiration, applause, or support. It is an art of mediation between God, and man, between the needs of the soul and the reservoirs of spiritual supply.” 2 We need not rehearse the issues regarding the present day contempt for preaching. We know that such contempt does exist either because of ignorance, arrogance or professional prejudices. But the preaching need not be discarded, nor be flushed down a commode. Real preaching deals with the deepest feelings, attitudes, sentiments, hopes, and aspirations of human life. It calls for “extra-ordinary Sensitivity, intuition, and empathy, imagination and realism, creativity and concern. . . .” Teikmanis cogently expresses what genuine preaching is and what it does when he says, Xt demands from every preacher an ability to blend the media ble to comprehend the many but leaps to a hasty conclusion e from any further hear you out; ine and respects your right to his atmosphere of respect and it will be easier to unburden lor responds well to feeling, f him, and he cannot wait for 118es the initiative to urge along the the story to unfold, He Tate “One might either Bester ie progress at Hi cng pushed and so hold back. (4) The fourth pace or rebel at be! al to ride his case-study hobby. You might counselor is feteton for such a long ride of detours into the past i ken for such a long ride of detours in fe pas a fa crisis is upon you. Is he really interested in when the aeeilding up another case study to prove his pet You or Jet juman nature in general? (5) The fifth counselor is shocked and compelled to renounce your problem as preposter- a He feels called to preach a sermon on the divine call, the sin of turning back, and the silver lining of sentimental optimism. You would fee rejected and have little more to say. (6) The sixth counselor is sold on the X-ray technique of looking through people. Like Old Dutch Cleanser, he chases dirt and has a long nose for detecting odors of immorality. You would recoil from this amateur Sherlock and resolve he would never get anything out of you. (7) The seventh counselor at once becomes chatty and confidential, trying to reach common ground where he can put. you on the spot by exhibiting his failures to the glory of God. The solution is too easy, the victory so sudden, you may wonder if it is genuine. Distrusting the veracity of the counselor is no encouragement to futher confidences.25 It is very clear that all but the second and third counselors are out of touch with this young minister. It will only be a while before he begins to look for the door, excusing himself politely for intruding, wasting his time and the counselor's time. Johnson sees the counseling interpersonal relationship Proceeding from the expression of a need to working ‘through difficulties, to the release of feelings, the search of the feelings, the gaining of revealing insights, and decisions to take iPpropriate responsibility for what needs to be done.”2° Tt inary t “when a pastor seeks to’ne) ne.” ?6 It is evident that ersons to help tl procedures, he is engaged - a Be eae hemselves grow by these condemnatory, expostulating moral precepts that of hit Sah i is. We must remember the example dake aa Gudee not” (Matt. 7:1) and, “Neither do T coulenn + poutine’ job is to be alert listeners, empathizing with : nae juestions as need be for the sake of helping ponding to peat the problem, and helping that person to content, the le “ feelings” of the person, rather than one the Teady to listen an dina raion really begins, for it is felt that someone is together to gain new erstand, “Counseling is a way of facing problems tnderstanding and develop new responsibility 114constructive golyt) whered: lutions can he worked out petion. "Y appropriate From the study of psycho ' f logy, we le counseling. Each has its adherent, Thes ate al The directive eo ethods. “Nselor controls the { i the inter i a esate of carrying out hiown eet eing sake of toes abide pala on he considers important. He also takes the intative sree eau © person has not been able to chooed meet. selor req rs ri hi = retarded; he reasen commends “homework” if progress e res the person, extends th sessions, or decides when they Should cease, As we can a itm mene is accurately dubbed as authoritarian, The counsel dominant role and is viewed as a father figure. The joni seeking A however, begins to take less responsibility to work on tl himself, thus he assumes a submissive role. The person will either become dependent and regress to childish immaturit; stri i adolescent revolt against authority 29 see The non-directive counselor, on the other hand, ity upon the person to lead the conversation aecording to his interests, tell what he is ready to admit, discover his own insights, choose his own goals, and decide what steps he will take in working on them.”*° Dr, Carl R. Rogers is the major proponent of this method. Seeing these polarities, the neophyte counselor would be quick to use the non-directive approach. But like the directive approach, the nondirective has its drawbacks as well. If the method is actually nondirective, progress is unlikely to occur. The session will perhaps be consumed by ramblings that lead nowhere. The person only hears his own words bouncing back to him. Non-directive counseling, in the extreme, is “passive, repetitive, and disintegrating.” Paul Johnson employs a term that perhaps more accurately fits Carl Rogers’ non-directive method. In a strict sense, it is neither directive nor non-directive. Johnson opts for the term “responsive counseling” which he sees as positive activity, which means that when we respond to someone, it denotes that we are giving him an answer. bai In responsive counseling, responsibility for progress is mutual. ee “e If the counselor A burden is better carried by two than one. directive. If assumes too much responsibility, he becomes overdirec ake the person is given the entire responsibility, he is apt to ay a2 i he does not have, make a asty choices, assume independence iscouraged and thw of strength he dost lr ee ae dependent in the face of tasks oa Tesponaibilities and reaching emocracy works by sharing. It is also the Christian way Practical next steps by joint action. 115 two basic meth Hh v ethods of Y are: directive and hondirective , “places the responsibil-of bearing one another's burdens by _ interpersonal oy arity 39 responsibilty ee steps that are involved in the pastoral-responsive Sonne 7 sroach, ‘To begin with, the counselor is concerned with the counseling ately aware of his feelings, difficulties, and potentialities, persmmily. he is concerned with the relationship between himself and the . on in which both are mutually responsible to understand what life pers avenue to progress to be taken step by step s discover the | +0 0 p meaner But essential to pastoral counseling is another dimension, which may be different from other therapies at this point. Pastoral counseling involves a “Third.” The genuine pastor is cognizant that real growth is not his creation or the person's but the work of the creator God. “A pastoral counselor will vest authority in the creative Holy Spirit working in both through a relationship that is not a dualism of counselor and person but a trinity of Creator, person, and counselor.” 9 It is at this point, and only at this point, that Johnson opens the way for the more conventional tools familiar to the Christian community. This triune orientation is attained by the person and pastor by whatever means of grace available to them. That is, “prayer, scripture, sacraments, quietness, faith, resignation, friendship, listing, assertion, purpose, and dedication into religious service.” 34 Following the approach of Johnson with perception and intensity, we are well on our way to being true pastoral counselors, providing the necessary assistance that is demanded from us as pastors.