Pastoral care

Today, my family visited a church pastored by the husband of a long time friend of mine. It was a refreshing visit for us, since the church we are currently worshipping in has not had a pastor for 2 years. I am beginning to feel the effects of being a sheep without a full time 'Shepherd' to lead and to guide. Somehow, although lay leaders do their best, they often lack the time and commitment to deep pastoral care (or as Eugene Peterson, one of my favorite authors on pastoral spirituality puts it - to bring spiritual direction into the church context). I have felt the gap between serving and receiving pastoral care for some time now. You know, often when we go without something for long enough, we 'forget' that such a thing exists and we actually begin to adapt to the 'abnormal' situation. At certain moments however, the deep hunger and need surfaces..........perhaps in places where what we long for is glimpsed.......or perhaps when someone comes alongside us with true concern and we begin to realize what we have been lacking.

True pastoral care is not common these days, even in churches which have pastors. Sometimes, a church focuses on programs so much that the personal needs of the people who faithfully serve are neglected. Of course we would not want a situation where a church becomes inward looking, and the members are there just to get a personal spiritual 'boost' every Sunday. However, in my experience leading small spiritual formation groups, the focus on building up people is a crucial one. This does not mean just running programs for the church members. People who attend programs may benefit, but a friend remarked recently that the people she has been in church with for almost twenty years do not really know each other in depth! They know things about each other (sometimes even that is not known) and they do gather round to help out when someone moves house or gets married....but a depth of personal communion is lacking. This lack will show up when the community struggles over an issue (as is likely to happen in any community of believers) and does not know how to love in the midst of differing views.

I am fortunate to have received good pastoral care (intermittently) over the years. I know what it feels like to work together with pastors/pastoral workers and be guided and nurtured. I am feeling the lack of this at the moment but God has provided several spiritual friends who uphold me in prayer and help me find clarity when I face difficult choices.

Yes, a church's focus on outreach must go on. But at the same time, people who are serving or who are yet to find their niche in ministry need as much care as the people 'outside'. As I reflected several days ago, God is not in such a great hurry as we are! I imagine him sometimes quite amused at the way his zealous people rush about like chickens with their heads cut off! We have only 24 hours a day, with one third spent in sleeping. How much time we spend on the 'outreach' and how much is spent on tending our own sheep must be carefully and prayerfully balanced.