Discuss the important functions of Pastoral Care and explain the function of Pastoral Care and Counselling from Biblical Perspectives

            Assignment on Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counselling

Discuss the important functions of Pastoral Care and explain the function of Pastoral Care and Counselling from Biblical Perspectives

                                                                           Submitted By- Joseph Lalrinawma BD-II          

Introduction

The Bible had clearly mentioned the work of a Christian minister which is, “...to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ...” (Eph 4:11-12). Therefore Pastoral care has been a common practice in the life and mission of Christian churches. The task of a minister, as it comes to every minister and every Christian is to respond to the wonder of God’s care for the soul and to share with others such knowledge as he (SIC) has God’s healing power.[1] So for the successful execution of Pastoral Care in the church, we need to know the meaning of pastoral care clearly and its functions so as to make our ministry more effective. This paper will deal with the meaning of pastoral care, functions of pastoral care and pastoral care and counselling from Biblical perspectives both in the Old Testament and New Testament.

1. Pastoral Care

In the most general term or sense pastoral care refers to the ministry/service usually performed by a pastor. Some denomination of the Christian faith used the phrase to refer to more specific aspect of the pastoral ministries such as counselling and visitation. The core idea of pastoral care is that pastors are to care. The word pastor comes from the Latin word “shepherd” which means care taker of God’s flock/people. Pastoral care consists of helping acts done by representative Christian persons, directed toward the healing, sustaining, guiding, and reconciling of troubled persons, where troubles arise in the content of ultimate meanings and concern.[2] It is a broad, inclusive ministry of mutual healing and growth within a congregation and its community through the life cycle.[3]

2. Functions of Pastoral Care

The three traditional functions of pastoral care, as S. Hiltner specified, are: Healing, Sustaining and Guiding. They are described briefly as follows:

2.1. Healing- The type of pastoral works in helping persons becoming whole or re-becoming. It is the process of restoring functional wholeness that has been impaired as to direction and/or schedule. This function aims to overcome some impairment by restoring the person to wholeness and by leading him/her to advance beyond the previous condition of that person.

2.2. Sustaining- The aspect of the therapeutic perspective that emphasises “Standing by” when the situation is such that, at least for the time being, change is not possible, one stands by and makes sustenance available. “This is the ministry of comforting.” To this may be added Wayne E. Oates’ maxim that the task of pastoral counsellor is “To heal sometimes, to remedy often, but to comfort always.” It may also be said as helping a hurting person to ensure and raise a circumstance in which restoration to his/her former condition or recovery from his difficulties is either impossible or so remote as to seem unlikely.

2.3. Guiding- Another important function is guiding people when they are confused or perplexed. In this the minister assisted these kinds of persons to make confident choices between different courses of thought and action, when such choices are viewed as affecting the present and future state of the soul. Hiltner calls this an ‘educative guiding,’ (educative, from educare) that is, to make available something which is already within or around the person. Such guiding cannot be coercive.[4]

2.4. Reconciling- Reconciling is the task of re-establishing broken relationship between fellow-men and fellow-women, and between human and God. People are in need of reconciliation when they are alienated or separated. This can be done through discipline and forgiveness.[5]

2.5. Nurturing- Nurturing is known in the historical expression as “training new members in the Christian life, or religious education. The aim of nurturing is to enable people to develop potentialities that God has given, throughout the life journey. In modern concept it is an “educational counselling” and “care through developmental crises”.[6]

2.6. Liberation- Liberation or freedom is an excellent description of the biblical idea of salvation. In the Bible the word “salvation” means the action or result of deliverance from danger.  There can be of two kinds – liberation of soul and liberation of situation. A pastor is supposed to help these people to edify their situation to move forward. In the Old Testament it tends to refer to the escape of God’s people from their enemies and in particular the escape of the nation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and Babylon. In the New Testament it refers to deliverance from the power of evil — from sin and death. 

3. Functions of Pastoral Care and Counselling from the Biblical Perspectives

Functions of Pastoral care could be seen in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. One important figure in the Old Testament is Nehemiah. Though the city wall in Jerusalem had been in ruins for almost 150 years, Nehemiah mobilized the Jews to rebuild the wall in only 52 days. He was an ordinary man whose preparation for ministry came in the Persian palace as cupbearer. But he became extraordinary leader through his diligence in prayer, great faith in God and skill in organizing and managing people.[7] The life of Nehemiah reflects valuable lessons in reconciling and maintaining a relationship with God. As the people returned to the rebuilt city, they felt the need to understood the Law of Moses given by God. So Ezra, a priest, spent many hours reading the Law before the assembly, making sure they understood what God had desired.  Nehemiah stands as a testament to faithfulness and perseverance. Even though he had spent many years in exile to the foreign land where different gods and goddesses are worshipped, his faith and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was never shaken. He was a prayer warrior, putting everything before the Lord in prayer, interceding on behalf of his people, and he was rewarded for his diligence and perseverance. [8]

Jeremiah, a prophet from Anathoth was also a big figure. God gave Jeremiah the overview of his prophetic ministry: “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jer 1:9-10). This means that God had appointed Jeremiah to proclaim the destruction and building of nations that would eventually lead to the Kingdom of God. Jeremiah devoted himself to preach “the words of this covenant” to the people in Jerusalem and throughout Judah (Jer 11:1-8).[9]

Likewise Amos from the town of Tekos of Judah, a shepherd received a vision from God that depicts the warnings for Israel. He had a vision of locusts that would devour everything in the land. Amos cried out to the Lord and asked Him to forgive and asked how God’s people could survive after such devastation? God heard Amos and reversed this punishment that S/ He was going to send. Amos obeyed God and preached His message with the king of Israel and guided them. The final vision God gave to Amos was of a basket of ripened fruit that meant that God’s people were ripe and ready to receive God’s punishment for their sin. [10]

Moses was prepared and summoned by God to be the agent in the accomplishment of His/Her purpose. He was brought up and trained in the Egyptian court and his name itself is from Hebrew verb mosheh meaning ‘to draw out’. The suffering of the Hebrew slaves lay deep in his heart and God sends him to be their liberator by making known to him, His/ Her purpose, demand and promise. Moses becomes the liberator for the Israelites and God’s instrument of liberation for His people. [11]

The New Testament continues and completes the Old Testament’s portrayal of God as a shepherd (Matt. 2:6, 26:31; Mark 14:27; Heb. 13:20; I Pet. 2:25, 5:4; Rev. 7:17), which was also claimed by Jesus a number of times, sometimes contrasting himself ‘the good shepherd’ with the hired hand who is not the genuine shepherd (John 10:2, 10:11, 14, 10:16). The New Testament in general and the gospel accounts in particular depict God (Jesus) as the champion of caregiver.[12] Jesus not only taught people; he healed the sick wherever he went. Teaching and healing ministry was what he did the most during his earthly ministry.[13] Jesus’ teaching of mission as proclaiming and partaking in the liberation was also seen in the Nazareth Manifesto.[14]

Paul (Saul) of Tarsus was an apostle who taught the gospel of the Christ to the first century world and is generally considered one of the most important figures of the Apostolic Age. In the mid-30s to the mid-50s AD, he founded several churches in Asia Minor and Europe.[15] Paul shares the good news of Jesus Christ and his kingdom boldly and without hindrance. He was not afraid to tell others what the Lord had done for him and would work tirelessly for the kingdom of God. The Apostle Paul spent his life proclaiming the risen Christ Jesus throughout the Roman world, often at great personal peril (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). It is assumed that Paul died a martyr’s death in the mid-to-late 60s A.D. in Rome.[16]

Conclusion

In a classic study of pastoral care, Clebsch and Jaeckle (1967) identified four main strands of healing, sustaining, guiding and reconciling, and described pastoral care’s distinctiveness from secular acts as the provision to care to troubled persons by ‘representative Christian persons’ working within the context of ‘ultimate meanings and concerns’. [17] Thus the work of a Pastor is analytically distinct from the governing and ordering act of the administrator of the government as it must be done with having love and kindness in the heart and full commitment to God. A minister must know that s/he work for God and not for himself/ herself therefore be guided by the demand of God and not rely on the wisdom of the earth. The guidance and counselling in the world is very different from the will of our God about the same.

Bibliography

Brister, C.W. Pastoral Care in the Church. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964.   

Carr, Wesley, ed. The New Dictionary of Pastoral Studies. United States of America: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002.

Clebsch, William R., and Charles R. Jaekle, Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1967.

Clinebell, Howard. Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling. London: SCM Press Ltd., 1984.

Hinson, David F. The Books of the Old Testament. Delhi: ISPCK, 1973.

Hnuni, R.L. The People of God in the Old Testament. New Delhi: Lakshi Publishers

&Distributors, 2013.

Kay, William K., and Paul C. Weaver, Pastoral Care and Counselling. Secunderabad: OM Publishing, 1997.      

Vaidyan, T.K. Koshy. A Pastoral Theology & Manual. Secunderabad: GS Books, 2013.

Lalfakmawia, H. Joseph. Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013.

Miller, Stephen M. The Jesus of the Bible. USA: Barbour Publishing, Inc, 2009.

Packer, J.I., Wayne Grudem and Ajith Fernando, Global Study Bible. USA: Crossway, 2012.

Rupprecht, Arthur A. “Acts,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol.II, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978.

Sailhamer, John H. NIV Compact Bible Commentary. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1994.

Stalker, James. The Life of Paul. USA: Barbour and Company, Inc, 1989.

Wood, Leon J. A Survey of Israel’s History. Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1970.

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[1] C.W. Brister, Pastoral Care in the Church (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964), 3.           

[2]William R. Clebsch and Charles R. Jaekle, Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective (New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1967), 4.

[3] Howard Clinebell, Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling, (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1984) 42.

[4] William K. Kay and Paul C. Weaver, Pastoral Care and Counselling (Secunderabad: OM Publishing, 1997), 164.

[5] Clebsch and Jaekle, Pastoral Care in Historical Perspective..., 7.

[6] Clinebell, Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counselling..., 43-44.

[7]J.I. Packer, Wayne Grudem and Ajith Fernando, Global Study Bible (USA: Crossway, 2012), 650.

[8] Leon J. Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History (Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1970), 242-244.

[9] David F. Hinson, The Books of the Old Testament (Delhi: ISPCK, 1973), 140-142.

[10] Hinson, The Books of the Old Testament…, 171-173.

[11] R.L.Hnuni, The People of God in the Old Testament (New Delhi: Lakshi Publishers & Distributors, 2013), 25-27.

[12] John H. Sailhamer, NIV Compact Bible Commentary (Michigan: Grand Rapids, 1994), 566-567.

[13] Stephen M. Miller, The Jesus of the Bible (USA: Barbour Publishing, Inc, 2009), 143.

[14] H. Joseph Lalfakmawia, Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels (Kolkata: SCEPTRE, 2013), 126.

[15] James Stalker, The Life of Paul (USA: Barbour and Company, Inc, 1989), 1-2.

[16] Arthur A. Rupprecht, “Acts,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Vol.II, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1978), 453-455.

[17] Wesley Carr ed., The New Dictionary of Pastoral Studies (United States of America: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002), 252.