The Evolution of Pastoral Care Ministry through the Ages

People are commanded by Jesus to love one another as he loved us (John 13:34). We are called to be conduits of God’s grace to others in our community. Christ’s love for us should motivate us to love others in response. Pastoral care is then intentional Christian care for others. It derives from God and its goal is that people might experience not only human care but God’s infinite love for humanity. The pastor, priest or minister plays a very decisive role in feeding the church not only spiritually as its shepherd, but also by providing the essential leadership and direction necessary for the church to achieve its chief mission and directive. Pastoral care and counseling represent a means by which the shepherd and leader of the church fulfills his spiritual and social responsibility to the church. Pastoral care and counseling are the needed ingredients in the life of the church. When these are absent, no real tie between the church leadership and parishioners can exist. Pastoral counseling and care are needed to tackle a myriad of challenges members face. This brief research paper sought to acknowledge the historical evolution of pastoral care ministry through the ages. The paper revealed the following themes: definition of what evolution is, an explanation of the notion of pastoral care, what students think about pastoral care, and it ultimately leads to a conclusion on pastoral care. Furthermore, this paper sought to give an impact of the notion of pastoral care to the lives of church members. This paper also revealed the origins and features of pastoral care ministry in the New Testament era. Furthermore the evolution of pastoral care is briefly addressed through a range of historical factors of the church. The functions of pastoral care are also discussed to an extent. Lastly, some dimensions and aims of pastoral care are also addressed.

Re-appreciating the significance of historical perspectives and practices on reformed pastoral theology and care today

This article investigates the issue of Reformed pastoral theology and care, from a historical perspective. Contemporary literature on this topic is not always informed by the actual pastoral care practices of historical church leaders, specifically up until and including the Reformation era. Consequently it can sometimes lack an important dimension needed to foster more theological depth and clarity, which is essential for sound pastoral care. Thus, it is necessary to clearly establish the connections between Reformed theology and practice in historical view, and pastoral care ministries in the church today. Despite huge societal changes that have taken place since the Reformation era, the core focus on the compassionate “care of souls” has remained unchanged. Can leading Reformers’ pastoral theological ethos and practices still be deemed relevant, whilst considering fresh issues in our contemporary pastoral care ministry contexts?

Pelayanan Bersama Komunitas Sebagai Model Pelayanan Pastoral Berbasis Paradigma Komunal-Kontekstual dalam Teologi Pastoral

Pastoral care ministry persists in the minister's concept as the sole actor of pastoral ministry in the church. On the other hand, there has been growing awareness that pastoral care ministry also gives space to members of the congregation to presenting the pastoral care ministry in context. In these persist circumstances, questions arise is how do pastoral care ministry gives space to members? Can the paradigm be expanded by taking into account the communal context? What kind of model does it produce? With the development of a communal-contextual paradigm in pastoral theology began to raise awareness of expanding that understanding. In addition, contemporary pastoral theologians show that there has been a paradigm shift in pastoral ministry with communal nuance; however, the ministry also gives space to the members of the congregation in practice. My aim is to construct the concept and model of pastoral care ministry with the community within the framework of communal-contextual paradigm.AbstrakDiskusi pelayanan pastoral dalam teologi pastoral bertahan dalam konsep pendeta sebagai aktor tunggal pelayanan tersebut di dalam gereja hampir tiga dekade belakangan ini. Padahal, di sisi yang lain, sudah muncul dan berkembang paradigma bahwa pelayanan pastoral juga tentang pemberian ruang terhadap anggota jemaat secara umum yang hadir dalam pelayanan pendeta dalam konteksnya. Di dalam keadaan ini, muncullah pertanyaan-pertanyaan tentang apakah pelayanan pastoral hanya merupakan tugas seorang pendeta? Dapatkah paradigma tersebut diperluas dengan memperhatikan konteks pelayanan yang nilai komunalitasnya tinggi? Seperti apa model yang dihasilkannya? Dengan berkembangnya paradigma komunal-kontekstual dalam pelayanan pastoral mulai muncul kesadaran memperluas pemahaman itu. Di tambah lagi, pemikiran teolog pastoral kontemporer baik dari Indonesia dan Barat juga menunjukkan bahwa telah ada pergeseran paradigma tentang pelayanan pastoral yang bernuansa komunalitas di dalam suatu konteks, sehingga pelayanan tersebut juga memposisikan anggota jemaat secara umum. Penelitian ini berupaya menawarkan konsep dan model pelayanan pastoral yang kontekstual dengan menempatkan partisipasi komunitas guna memberi warna lain bagi pelayanan pastoral yang selama ini bertahan.

Faithful Doxology: The Church’s Allyship with Immigrants Seeking Asylum

Given the mass human movement from Central America to the United States, the church needs to rethink its mission strategy for its humanitarian involvement with these immigrants seeking asylum. Looking through the hermeneutical lens of practical theology and its attention to contextualized praxis, the article situates the argument in conversation with qualitative research that emerged from a pastoral care ministry inside an immigrant family detention facility. The voices of these Central American women and children seeking asylum serve to contextualize, localize, humanize, and testify to the unjust reality of mass migration. The proposal endorses a missional hermeneutic that prioritizes allyship with asylum seekers as the church’s witness to the justness of God.