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.

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.

Review of Quantity and Types of Spirituality Research in Three Health Care Databases (1962–1999): Implications for the Health Care Ministry

Using computer technology to identify the term “spiritual,” these researchers present results of the 2306 citations and compare five criteria discovered with research reported in four pastoral counseling journals. The authors note the limitations of such a search and the possible implications of the findings for health care ministry.

Hope and the Catholic University

Faith and love receive most of the attention in discussions about what makes the Catholic university unique. A theme of hope in a recent pastoral letter by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin on the Catholic health care ministry, if applied to education, may provide another perspective on what makes, or could make, the Catholic university distinctive. This article first summarizes Bernardin's thinking about hope in the context of Catholic health care. Second, reference is made to what seems unique about hope in the Catholic tradition, and what hope can mean for Catholics today. The next section applies this understanding of hope to what we mean by a Catholic university, with the focus on undergraduate education. The last section begins to explore some practical implications of affirming hope as part of what makes a Catholic university distinctive.