What is Pastoral Care?
Pastoral Care is the process by which we support one another in life, seeking to love and care for one another, with the goal of each member growing in Christ. The purpose of pastoral care is that each person might live this life to the full (John 10:10).
Pastoral Care is an ongoing process, which involves every church member playing their part. It is not the responsibility of any one single person or group of people to do all the caring and one-anothering that scripture commands. While Elders have overall responsibility for pastoral care and teaching, it is clear from the Bible that all of us, as members of one body, have a part to play according to the gifts God has entrusted us with. It is important that we recognise that all of the care we give comes from a premise and foundation of prayer and faith in the power of God.
How is pastoral care organised at New Community?
We believe that church is a family (not like a family, it is a family), and, as such, want to encourage everyone to play a full and active part in the life of the church, as we all seek to grow as disciples, family members, and missionaries.
Our pastoral care structure reflects these beliefs and is organised around what we describe as the CARE Pathway;
- Commit to care in the context of Community
- Access additional resources
- Refer for further help and support
- Explore a specialist care plan
The primacy of Community in pastoral care
The vast majority of pastoral care is outworked in the context of community life. Communities are a way of drawing people together who commit to sharing life, loving one another, and growing together as disciples, family members, and missionaries.
Communities are led by leaders who are committed to loving and caring for the people that are a part of their community. Communities are the first place for people to access care and support, and, subsequently, it is both the goal and intention of the leadership that all members of the church belong to a Community.
Pastoral care within Communities is not counselling or specialist help. It involves showing friendship, giving practical help, being a listener, praying with and for, and using the Bible to encourage, admonish, and help one another (1 Thessalonians 5:14).
We believe that playing an active role in a Community is an essential part of church life (as scripture makes clear, see Acts 2:42-47) and therefore want to stress the importance for each person in the life of the church to be part of a Community. In practice, one of the first questions we would seek to ask someone when faced with a pastoral care issue is “which Community are you a part of?” We believe strongly that Communities are the primary environment in which to receive ongoing pastoral care.
Community Leaders have access to additional resources to help pastorally care for their members, as well as the support and supervision of experienced pastoral leaders (who oversee the "Refer" and "Explore" parts of the CARE pathway).
Photo by Ýlona María Rybka on Unsplash
