Teamwork

1
Teamwork

• Pastoral Care
• PCW/Agape Mission Programme
• North Wales Baptist College

2
In this session we will consider

• How do we provide pastoral care?
• Who is responsible for doing this?
• What is the motivation for pastoral care?

3
After considering these questions together we
should be

• Aware of the need for pastoral care
• Ready and confident to undertake this task
• Aware of opportunities within the Church to
  provide care for each other.

4
Pastoral Motivation

• Gods love
• Little children, let us not love in word or
  speech but in deed and in truth. (1 John 318).

5
Stephen and six others were appointed to serve
tables (Acts 6 7)
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The Good Shepherd

• Jesus is the good shepherd (John 1011)
• In the Church, love, faith, forgiveness and
  grace are mediated through prayer, worship,
  sacraments and fellowship this is the work of
  the Holy Spirit (Galatians 522).

7
Ministry and support

• listening
• counselling
• therapy
• The Church is more than a support group it is
  called to lead people to Christ

8
Who is responsible for care and pastoral work in
the local church?

• The minister
• Other leaders
• Some do it instinctively

9
The Pastoral Team

• Pastoral care is the task of the whole
  congregation and involves caring for others as if
  Christ himself confronts us in them.
• Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of
  the least of these my brethren, you did it to
  me. (Matthew 2540)

10
The Minister

• leader and promoter of pastoral care

11
The elders/deacons

• Welcoming
• Visiting
• Praying

12
The whole congregation

• Friendship and fellowship should grow within a
  church because of the love of Christ.

13
An open church affirms

• that no one is alone with his or her problems
• that no one has to conceal his or her
  disabilities
• that there are not some who have their say while
  others remain silent
• that neither the old nor the little ones are
  isolated
• that one bears the other even in disagreement and
  unpleasantness
• that one can also at times leave the other in
  peace when the other needs it

14
It has to be said that

• the Church and her ministry exist to serve
• the Church is essentially people - the life,
  experience and the struggles of people should
  determine what it does.

15
Communication

• If we do not know we cannot act!
• For example
• tell the minister or church secretary when
  somebody is ill or bereaved.

16
Contact should be regular and deliberate

• This can be achieved through a regularly
  published newsletter or magazine

17
On special occasions..

• a greeting card or a note of condolence can be
  very meaningful

18
www.ourchurch.org.uk

• the goal is to create a feeling of fellowship

19
Whos doing it?
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Everybody!

• Arrange a regular rota of visitors to support
  the work of the minister and elders
• Arrange visitors in pairs
• Identify proposed visits
• Provide a newsletter or greeting card to be
  distributed

21
Socialising

• Fellowship
• Visiting
• Support

22
Not only the sick and housebound

• Providing opportunities for sharing
  experiences, discussion and receiving
  information is essential.
• Doing so might be easier in a small, informal
  house group.

23
Comfort

• act naturally
• avoid shows of false piety
• leave your personal problems at home
• respect confidentiality
• refrain from being judgemental

24
The nature of pastoral care and support -
friendship

• listening
• sympathizing
• supporting
• encouraging
• Those in need of specialist help should be
  encouraged to seek it .

25
I have other sheep

• The Church is also charged with providing
  pastoral care for the community.
• Nobody can do everything but each congregation
  can do something.
• Is there a local pastoral need that your
  congregation can fulfil ?

26
Community support
27
Consider

• How would you persuade somebody to undertake
  pastoral responsibility?
• What are your experiences of loneliness, illness
  or bereavement? Was the local church helpful?
  What sort of support would you have liked to
  receive?
• How many opportunities to discuss and share
  experiences does your church provide?
• Consider what opportunities to offer community
  support are available to your church? How could
  these be further examined?

28
Summary

• Motivation - why?
• Responsibility - who?
• Guidelines - how?
• Results - what?

29
Thank you

• Thank you for listening and responding
• We will look forward to the next session
• Who is responsible for making the arrangements?