The Intelligent Christian

Pastoral Care

Usually taught as Pastoral Theology. But what a horrible title for such a beautiful subject! As an academic subject it is a typical example of what happens when scholars try to extrapolate from the Bible those parts that fit their template. As we have said, the template is as informative as the subject, although it is seldom, if ever, thought of.

We will attempt something different. It is our intention to encourage website visitors to do their own thinking and to interact with the Bible while being aware of their own thinking processes. This might be a good time to review the rules for doing theology. These are given in: Doing Theology

We will start by reminding ourselves that the professional functions we see in today's church structures originate with Constantine and not with the Bible. The clergy/laity distinction is certainly not justifiable from New Testament study and it is one of the biggest thought corrals of them all. The many different forms of church government demonstrate the wide variety of interpretations of scripture. We would say that the many interpretations are in error from the start because they begin with the challenge: "Let's go find a church structure in the New Testament". This assumes there is a structure to be found and it assumes the structure they want to find will fit an organizational chart.

Nevertheless there is some biblical pastoral motivation and activity going on even within denominational structures. We can take a lesson from both Moses and David in the Old Testament. Moses was God's chosen servant to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage to the promised land. But he was not permitted to enter the promised land because of the rebellious spirit he showed at the waters of Meribah (see Numbers 20:8 - 12, 24 and Deuteronomy 32:48 - 52). David was called a man after God's own heart but he was not permitted to build the Temple because he was a man of blood (see 1 Chronicles 28:2 and 3). There are many ways in which the church leaders of today (and indeed all of us) do things that should not be done yet God does use them. No one should lose sight of the fact that the work is the Lord's. The Lord is the gardener who tends the vine.

A pastor is really a shepherd. A shepherd is someone who looks after sheep. This image is used in both the Old and the New Testaments to describe for us the way God looks after his people and the way God wants us to look after each other. Some Christians are stronger than others and therefore naturally emerge as leaders. But the term leader needs careful thought because in the Bible bad leaders do not come out very well.

Site visitors may not be aware that there are different methods of shepherding sheep. In Britain there are televised competitions among shepherds and the influence of television is powerful. The main British method of shepherding involves the use of Border Collies. Border Collies are dogs which have been specifically bred over many years to assist the shepherd in controlling the sheep.

The operative word here is control. You see, in Britain a shepherd drives the sheep. The dogs, using modified hunting instincts, maneuver the sheep as directed by the shepherd. The shepherd uses whistles and hand signals to direct the dogs.

Shepherding in the Bible however, is entirely different. In Bible times the shepherd led the flock of sheep. The shepherd looked after the sheep from their birth and the sheep knew the shepherd's voice. He (most shepherds were and are today men) would lead his sheep to pasture and he could be trusted. This is the image in the most famous psalm, the 23rd.

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures,

He leads me beside quiet waters,

He restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me,

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever."

This is David's expression of his perception of the Lord's pastoral care in his times of trial and trouble. Christians down through the centuries have echoed these sentiments, even in the face of death. And there have been some pretty horrible deaths of Christians. Sadly, even at the hands of other Christians.

As the shepherd led his sheep to green pastures and still waters, some might not follow. They would wander off on their own and end up lost, sometimes in dangerous places. The shepherd would leave the flock once they were safe and go to find and bring back the sheep that had wandered off.

This is the image Jesus uses for himself and his people. His words are recorded in John 10:11-18:

'I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

'I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life - only to take it up again. No-one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my father.'

On the home page we quoted John 10:27, 28 'My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand.'

Luke records Jesus again using the image of the shepherd in Luke 15:4 - 7.

'Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says "Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep." I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.'

It would be wrong to leave the impression that any of this is optional. In the article on clergymen we note that the Bible is not very kind to clergymen. Prophets, yes. But clergymen come under regular and heavy criticism.

Ezekiel 34 is a marvelous place to learn about the heart of God. For example, verse 15 and the first part of verse 16: 'I myself will tend my sheep and make them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.'

However, there is also plenty to indicate what the Lord feels towards clergy who are not good shepherds. Excerpts from chapter 34: 'Should not shepherds take care of the flock? --- You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd. --- My sheep wandered over the whole earth, and no-one searched or looked for them. --- I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock.'

And in Chapter 33 the Lord says to Ezekiel some things that could be said today about many churches and clergymen: 'As for you, son of man, your countrymen are talking together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, saying to each other, "Come and hear the message that has come from the Lord". My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. Indeed, to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put them into practice.'

In our view, the Lord's sheep are his present and future sheep. If we combine the shepherd metaphor with Matthew's version of the Luke 15:4 - 7 above where Matthew adds 'In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.' (Matthew 18:14) and Peter's comment in 2 Peter 3:9, 'He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance', we have to conclude that pastoring includes reaching out to those who are not yet Christians.

Once we jump out of the thought corral we can see endless possibilities for pastoring. Again, because of Doing Theology Rule Number One we can look to Jesus. 'For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' (Matthew 25:35, 36) We must not lose sight of the Lord's insistence that caring is practical.

Thought experiment: With our electronic communications what are the possibilities for pastoral functions at a distance?

Thought experiment: What are some of the ways we parallel the disobedience of Moses and David?

There are some very practical ways of implementing pastoral theology. Walking a mile in the other person's moccasins is one good one. If you are in a church situation learn to look around the church after the service. Try to pick out types of people. For example, look for men by themselves. Look for age groups of men by themselves. Observe how they interact with the rest of the congregation and observe whether they are approached by any of the congregation. Do this over time with varying types of people and you will begin to see patterns. Now put yourself in their moccasins and see life and church from their perspective. If you were them, what pastoral care would you need?

You see, one of the best ways of developing good pastoral care is to follow the golden rule. You do unto others as you would have them do unto you. All Christians are pastors in one way or another but not all of us properly grasp this. As an exercise, try making a list of people you know who need pastoral care. If you were them, what would you need? Do they live alone? Are there signs they may suffer depression? Call them up. Call them by their name (people like to be called by their names) and ask the question: how are you - and tell me the truth! Once you establish your credibility and your long term commitment to that person you will begin to hear the story. If you are serious about this and fairly perceptive you will soon see the failings of the church structure. Of course, every failure is an opportunity and Christians should respond appropriately.

A list of your sheep needs careful attention. Some drift away. Some resist pastoral approaches because they have been burned in the past or because they are testing your sincerity. A list properly maintained can do wonders. It is your prayer list. You can't pray for people without needing to know them better. It slots into your diary. Has one of your sheep just lost a loved one? Diarize for thirty days and go and see them. (The thirty day mark is when it really hits and that is also about the time the rest drift away) If you organize your prayers and your time around your sheep you are well on the way to being a good shepherd.

Does your church maintain a list of people who no longer attend? Very few churches do. If there is such a list in your church, is the list managed? If so who manages it and what is done with the information contained in the management reports? Asking these kinds of questions can be enlightening. Ask persistently and you will soon know what your church leadership really believe.

There is a marvelous hymn written by a man who had been left by the woman he loved. It is a hymn some folk can't bring themselves to sing in church because they need to see its expression through God's people. George Matheson wrote it.

O Love that wilt not let me go,

I rest my weary soul in Thee;

I give thee back the life I owe,

that in Thine ocean depths its flow

may richer, fuller be.

O Light that followest all my way.

I yield by flickering torch to Thee;

my heart restores its borrowed ray,

that in Thy sunshine's blaze its day

may brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,

I cannot close my heart to Thee;

I trace the rainbow through the rain,

and feel the promise is not vain

that morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,

I dare not ask to fly from Thee;

I lay in dust life's glory dead,

and from the ground there blossoms red

life that shall endless be.

Of David it is written: And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skilful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:72)

We conclude this section with a negative example. Nasty people also know about diaries and people's needs. I know of a family which lost the father. Exactly six months after the obituary appeared in the newspaper there was a telephone call. The daughter answered and a kind voice said, 'Hello, may I speak to Charlie, please?' 'Oh, are you a friend of my father?' 'Yes.' 'Well, I'm sorry to have to tell you that my father is dead.'

The kind voice feigned shock and sadness, chatted for a while and ended the call. A few days later he called again and began to manipulate the conversation. It turned out that he did not know the father. He was an investment broker and he used the newspaper obituaries and his diary as his primary business tools. It made him wealthy.

Get it yet? Let's all work at being good shepherds.

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The sine qua non

Jesus is Lord

Pastoral Care