‘Do I have the right pastoral care structures in my church?’ It’s a question I get asked a great deal. It’s a question to which there is no easy answer, because different churches will need different structures.
What’s appropriate will be dependent on the age of the church (church plants and established churches will work in very different ways); the size of the church; the culture of the area; the gifts of the leaders and congregation members; and the theological convictions on matters such as authority, governance and pastoral roles. But there are some questions churches can ask themselves to begin to tease out if their pastoral structure is apt, and here are a few:
Is the structure understood?
Whatever the structure, it only has a chance of helping people well if people know what it is. Where can people go when in distress? After they’ve made that first approach, what will happen next? Will others be told? Will that group operate some kind of corporate confidentiality? Is everyone with a role or responsibility clear on what that role and responsibility is? Not every pastoral situation has to take the same path but knowing there are clear paths will help people access care with confidence. Sometimes it’s a good idea to ask four members of the congregation to sketch out how they think pastoral care works within the church. Once you’ve compared their answers, you’ll know if people understand the structure or not.
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