In Depth:  Steve Midgely

pastoral care

Steve Midgely

Every now and again in pastoral ministry we come across something unfamiliar. And in such circumstances our response, sometimes, is simply to retreat.

Partly that might be driven by a godly concern that, out of ignorance, we will say or do something that proves unhelpful. There may also be elements of a concern that is rather less godly – that of appearing ignorant or looking foolish.

pastoral care

Steve Midgely

Jesus famously declared: ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners’ (Mark 2:17).

It raises an interesting question about our churches – perhaps you have come across it before – ‘Which do our churches most resemble: a group of people waiting for a job interview or those waiting in a doctor’s surgery?’