Pastoral Care

In leadership we are not immune from criticism, in fact it goes with the territory. Sadly, over time Angela and I have been heavily criticised for our handling of congregational care. I believe that this is due to a clash of unspoken expectations on one hand, and an inability for us to share how we are handling private situations on the other.

Observing confidentiality like this does open us up for criticism, as invariably people in the congregation will only hear one side of any given story, depending on who they relate to themselves.

Each week Judith and I sit down for around an hour to discuss congregational care. We identify those that we are aware of that should be on the prayer newsletter that is circulated each Tuesday to our prayer warriors. We read through each newcomer card and a letter is sent to each visitor from our area. We then look at who has been absent from worship for a few weeks and find out if they are on holiday, unwell or simply absent.

From this we list we allocate contact requests to each of the Corps team leaders to follow up. The prayer and care team, including Bronwyn McDonald and Mary Shute are also given some names to send cards to, or phone. We generally allocate three contact points for each person that we believe needs a caring contact - one that is general from the Corps, one that is generationally appropriate, and one that is related to a small group or activity the person is involved with.

I am aware that at the moment one or two are not happy with how we've handled specific, quite complex issues within the Corps. In our care we follow some pretty basic principles: everyone needs care, everyone needs grace, everyone is welcome. At the same time we are not scared of discipline where appropriate, but choose to handle this privately and discretely so that people are not embarassed or shamed within our community of God's people. Quite often with the bigger issues we consult with our CSM Neil, or our Corps Secretary Lynette, for extra input and a secondary perspective. In some cases we also consult with our Senior Pastoral Care Council, who, by the way, meet again in mid April.

If anyone is concerned, please speak directly to Angela or I rather than speaking around the Corps. I promise you that there is a bigger perspective and that we are not only aware of most things, but are taking appropriate steps to pastorally care for all concerned. While I won't discuss people's private affairs I am happy to discuss the way in which we have contacted people or offered support.

In all of this, please remember the Scriptural directive that we are all priests and all ministers of the gospel. We each have a responsibility to care, pray and encourage. The buck actually stops with all of us.