Pastoral Care
What is pastoral care?
Pastoral care is the spiritual care and nurture of the people in a congregation and the community. While this is a big part of the role of pastors, pastoral care may also be delegated to the members of a congregation as part of the 'royal priesthood of believers'.
All members of a congregation contribute to caring for and encouraging each other and visitors in the faith. You can read more about being a caring and welcoming community on the Ministry in Your Congregation page.
Congregations may choose to set up specific teams to assist the pastor, especially when ministering to specific groups, such as the elderly, people in hospitals, new parents etc. In congregations without a pastor, a pastoral care team may be a crucial means of supporting and caring for members and the community.
Visiting is one important ministry activity that helps support people in a wide range of situations. You can read more about setting up and running a visiting ministry here.
Sometimes chaplains are appointed to work with people in specific ministry contexts. Often these will be areas where extra training or accreditation is needed, such as schools, hospitals, aged care facilities or prisons. You can learn more about chaplaincy on this page.
Whether you are caring for a relative, friend or colleague as a Christian individual, as part of a congregational ministry or as a ministry leader, you may find the resources for specific issues below of assistance. They have been gathered from across the LCANZ and from other trustworthy sources.
Resources for specific issues
Grief
Illness
Anxiety
Depression
Loneliness
Natural Disasters
Financial Pressure
Family Breakdown
Domestic Violence
Unemployment
Visiting
A visiting ministry is one way for a church or parish to keep in touch with their congregation or parish members and contacts, but the main reason for visiting is that people matter both to God and to you. Visiting them lets them know you care.
Visiting should never be just the pastor’s responsibility but a community effort. The pastor can’t visit everyone and certainly not as often as might be desirable. It is one thing if the pastor can visit during a time of need, but to have numerous other people visit over the course of time really shows a caring church.
A guide to setting up and running a visiting ministry has been prepared.
Visiting Resources
Visit Caring Ministries to watch a webinar on 'Tips for Congregational Visiting'.
Lutheran Tract Mission has a vast range of tracts, bookmarks, postcards and stickers which could be helpful when visiting. They include cards you can leave when the person isn't at home and resources for all kinds of situations.
The people you are visiting may need support or resources for different challenges they face, such as grief or anxiety. You can find many good resources on the Pastoral Care page of Congregational Life.
Chaplaincy
Chaplains provide pastoral care in specific settings, such as schools, aged care, hospitals and prisons. Chaplains may also serve in crisis situations such as following natural disasters, or act in support of police or the defence forces.
Training and Development
The LCA values and appreciates the work of chaplains and is committed to supporting them in their ongoing training and development. Those who serve as chaplains in Lutheran Aged Care and Community Service need to be fully equipped to carry out their roles to the best of their abilities. Appropriate training and practical experience is important. This includes having sufficient theological understanding to uphold and promote the teachings of the LCA.
Lay chaplains who are not already accredited are strongly encouraged to work towards LCA chaplain accreditation. Those who have gone through this process have found it to be a worthwhile and rewarding experience for their growth and development in the areas of:
- theological and spiritual development
- leadership development
- ministry skills
- personal attributes.
There's always something happening in your church. Don't be the last to find out.
Subscribe to LCA eNews. It's free, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
How did we do?
Did you find what you were looking for? Did you find anything out of date or not working properly? Please tell us how we can improve this page.
Contact us
Where to now?
