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.
Lutheran Media
Lutheran Media produces podcasts, videos and booklets on a variety of topics. You may find some helpful resources at www.lutheranmedia.org.au and www.messagesofhope.org.au where you can search by topic or resource.
WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? (approx. 6 minutes) This video is a round table discussion with Richard, Celia and Noel on fear, how we respond to fear, and what Jesus promises in times of fear.
HOW DO YOU COPE WITH CHANGE? (6½ minutes) Do you embrace change, or does it stress you out? Hear Anna, Celia and Janine share their thoughts on what stresses them out and finding strategies to cope.
PEACE BEYOND REASON: (approx. 10 minutes) 'To this day, I don’t know what triggered it, but the lady in front of me blew her stack – What gives you the right? What gives you the right to be at peace? I hate it!' What do think of when you hear the word peace? Not the dream of world peace, but inner peace. Peace that works even when the world, and perhaps even you, are in chaos. Are you at peace? Listen to listen as Noel Due shares his reflections on peace and a path to finding it.
YOUR PLACE IN GOD’S PLAN: Discover God's purpose in your life. Gain a deeper understanding about God's plans for you. See how he will make the most of the talents and abilities that he has given you.
CONTENTMENT: While we may not be completely satisfied with our lot in life – and let's face it, most of us want more. There will always be a void if we tie our sense of inner peace to the fleeting things of this world. Offering insight on some key 'practices' to implement concerning contentment, this booklet shows how being truly satisfied is very much tied to our perspective. Citing the apostle Paul's illuminating view on contentment as found in the book of Philippians, the author drills down to the source of the peace and satisfaction in this life.
PRAYER: In this booklet the ways God answers prayer, why praying is important, and the words of our prayers are considered. More than just wish lists we put before God, our prayers are an opportunity to share our deepest thoughts and heartfelt concerns with him.
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.
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