The concept of care is described and understood differently depending upon the point of view of a particular discipline, or profession, or of certain cultural beliefs, the social sciences, and theological stances or creeds, especially those related to multi-faith groups. Thus, the meaning of care is related directly to its function or the context in which it is applied. This article focuses on two expressions of ministry crucial to the health and wholeness of the life of a faith community. These are Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counseling.

Care is a compelling motivation crucial to the relationship between the caregiver and the care seeker. Care is a sacramental expression of tending to parishioners in distress whose lives have been interrupted by crises. Pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams are constantly on the frontline when their followers are in need of guidance, nurturing, and emotional and spiritual healing. Often people come to the faith community when they experience injustice and need to find the liberating and empowering support of the agents of care.

Pastor R. Anderson is sitting quietly in her study after conducting a funeral service for a seventeen-year old boy who committed suicide after a few weeks of painful humiliation and bullying by his high school classmates. Pastor Anderson married this young man’s parents, baptized him, and confirmed him when he came of age in the church. On Sunday she has to preach and comfort the mourning congregation. She will meet with the youth of the church to support them as they, too, seek answers and meaning following this tragedy. Pastor Anderson is also scheduled to perform a wedding the next day at her church. On the following Tuesday, she will meet with a local group working on the development of a community program to address the increasing number of elderly in the neighborhood who are mostly alone and lack appropriate resources and support. That night she is also to teach an adult Bible study. Every day is filled with activities and meetings with church leaders, community groups, and individuals. This portrayal of the life of a pastor is not uncommon. Pastoral Care happens in every aspect of a pastor’s life as well as in the life of a congregation.

This vignette raises an important question: What motivates a woman or a man to enter into a life/profession that is so overwhelmingly demanding? It may be helpful to remind ourselves of the genesis of this ministry.

Pastoral Care is directly connected to the early biblical image and practice of shepherding. Its distinctive expressions of care for the flock became the paradigm for this ministry. It is the bedrock upon which the Pastoral Care ministry was built and from which it continued to evolve throughout historical epochs and social changes as well as within its religious and multicultural contexts.

A shepherd’s life was always at risk given the tasks of protecting the flock from dangerous predators. Pastoral Care Ministry continues that concept through pastors, priests, rabbis, and imams protecting his or her flock from external dangers as well as being a healer to and for those who have experienced loss.

Given the nature of this ministry and its demands, one contemplating entering a pastoral vocation should do so with the full realization that it entails deep empathy and care. As in any other profession, there are expectations as to the duties to be performed.

In 2001, in my book Cuidado Pastoral Contextual r Integral, (Contextual and Integrative Pastoral Care), I developed a working definition that shows the breadth of the multifaceted ministry of Pastoral Care: “A holistic ministry of healing, liberation, and empowerment that encompasses ALL aspects of human life and manifests itself in the entire life of the faith community. Pastoral care is intentionally inclusive of the contextual experience of individuals and groups. Pastoral care seeks to understand and address human fragmentation and alienation by the engagement of care seekers and caregivers in a relationship centered in trust, mutuality, and acceptance.” This definition emerged as the result of over thirty years of pulpit ministry and as a Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling.

As with any other ministry, there are tasks and functions that undergird its practice. One of those tasks is to find oneself as one specific posture employing certain distinct functions, and to discover in its work with individual human beings in real life situations how its resources actually help troubled persons.” As Pastoral Care continues to evolve, so do its functions. For instance, historically: healing, sustaining, guiding, and reconciling (Clebsh and Jaeckle, 1983) have endured historical and social transitions. Other practitioners who have made additional contributions to the these functions are Howard Clinebell (1984), who added nurturing, and recently, in working with the Latino/Hispanic community and other underserved communities, has included liberating and empowering as critical elements in the healing of disenfranchised and marginalized communities.

Each of these functions reminds us of the many expressions of care. Here are some specific functions as real life examples of what care looks like in ministry: Accompaniment of those who suffer, are alienated, marginalized, sick, discouraged, and depressed. In Healing, Jaeckle and Clebsh define this term as “the function that aims to overcome some impairment by restoring a person to wholeness and by leading him (sic) to advance beyond his previous condition.” Nurturing, according to Howard Clinebell, is to equip people by educating them as to how to make decisions and to provide spiritual directions. As a result of my experience, I have added two functions: liberation and empowerment that from my point of reference are significant for those who: suffer from social injustice; have endured substantive emotional and physical abuse as a child; are victims of gender abuse; are immigrants or members of racial/ethnic groups. Often these people have low self-esteem and their victimization prevents them from exercising their God-given right to be respected and to regain a sense of self-esteem and power. These are examples of realities that impede or prevent growth and health in individuals, groups, and communities.

Scripture shows us how Jesus was the caring paradigm when it came to healing and fostering wholeness in people. In the Gospel of Mark (10: 46-52), we read about Jesus ‘healing of Bartimaeus.’ Bartimaeus shouting for Jesus to have mercy on him attracted Jesus’ attention. Jesus stopped and asked him what he could do for him. It is important to note that Jesus’ did not take for granted that sight was what he wanted or needed. The end of the story is one of healing, restoration, liberation, and empowerment. In this interaction, Bartimaeus received the care that brought wholeness to him. This is Pastoral Care.

Besides responding to the needs of the congregation in terms of personal and family crises, pastoral care is about educating the leadership as to how they can best carry out their leadership roles. Therefore, pastoral care is also educational. Church school teachers strengthen their abilities by having a sense of how children, youth, and adults develop and how they learn based on their stages of development. Pastoral care is transmitted through preaching and the training of volunteers who serve the church in its various capacities. One important aspect, as well, is how the basic knowledge of group dynamics increases the effectiveness of the work of the church. In the definition of pastoral care, it was noted how this particular expression of ministry encompasses all aspects of church life.

Pastoral care is an intentional expression of ministry that introduces the congregation to an integrated and holistic faith. Traditionally, the church has been a religious community that responds to the people’s spiritual needs. The vision of Pastoral Care has been widened to now include knowledge of the social sciences as a way to learn about human complexities and the interplay of those social and psychological dynamics that contribute to our humanity. One important outcome is that clergy have acquired new insights and understandings of how the challenges of post-modern society impinge on individuals and communities. It is critically important to recognize the role of the church as a caring “agency of healing and transformation.” Therefore, Pastoral Caregivers in their multi-faceted responsibilities can play a vital role in fostering individual and group transformation by providing quality, ethical, and compassionate health and wholeness care. Responsible and effective Pastoral Care takes into consideration the interplay of the bio-psycho-social-spiritual model and allows the caregiver to be aware of and sensitive to how she or he can best serve his or her congregation.

At the beginning of this article, I mentioned the two ministries that embody caring in a very profound manner; up to this point, I have focused primarily on Pastoral Care. My purpose was to differentiate between Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counseling since, unfortunately, the terminology and praxis of these two disciplines are often viewed as interchangeable by clergy and congregations. In my opinion, this is a misrepresentation that leads to role confusion by both groups. At times, clergy take on situations that they are not equipped to handle because they do not have the appropriate education or training. In some cases, this has resulted in serious difficulties and in extreme cases major harm to congregants.

Pastoral Counseling, on the other hand, entails a lengthy integrated educational and training program that encompasses an understanding of human development, personality theories, counseling skills, and other special knowledge that enable the practitioner to respond appropriately to complex critical human predicaments. This distinction is particularly important so that, when working with people, the caregiver–however well meaning–does no harm.

It is vital that my Pastoral Counselor comments do not preclude a pastoral caregiver from establishing interdisciplinary dialogues with social science specialists. On the contrary, it is crucial to engage in this dialogue. The point this article makes is that a caregiver must understand and serve within the boundaries of his or her vocation/profession. In the local congregation, Pastoral Care is a ministry of the Church; Pastoral Counseling is a professional ministry that utilizes psychology and spirituality.

A Pastoral Counselor is, therefore, a mental health professional who has formal theological education and is able to integrate in a healthy fashion both psychology and religion/spirituality. Pastoral Counselors are also persons who show compassionate care as they engage in facilitating an in-depth therapeutic process.

Care in context reflects a concrete example that enhances the life of parishioners or clients by being present at life’s joyful moments as well as at times of profound grief. Whether it is healing, sustaining, liberating, nurturing, or empowering within the context of Pastoral Care or Pastoral Counseling, care is the motivating force that drives men and women to engage in these ministries.

About the author

Rebeca Radillo wrote 3 articles for this publication.

The Rev. Dr. Rebeca M. Radillo is originally from Cuba and came to the United States in 1961. Dr. Radillo is a United Methodist Pastor and just concluded her tenure as Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling and Director of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling Program. She is Professor Emerita at The New York Theological Seminary. A graduate of Candler School of Theology at Emory University, New York Theological University and the Blanton Peale Graduate Institute in Pastoral Psychotherapy, she is a Licensed New York State Mental Health Counselor. She has been an adjunct professor at Drew Theological School, General Theological Seminary, and Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas. She is the author of two books, Cuidado Pastoral Contextual e Integral and Cuidado Pastoral con Immigrantes.

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