Pastoral Care And The Fight Against Spiritual Wickedness

 

Pastoral Care And The Fight Against Spiritual Wickedness

 

Because Pastoral Care is such an important piece in the battle against Satan, I want to continue this topic.  Jeremiah 3:15 states, “then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. Our jobs as shepherds are to care for the flock of God. We are their spiritual parents and should love them as our dear children.  The material here is from different experiences I have had in my life as a church leader and pastor.  I will also quote experiences from my mother and father, who were church leaders and over 50 years of experience in ministry. Lastly, I will also use material from my studies in seminary.  All the material is to help you in your Christian walk and to help leaders in their roles.

Your Role As A Pastor or Leader

I would consider you a first responder as a pastor. In that role, you have the chance to think deeply about how you may assist that person, family, or couple in establishing a network of care. However, there may be occasions when it's critical to consider expanding the circle or expanding the network to include a mental health expert. When striving to assist people in your church or community, you should keep certain criteria in mind.

Trouble Has Risen

When a crisis occurs in the lives of an individual or family in your church, you, as the pastor, are considered the first responder. A crisis occurs when a person or a family comes to you in such a state of distress that their safety is jeopardized. When someone is in such a state of despair or depression that they discuss making a plan to harm oneself. And now is the time for immediate action in the face of a crisis.

A second crisis, as you might expect, would be an individual, a family, or a couple who notifies you about abuse, neglect, or domestic violence in their home, neighborhood, or family, which would almost certainly necessitate mandatory reporting by law. Please double-check your location.

Complications That Arise in Pastoral Care

Another problem that can occur in pastoral care is the situation's complexity. There is time involved in counseling and time involved in truly knowing and walking with someone in an ongoing and difficult struggle that they may be facing, just as there is time involved in completing certain duties or doing particular things as a pastor. Consider how much time you have available in your pastoral counseling role. So, there may be times when the intricacy of the situation at hand necessitates someone with more time, more space, and the continuous potential of engagement in an intense counselling approach to support the individual going through a very trying moment.

Another layer of complexity I'd like you to explore is symptoms that don't appear to make sense, as well as the necessity of recognizing when someone is presenting an experience that doesn't seem to mesh with other people's.

Pastors Must Use Forethought or Caution

Pastor must be, what my mother used to call, in tune with the Holy Spirit.  Caution is an important part of caring for your congregation.  I'd also advise pastors to exercise prudence and think about those times when you have a nagging feeling something is wrong. It is critical to pay attention to these instances. When you feel that you're the only one who can aid or care for this person, it's a great motivator to look for new ways to broaden the network of care. First and foremost, I understand that you can't be everything to everyone as a pastor. You won't be able to save everyone in your church. There are instances when you may want assistance or the need to increase or broaden your network of care.  And it'll be an issue if you start to believe that's the only role you're capable of playing. It could be that you have a need to feel wanted, a sense of providing for others, and other things aren't going as smoothly as you'd like. But it might also be a problem with the person who is seeking your assistance, and it could be that they are forming relationships based on their need for dependence, and they are doing so because you are the only person who can help them.

The second point to keep in mind is if you begin to feel sexually attracted to that individual. Perhaps they are meeting with you in your office, and you are conscious that it feels wonderful to be in that conversation, and that you are aware of the sexual desire and attraction that is being discussed. And that's when it's appropriate to suggest that pastoral counseling isn't appropriate for this scenario, nor is it the greatest approach for you to interact with that person or with this particular congregational member.  Again, expanding the circle of getting people engaged so that that individual can receive the intimate attention they require in an environment free of temptation.

And as a third caution, pastors should be aware of the authority they wield as church and community leaders. As a pastor, you make decisions, and other leaders around you make decisions, and there are a variety of power dynamics that can play out in terms of relationships you have with others in your congregation who may be in positions of responsibility or authority, and who may have a significant influence on the decisions of those you are responsible for. So, when you hear the hurtful stories, when you hear the places of pain from congregational members, I'd like to ask you to consider what role you can play that allows you to stay where you have good judgment and not create situations that make it difficult for you as a pastor to maintain confidence or privacy.

Referrals Are Not Negative

Finally, one thing I'd like you to remember is that delivering a reference or referring someone to a mental health expert isn't always about when you do it, but rather about how you do it. I'd advise you to build a strong network of people you can trust.

Another aspect of how you do this is what you communicate or how you convey to the individual that you want to expand your network and when it would be beneficial to contact a mental health expert. Make it clear to them that this does not imply that they are insane or incapable. The fact that you've been referred to a mental health expert does not mean that you've done something wrong or that you've failed.

It doesn't rule out the possibility that God is working miracles in their lives. However, it is implying that there may be a niche or a set of abilities that this individual should pursue in order to continue to develop.

Also, just because you refer someone to another mental health provider doesn't mean your connection is over. You must also be honest about the level of support you can continue to provide. Staying in touch should be communicated clearly. Perhaps you'll check in, or perhaps you'll send them a letter. If they genuinely want you to know what's going on, they can talk to their therapist or counsellor about signing a release of information that allows the counsellor to speak with their pastor.

Again, You Are The First Responder     

As a result, you are an important member of the community. In times of disaster and struggle, you are the first responder for individuals and families. Your location could be the safest person in that family's or individual's life who says, "I can't do this!" or "I need help!" And as their shepherd, you have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look after them and help build the network that will enable them to thrive. AS the first responder, your role in pastoral care helps to fight against spiritual wickedness and the onslaught of lies that the enemy tries to bring against the church.  The church needs to know that finding mental health professionals is not always negative or a bad thing.  There are saints who are in the medical field that, not only have the medical credentials, but, they also can use their years of experience in Christianity to work along with the pastor to provide a complete care package to the person that is in need of help.  And to conclude, our jobs as pastors and shepherds, are to feed you with knowledge and understanding as we care for the flock of God’s church.

And as my father used to say when training ministers, it’s nice to be nice. Let’s remember pastors it’s all about love and caring for God’s people.