Abstract
African communities face various challenges that require different sectors’ interventions to be effectively addressed. Churches as key community structures in Africa along with people experience these life challenges. The situation prompts churches to continually re-examine their role in communities to develop relevant responses that are deeply rooted in Christian approaches and heritage. Pastoral care as a community frontline ministry is expected to intervene practically to address people’s holistic needs. However, the questions that emerge are the following: how can pastoral care practically be performed in a manner that it performs a public community caring role? How can public pastoral care be practically implemented? What models can be employed in providing public pastoral care? This article considers how pastoral care can be practically performed at the intersection of public theology and community development. Pastoral care performed at this intersection is termed public pastoral care. The article discusses and notes the ‘murky’ terrain and ‘apparent confusion’ on the notion of public pastoral care. Furthermore, it employs a church and community mobilisation process (CCMP) case study to progress beyond theoretical discussion to examine how public pastoral care can be operationalised in real-life situations. In doing so, it discerns the possibilities and challenges of positioning pastoral care to address public issues.
Highlights
Positives and promising aspects The effects of church and community mobilisation process (CCMP) that showed promise and strength included the intervention’s ability to change church and community people’s thinking, focusing on holistic empowerment, improvement of church internal ministries, ability to foster church and community joining of hands, innovative thinking in addressing community problems and practical transformation of both the church and community social issues
The shift of pastoral care to public theology, which renders it public pastoral care, is timely, in view of the challenges being experienced in communities
Evident from our discussion is that public pastoral care, in African contexts, cannot revolve around the person of the pastor
Summary
The need for theology to engage with wider social issues has given rise to public theology (Kim 2017:40–60).Connected to public theology development are developments in public practical theology (Dreyer 2004, 2011; Dreyer & Pieterse 2010; Osmer & Schweitzer 2003) and public pastoral care (Louw 2014; McClure 2012; Miller-McLemore 2004, 2005, 2018; Ramsay 2004, 2014). McClure (2012:275) describes theology as ‘New Horizons in Pastoral Care’ that rightly summarises the focus of pastoral care on public issues. McClure (2012:275) describes theology as ‘New Horizons in Pastoral Care’ that rightly summarises the focus of pastoral care on public issues These new horizons entail a shift from (1) pastoral care for an individual by an ordained professional to a model of care for the community and its members and by the community and its members, (2) the development of pastoral care as a public theology and (3) strategic participation in people’s lives rather than personal insight as the final goal. These observations are shared by other leading pastoral care theologians (Louw 2014; Miller-McLemore 2018; Ramsay 2014).
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