Medical resistance, crisis ministry, and terminal illness

Abstract

The pastoral curricula of America's most prominent divinity schools and seminaries emphasize a need for holistic ministry. A systems approach using interprofessional contact is being underscored, particularly in crisis situations (e.g., alcoholism, acute marital disharmony, and abortion counseling for the unwed). A primary area where this tenor is evidenced is in ministry to the terminally ill. It is frequently contended that the most effective pastoral care in these instances involves a mutual co-operation between physicians, pastors or institutional chaplains, and, at times, trust attorneys. Their work should be synchronized so that the probability of the terminal patient's acceptance of death is increased.1 It is a safe generalization to say that nearly all ? if not everyone?fears death or dying at some time. However, not all people are exposed to the complexities of biological change on a daily basis, at least not in the way members of the medical profession are. This exposure, coupled with the common sensitivity to death most of us are conscious of when we choose to be, places the physician in a potentially vulnerable position when a patient becomes terminally ill. Often such illnesses provoke physicians and nurses to resist psychologically thoughts