Pastoral care and the people of god

Abstract

Various attempts in the last twenty years have sought to understand pastoral care as a function of the congregation, yet even ardent supporters have lost sight of their own vision. This article proposes that we define pastoral care as the work of the church, tie it more closely to the suffering associated with carrying out the church's mission, and develop a model of pastoral care that will differentiate everyday “untrained” lay pastoral care, care by clergy and “trained” laypersons, and pastoral psychotherapy. It offers theological rationales and draws implications for pastoral theory.