Using the Disciplines to Care
Paul Anderson
Giving proper pastoral care to people means helping them become independent in faith in a healthy way.
—Paul Anderson Our youngest child had his first birthday a week after our oldest turned 14. Naturally, our expectations for young Israel differ from those we have for adolescent Andrew. Andrew has moved from total dependence to relative independence. Since he has shown he handles freedom well, he is on his own a fair amount of the time. Likewise in the church, we have newborn Christians, who are dependent upon the spiritual parents in the church, and mature Christians, who don't require as much regular pastoral direction. Not that people ever get to the point where they don't need the personal attention of pastor and church. I know of one Texas pastor who didn't believe his people needed to be visited in the hospital or counseled in times of crisis. All they required was doctrine, he thought, and that alone would enable them to function on their own. That approach fosters an unhealthy independence that only saps a congregation's ability to love and support one another. Giving proper pastoral care to people means helping them become independent in faith in a healthy way. In a crisis, we are there for them. When they simply want to share what's going on in their lives, we're there. But maturity means they will increasingly take responsibility for their own spiritual growth. I've found teaching my people spiritual disciplines is one way I can perform this vital form of pastoral care. When people learn to pray, study the Scriptures, tithe, and nurture their own relationship with the Lord, they become increasingly mature. Here, then, are some things we are doing to give this form of pastoral care. Initial Obstacles
Even though practicing ...
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