Qualities of a Pastoral Carer

A detailed Summary of Qualities of a Pastoral Carer

Describe the essential qualities of a pastoral caregiver. Outline literature used to support your assumptions. Discuss the qualities you believe that you have already and what you recognise you need to develop. Include how you intend to do this.

"The shepherd was with his flock day and night, often in remote places far from home, and he had to be skilled in keeping the flock together, in finding wanderers and stragglers, in recognising the ailments of his sheep and knowing how to cure them, and in ensuring the safety of the vulnerable members of the flock." This definition of the role of a pastoral caregiver highlights the necessity for certain fundamental qualities within an individual in this role. These qualities include integrity, relevant response to issues of the time, deep knowledge of the heart of God, humility, and love.

Deep knowledge of the heart of God, is the most important quality for someone in a pastoral role. "Do you know the incarnate God? In our world of loneliness and despair, there is an enormous need for men and women who know the heart of god, a heart that forgives, that cares, that reaches out and wants to heal...The knowledge of Jesus' heart is a knowledge of the heart. And when we live in th

The qualities described above are I feel integral to the work of pastoral care. To have a knowledge of Christ and his heart and to be able to contextualise that. To have integrity and steer away from hypocrisy. And to be humble and loving. Eugene Peterson's "Message" bible version of Matthew 5:13 says, "Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavours of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste Godliness?" And with this commission Christ sends us out.

I feel that all of the five qualities above are in some way manifested in me. All to different degrees, I feel that all however can be improved. With regard to integrity, my life would seem to be rife with hypocrisy. A co-worker at work asked me what I was studying and I told him theology. After explaining what this is and about, I could not help but contemplate my actions and what I had said previously to him and I was drawn to the words of DC Talk I quoted above. However much I denied Christ in my workplace though, this is only one place of many where I have done it. In humility I struggle, in unconditional love towards my neighbour I struggle. The only place where I feel I sometimes succeed is in knowing the heart of the Lord, whether I take heed of it is a different story, but undoubtedly I feel that he always lets me know when I am in the right place or not. I feel the best way to develop the qualities I lack however is to live in Christ and for Christ and through experiencing life in Him will I gain the tools and qualities I need.

Some common words found in the essay are:
, St Gregory, Jesus Freak, Mike Riddell, Henri Nouwen, Corinthians Love, DC Talk, Christ Christ, Peterson's Message, pastoral care, pastoral caregiver, knowledge heart, quality pastoral, heart god, deep knowledge heart, wounded healer, care giving, god love, relevant response, deep knowledge, quality pastoral care, knowledge heart god,

Approximate Word count = 1282
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous