Theology Blog

It is the job of the Shepherd (lead Pastor and any Pastors) to ensure that everyone in the congregation is cared for, especially spiritually. While the Pastors are responsible to ensure everyone is cared for, the Pastors are not responsible to do all of that care. In fact, it is not Biblically or theologically sound for them to do so. Additionally, it is not at all practical in any church setting of any size. The care of the congregation belongs to every member of the church as we are all ministers, part of the priesthood of all believers as Martin Luther taught. I have learned over the years that when it comes to the issues we face in the church, we must think about them Biblically, theologically and practically. That said, the order and hierarchy of that is certainly important. The true image of the church, the body of Christ, a community of faith, the local family of God is far different than we often assume. While there is a professional nature to ministry and certainly a calling for Pastors, both the early church and the church today if healthy function in the same way when it comes to the care of those who are a part of the church. In the early church, Pastoral care at the center of the life of the church, but it was not done by the leaders of the church, it was performed by everyone as they did life together. This is an incredibly healthy image. Nothing is more powerful than when someone from your church cares for you in a time of need. That said, many small and dying churches (no coincidence according to any church consultant, expert or leader of a growing church), the assumption and the expectation is that only the professional pastors do the pastoral care. While this would be nice,it is not usually realistic, at least in a healthy way. Even if it were to be realistic, its not Biblical. The truth is that Pastors come and go. While they need to care for the people of their church, they should not do all that care. The community that existed before the pastor came and that will exist after the pastor leaves is best suited to do most of the care for the people in the congregation. The beauty of the church is that it is a community of faith, that we who are a part of a local church are family, we are in this together. We care for each other together.

In our family lives, if someone in our family is in need, we do not expect only a professional care giver to provide the care they need (whether mental, physical, emotional, or other things), we also care for them as their family in their time of need. That is the case with the church as well. The most powerful ministry moments happen when those who are a part of a church together do life together. That is the gift of God that demonstrates to us the true power that a church community can have in our lives. What the world needs is not a professional church, but an authentic community of faith. Caring for one another is truly one of the greatest gifts of the church!