Over the past forty years a number of changes have been reshaping the traditional scope of pastoral ministry. The days when pastors preached, prayed and visited have been assailed by countless hours spent in church administration, compliance legislation, planning meetings, team building exercises, apprentice training, denominational meetings and so on. Much of this work is highly stressful and incurs its own cost.
One of the areas that has seen a decline is the role of pastoral care. There are many reasons for this, such as the complex nature of people’s work life, the sharing of pastoral care among other church ministry leaders and volunteers, limitations on the pastor’s time, and changing expectations of parishioners. Yet with social media and modern means of communication, many pastors are still finding creative ways to keep in touch with their people.
That said, one particular area of pastoral care that many pastors are avoiding today is pastoral counselling. In this article I want to explore this issue for ministers/pastors of churches in particular.
The Rise of Professional Counselling
With the significant growth in clinical psychology and counselling as professions, many pastors now feel inadequate and insufficiently trained to deal with problems they encounter in the course of their ministry. Issues that touch on mental health carry a certain mystique; they don’t want to become involved. Some even fear being held legally liable for their advice, so quickly refer their people to the professionals and absolve themselves of further responsibility. Thankfully there are some excellent Christian psychologists and counsellors who are able to help in at least some of these cases.
What is concerning is that many pastors see clinical psychology and counselling, whether Christian or secular, as a kind of silver bullet that cannot be questioned. It is important to bust this myth: counselling and psychological therapy do not magically solve every problem. And while it should not be super-spiritually dismissed, any counsel given must certainly not be elevated above the Bible in terms of its weight and value.
Thirty years ago, Christian psychology professor Paul Vitz sounded this warning: “These days many Americans seem to have more faith in psychology than in their religion”.
Everyday Pastoral Counselling
Around 45% Australians will suffer from a mental health issue in their lifetime. People are feeling more lonely, disconnected, insecure, anxious and depressed. Many relationships are strained to the point of breaking. The general struggles of life are ever-present, compounded by new technologies and social changes. And of course there is fallout from the ongoing battle with sin. All these and more are likely to end up in the pastor’s office at some time.
Clearly the busy pastor has to triage according to his time and skills. Some matters will be best referred to professionals. But there will also be cases where, out of love for his people, he should be willing to get involved. Often this will require courage and personal sacrifice, but it will be the right thing to do.
In my view, most presenting problems will be within the scope of the average pastor with five to ten years of experience, who knows his people well. It means a great deal to people for their pastor to sit down with them, listen carefully, point them to Christ, offer wise advice from a biblical perspective, and pray with them. This process will generally require some ongoing follow-up, too. In many cases the pastor will have the joy of seeing God at work in the lives of his people.
Adopt a Personal Pastoral Modus Operandi
While counselling techniques and jargon may have some place, pastors should keep the relationship low key and ‘pastoral’, rather than ‘professional’. Labelling people is better avoided because we pastors are not qualified to diagnose. ‘Depressive’, ‘anxious’, ‘obsessive’, ‘narcissistic’, ‘insecure’, ‘addicted’… these labels can stick in our minds and once applied they can be hard to remove. We should see ourselves as caring shepherds who are coming alongside to help rather than would-be clinical professionals.
Keep Ongoing Connection to Those You Refer On
One of the dangers of professional counselling is an exclusive reliance on the psychologist or counsellor. What started out as an initial circuit breaker can turn into a dependent relationship that is difficult to break. The best psychologists and counsellors will of course be keenly aware of this problem, too.
There is a valuable place for a pastor to continue to check in from time to time with those he refers on. This helps maintain a level of ongoing pastoral interest and care. It also means we can help them supplement, or possibly judiciously correct, the professional input they are receiving. Some of our people will see secular counsellors whose approach will not include a spiritual dimension; even Christian counsellors may not always take things in the most biblically wise or discerning direction.
It is one element in a larger framework of holistic care that is also best clinical practice. In fact, we should be concerned to help church members stay connected not only to us but to the wider church community. Christian fellowship, prayer, singing, and hearing from God’s word are all meaningful in meeting their needs, providing support, and facilitating change.
Pray for God’s Life-Transforming Interventions
The Christian life is messy, not just for social and psychological reasons, but also because we are dealing with spiritual sickness and struggles. In addition to treatments that address the body and the mind, we also need to apply spiritual remedies. These will include the ordinary means of grace like the word of God and prayer and regular Christian fellowship. The good shepherd himself guides his people into the truth about themselves and their problems. Our heavenly Father is at work in us and our people. He can and does transform our lives. We should never despair of what God might do in transforming the hearts, minds, personalities, and lifestyles of his people.[1]
The days when pastors are seen as spiritual doctors are probably gone. Nevertheless, I want to encourage you, pastors, to make yourselves available to your people, to offer help in their hour of need. Train your elders, deacons and other mature Christians to share the load. Don’t wash your hands and leave it all to the professionals!
[1] I recommend Tim Chester, You Can Change: God’s Transforming Power for Our Sinful Behavior and Negative Emotions, Crossway, 2010).
