All tagged pastoral care
In their podcast No Really, I’m Fine, board-certified chaplains Aaron Metcalf and Mike Larson talk with healthcare workers in their Portland hospital about the stresses they face and how they cope emotionally with the daily demands of their jobs. The stories told in the episodes are authentic, heart-warming, and sometimes heart-wrenching accounts of real life in the trenches.
A chaplain with a clear sense of identity understands their theological convictions and how these beliefs translate into actionable ministry. This clarity enables them to create authentic connections and lead with conviction, fostering trust within their care of the patient and the treatment team.
We do not lead with advice, guidance, or correction. Instead, we pay careful attention to the emotional and spiritual location of the person to whom we minister.
Frustration and insecurity are difficult vocational experiences. However, invaluable growth can result from embracing insecurity, uncovering paths to deeper ministry and mission.
As Christians grounded in an integrity that is developed in Christ, there is healing power and witness in bringing that presence to those who are searching, hurting, disenchanted, or wounded from spiritual abuse.
But if you have brought these experiences to the feet of Jesus and continue to experience his grace, forgiveness, and renewal, then those experiences can be the very things that give our ministry life, breath, and breadth.
In the current election season I have felt a pressing need to address the people of God and urge them to speak and act in a way that represents Jesus.
No one should ever have to stand alone in their suffering or their shame. Instead, we need to become a safe harbor for those who are floundering; this is our sacred calling.
I want to delve into moral and spiritual injury, looking at ways that we as Christians, ministers, pastors, counselors, and chaplains can respond when we encounter it.
Many elders are frustrated because all they do is act as a board of directors. Instead of being in the lives of their flock, they’re spending time in meeting after meeting.
What sort of leadership is needed in this time of complexity and uncertainty? I want to explore some implications of Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT) for congregational life.
Many of us talk to churches about how to rethink our approach coming out of the pandemic. This is a chance to do things differently.
The message of Jesus is prophetic enough as it is. Ministers must obviously retell that message in a faithful manner. That act of proclamation is prophetic enough on its own. Given the difficulty with hearing who Jesus was and was really about, the story doesn’t need much additional help beyond that.
As Christians, we strive to be more Christlike: to see marginalized people in their pain and vulnerability. To listen to them and their stories. To give them the kind of love that Jesus showed the outcasts.
Christ confesses in his Phil. 2 hymn that every knee that bows brings glory to God the Father.
I spend a lot of time in hospitals, hospice, and living rooms talking with people about dying. I have noticed that often they worry about things of a spiritual nature.
Friday is National Lemonade Day, so buy an extra cup and share it in Jesus’s name, confident that it makes a difference for eternity.
Caregivers are arguably one of the most overlooked segments of the population, which I believe was true even before the challenges of the pandemic.
Can anyone else relate to the image of crossing a river, standing on stones you’ve just thrown into the river from the comfort of the riverbank?
As church leaders, parents, and invested adults, I know we all see this need for supporting children through times of grief. I want to share a little perspective and some resources that I pray you find helpful.
