Description: Pastoral ministry is an invitation to take part in God’s gracious care. God will provide, in Christ and through the Spirit, the care our communities need. We have the opportunity to join in God’s work as we accompany others through the various stages of human life. In this course we will consider how to express care across the spectrums of age and ability. We will together develop strategies to minister to congregants during key events such as child dedications, baptisms, marriages, and funerals. This will lead to candid conversations about how to respond to relational separation, chronic illness, and natural or social crises. We will also learn how to widen the context of care, including our church’s city or region and the lives of other creatures. We will find resources in Scripture and theology, the writings of contemporary pastors and teachers, and the sciences.

Seminary: Regent College

Key Words: Churches as Communities of Care; Pastoral Care in the Midst of Trauma; Gender and Sexual Identity; Pastoral Care and Mental Illness; Addiction; Ageing and Dying; Widening the Context of Care- City and Creation; Responding to Environmental Crises.