Tuesday, June 15, 2021

What is Anglicanism: Pastoral Care article 8 of 12

Pastoral Care:  Talking about pastoral care in the Anglican tradition moves us away from doctrinal teaching to a moving target.  I continue to use Urban T. Holmes’ comments and structure for these articles but here we diverge into concepts more felt than understood.  Modern applications for pastoral care tend to be shaped more toward individual clergy and congregational personalities.  Pastoral care could mean the preaching of modern social issues to the congregation to form or breakdown opinions about the culture.  Pastoral care can be the visitation of homes and hospitals for the sake of connecting or supporting parishioners. It can simply be the availability of a minister to the people of the congregation.

In his book on Anglicanism, Holmes tells the story of Margaret Dudley Binns (1884-1968).   The young woman’s husband was a priest who died on his way to his first cure (care of a parish) in Appalachia.  Rather than return home to New York, Margaret began serving the people that she and her husband were called to minister.  She later completed studies for the order of deaconess (sic) and spent her life and ministry establishing a school, Sunday schools, and giving health talks in the impoverished lumber and coal regions around Nora, Virginia.  At the core of her work was the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  She not only understood what she was doing, but why she was doing it.  Knowledge, health, and love were the vehicles on “Dismal Mountain” that would open the hearts and minds of folks to hear the saving message of Christ.  Holmes views the ministry of Deaconess Binns as a foundation for conceptualizing the Church’s pastoral care.  Simply, we learn and understand the temporal needs of the community around us, and we work to satisfy those needs for an opportunity to authentically share the life-giving message of Jesus Christ.  That Good News provides a timeless promise of God’s peace that begins in this life and carries us through death into heaven.  The ministry we commit is out of a love that desires to pass on the love that has been given to us from God.

According to Holmes, Anglicanism doesn’t divide the world into sacred and profane.  Anglicanism views the world as a single entity with multiple facets that need the love of God.  Every aspect of creation requires the love of God.  He suggests that “politics, economics, industry, business, recreation, as well as our private lives are the arena for pastoral concerns for the church.”  Here I diverge a little from his emphasis in that I would place our private lives at the forefront of the need for reform.  I recall reading Abp. William Temple’s teachings on social justice.  His comments were in effect, if you wish to create a world in which people are treated and fed equally you must convert men (sic) to the Christian faith.  His point being that despite political efforts, if all members of society were to behave as Jesus, we would in effect have ushered in the Kingdom of Heaven.  None-the-less we find in Anglicanism diverse pathways (education, food, water, etc.) to convey the gospel to the world while filling temporal needs. 

I offer a cautionary note at this conclusion.  Diversity is an extremely popular word for a lot of good reasons.   But in the context of diversity of approaches to sharing our gospel message it’s important to understand that smaller institutions (congregations) will wear themselves thin trying to do too many things at once.  Staying focused in a specific area of ministry will make a congregation most effective and bring forth growth.  Diversity comes in allowing space for other congregations or individuals to step into their role to fulfill God’s call for them.

Will you?

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