Comments From the Editor

Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychiatrist, wrote, "Among all my patients in the second half of life (over thirty-six years of age) there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life . . . and none of them has been really healed who did not regain this religious outlook."

Though Jung was not known to be a devout churchman, his observations reminded me of a statement Augustine made in his Confessions: "You have made us for yourself, and we are restless until we rest in you."

These are challenging words for any Christian leader, Fallout from an almost totally secular culture has created an enormous need for sound, biblio-centered therapy. David Seamands, one of our forum participants says, 'We live in a sick society that produces emotional cripples the way Detroit mass-produces automobiles. The Holy Spirit wants to work in people's lives; sometimes he needs a temporary assistant. That's the theological basis for counseling."

Pastoral care and counseling is one of the largest agenda items confronting the local church. If my mail is any indication, Christian leaders are inundated with "people problems" and are struggling to keep pace with the demand. One pastor/friend put it this way: "When I go home at night, I feel like I've been bled dry." Another said, "I feel more and more people want a piece of my soul; the better I try to do my job, the more problems I seem to attract. This good problem is killing me!"

Sound familiar? Actually it's a very old problem. Richard Hunt (another forum participant) points out that "As fast as Jesus helped one person, he was deluged by a crowd of needy people." Even Christ had to find relief from the pressure of people and their problems.

How does one deal with a deluge? How many times can one be "bled dry" before he burns out? How can preventive pastoral care and counseling be applied to lives before the seeds of trouble become a harvest of disaster?

As we thought about these questions, it seemed that the most appropriate way to address them within the limitations of 148 pages was through modified case studies. I don't think it's stretching the analogy too far to suggest that Jesus often presented solutions through modified case studies. His parables were colorful stories about the events and experiences of everyday living that contained the principles of life itself.

We have tried to emulate this concept. Some of the articles will take you deep into the thoughts and feelings of hurting people and give you a glimpse of their despair, as well as show you the means by which they returned to healing and wholeness. Others will immerse you in the problemsolving process-the "how to" methods some Christian leaders have used to meet the ministry demands of specific situations. Whether you're a professional minister or one of our growing number of lay readers, I urge you to keep a sharp eye for the nuggets of truth that can be applied to your own ministry of caring.

I always write this note after the issue has been put together so I can evaluate my own response to the content. This time my heart was stirred by Richard Hunt's statement: "Christian leader, be encouraged. You are doing a good job; the better you do it, the bigger it will become. Just remember, you are finite; only God is infinite."

Sometimes I forget that the kingdom belongs to Christ, not to me and my friends. He will never forsake his bride; he will accomplish his purposes through the church.

Helmut Thielicke once said, "The congregation of Jesus has its hand, as it were, on the longer end of the lever, and therefore it can afford to possess only the feeble arm of a widow. It can tip the lever with folded hands, whereas on the shorter side, the weight of all the world powers are not sufficient to budge it. For the church stands at the strategic keypoint of world history. She rests in the heart of God, and God has promised her that his heart will not be deaf to her pleas. He who has influence upon the heart of God rules the world."

In a world that puts such a high premium on pure power, the local congregation is potentially one of the most potent forces in existence. Its capacity for support, help, love, acceptance, and intercessory prayer has yet to be fully realized or developed. May God help each one of you as you guide it toward its full potential.