{"id":21820,"date":"1997-04-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1997-04-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/1997\/04\/01\/spiritual-care\/"},"modified":"1997-04-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"1997-04-01T00:00:00","slug":"spiritual-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/spiritual-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Spiritual Care"},"content":{"rendered":"

The power of pastoral presence<\/h2>

\nNurturing and developing souls—that’s the heart of a pastor’s calling. This\nissue offers honest and practical help with this central call.<\/p>

\nWhat does it mean to give spiritual care? It’s not meeting people’s needs,\nsays Eugene Peterson; pastors are in<\/p>

The Business of Making Saints\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong>(p. 20).<\/p>

\nEver felt a little insecure about offering counsel? Rob Morgan believes you\nhave something to offer; see Why\nPastors Make Great\nCounselors<\/em><\/strong><\/a>(p. 29). Perhaps you’ve struggled with how to care\nfor people when relationships have grown cold. Gary Preston warns us to resist\ndoing what comes naturally in\nStaying Close to Your Enemies\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong>(p. 32).<\/p>

\nPsychologist Larry Crabb tells why soul care should return to the church—and\nhow it can—in Where Healing\nBelongs <\/a><\/em><\/strong>(p. 37).<\/p>

\nPastoral work can be draining to the caregiver. This issue also offers advice\nabout protecting your health while caring for others. Donna Schaper offers\nrelief from Hospital Fatigue\nSyndrome<\/a><\/em><\/strong> (p. 44), and inChronically Wounded and Needy\n<\/a><\/em><\/strong>(p. 46) Matt Woodley answers the question, “How can we minister\nto those with protracted, deep needs without feeling chronically tired and\nused up?”<\/p>

\nClosing treats include Dietrich Bonhoeffer on\nHow Satan Tempts Your People<\/em><\/strong>(p. 53) and a special photo essay,\nPastoral Care in Paradise<\/em><\/strong>(p. 55), which captures the essence of pastoral care—a genuine devotion to the flock.<\/p>

-The Editors<\/p>

1997 by Christianity Today\/Leadership<\/em> Journal.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The power of pastoral presence Nurturing and developing souls—that’s the heart of a pastor’s calling. This issue offers honest and practical help with this central call. What does it mean to give spiritual care? It’s not meeting people’s needs, says Eugene Peterson; pastors are inThe Business of Making Saints (p. 20). Ever felt a little Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[653,156,655],"tax_ctp_tags":[4604,4606,4608,5046],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-21820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_publications-1997-leadership-journal","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_publications-spring_1997-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-pastor","tax_ctp_tags-pastors-role","tax_ctp_tags-pastoral-care","tax_ctp_tags-spiritual-formation"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nSpiritual Care - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The power of pastoral presence Nurturing and developing souls—that's the heart of a pastor's calling. 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