Missional Counseling
The missional aspect of pastoral counseling occurs when a pastor is called outside of her or his local church community. This can happen for a number of reasons. For example, a pastor may be called to the scene of an accident or crime. A pastor could be particularly useful with issues related to family and/or children, such as domestic violence or child abuse. Also, in a chaplain setting the chaplain/pastor is available to the person whilst their spiritual authority (if they have one) is contacted.
Missional pastoral counseling would also take the form of support for authorities and professionals in other helping professions. For example, a pastor giving support to her or his local police station would be a great help to the police officers in the daily stress and sometimes traumatic experiences they meet. A pastor could also give support to local child protective service professionals. They may involve assisting these professionals with house calls or personal support for work related stress.
I, personally, do not believe that these contexts are appropriate for evangelism. Pastoral care and pastoral presence are needed in crisis, not evangelism. If the context occurs in a one-time visit, the pastor would have little knowledge of the spiritual background of the people involved. The pastor would do more harm than good trying to insert a gospel message without first being the gospel to the people. I believe, being the good news in crisis or missional settings is to be a presence of love and peace whilst representing the pastoral office for those involved.
There are both risks and rewards involved in missional pastoral counseling. The risks are related to stepping into unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar people representing the spiritual. Spirituality can be offensive to some and may instigate conflict in certain situations. The rewards are similarly related to stepping into unfamiliar settings. Representing the spiritual to people in the community can be a wonderful way for those involved to see and feel the presence of peace and love that the pastor brings. This could be healing, calming, and otherwise helpful to all in need of the pastor’s presence.
The missional aspect of pastoral counseling occurs when a pastor is called outside of her or his local church community. This can happen for a number of reasons. For example, a pastor may be called to the scene of an accident or crime. A pastor could be particularly useful with issues related to family and/or children, such as domestic violence or child abuse. Also, in a chaplain setting the chaplain/pastor is available to the person whilst their spiritual authority (if they have one) is contacted.
Missional pastoral counseling would also take the form of support for authorities and professionals in other helping professions. For example, a pastor giving support to her or his local police station would be a great help to the police officers in the daily stress and sometimes traumatic experiences they meet. A pastor could also give support to local child protective service professionals. They may involve assisting these professionals with house calls or personal support for work related stress.
I, personally, do not believe that these contexts are appropriate for evangelism. Pastoral care and pastoral presence are needed in crisis, not evangelism. If the context occurs in a one-time visit, the pastor would have little knowledge of the spiritual background of the people involved. The pastor would do more harm than good trying to insert a gospel message without first being the gospel to the people. I believe, being the good news in crisis or missional settings is to be a presence of love and peace whilst representing the pastoral office for those involved.
There are both risks and rewards involved in missional pastoral counseling. The risks are related to stepping into unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar people representing the spiritual. Spirituality can be offensive to some and may instigate conflict in certain situations. The rewards are similarly related to stepping into unfamiliar settings. Representing the spiritual to people in the community can be a wonderful way for those involved to see and feel the presence of peace and love that the pastor brings. This could be healing, calming, and otherwise helpful to all in need of the pastor’s presence.