: Tyler C. Arnold
: Pastoral Visitation For the Care of Souls
: Lexham Press
: 9781683596240
: Lexham Ministry Guides
: 1
: CHF 8.30
:
: Christentum
: English
: 200
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Christ comes to, and through, his people Many consider pastoral visitation antiquated and impractical. People seem busier than ever, and technology appears to trivialize personal contact. As a result, personal visits are often reserved only for the gravest of situations. Tyler C. Arnold argues that pastoral visitation is essential to the pastoral role. In Scripture, God visits his people to show his personal interest and concern. This is seen most clearly in the incarnation. Christ's ministry is one of presence. But Jesus is not only an example of visitation ministry; he is the embodiment of it. And in visitation, pastors and laypeople continue Jesus's ministry by bringing Christ to the individual in their very place of need. Established in strong theological foundations and sensitive to contemporary concerns, Pastoral Visitation exhorts pastors to return to this classic method of individual soul-care.

Tyler C. Arnold (DMin, Concordia Theological Seminary) is senior pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Platte Woods, Missouri, and a fellow on the Collegium of Pastors for DOXOLOGY: The Lutheran Center for Spiritual Care and Counsel.

CHAPTER 4

Preparing for Pastoral Visitation: Things to Consider

The basics for maintaining a healthy relationship between the pastor and the congregation are not complex. This healthy relationship is an essential foundation for effective pastoral care.Matthew Harrison in his bookLetters from a Pastor’s Heart mentions three important keys: preach a good sermon, visit the people, and be visible in the community.11

He’s right; it’s not complex. Healthy relationships depend on good communication. All three keys build on that one important fundamental. It’s not enough, however, to know what makes for good and healthy relationships: we must also be able to put these keys into practice. How does one carry out the function of preaching a good sermon? How can one become more visible in the community? And, for the purpose of this book, how does one go about effectively visiting members in the church and the community? Putting these keys into practice forms the art of pastoral care.

All three of these keys are interrelated. They’re most effective when they are put into practice with the other. Visitation produces the fodder for good preaching. Being visible in the community will help establish relationships that may lead to visitation. Good preaching relies on knowing the people and knowing the community. All three keys are dependent upon each other.

InThe Pastor: A Memoir, Eugene Peterson illustrates this point by telling a story about his seminary days in New York City. Each seminarian had a fieldwork assignment for acquiring experience and education within the parish setting. He and several other seminarians were assigned to Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, where the famed preacher, George Arthur Buttrick served as pastor.

One Sunday afternoon, Peterson and the others were invited to the pastor’s home for conversation. One student asked Buttrick what was the most important thing he did to prepare for preaching a sermon. Perhaps the young theology students assumed the preacher might tell them his method of studying the biblical text or a new technique for effective delivery. Instead, they got a pragmatic lesson in the care of souls. His answer: “For two hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I walk through the neighborhood and make home visits. There is no way that I can preach the gospel to these people if I don’t know how they are living, what they are thinking and talking about. Preaching is proclamation, God’s word revealed in Jesus, but only when it gets embedded in conversation, in a listening ear and responding tongue, does it become gospel.”12

Each pastoral care touchpoint strengthens the other. Visitation helps fill in the lines of life’s coloring book with vibrant hues that bring important narratives to light. The preacher proclaims to individual souls who trudge down life’s path in different ways. He must understand the condition of the soul and learn what makes up the various stories of those he ser