Kate
Bradford
Eccentric
ministries like chaplaincy happen out at the margins of society. By this I
don’t mean to say an odd ministry, although it may be that at times, but rather
a ministry that happens far from the centre. Much Christian ministry centres physically
around a church, a theological college or faith based organisation, but chaplains
are sent people who go out to the lost, the dispossessed, the imprisoned and
sufferers of many kinds.
Disconnecting
from the centre is an inherent danger in any such ministry. So much time and
energy can be spent at the periphery that the concerns of the centre may grow
strangely dim and begin to fade into irrelevance accompanied by an
imperceptible theological drift.
Becoming
distant from our appointing organisation is one problem, but to become disconnected
from God and his orientating word is a deeper problem that cuts to the heart of
the matter. Isaiah perceived this danger acutely when he penned the beautiful
words, ‘Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the
potter; we are all the work of your hand’. (Is 64:8)
The earthy,
visceral image of the potter working the clay with his bare hands is shocking, stunning,
focused. Just as his hands formed the dry land, we too are formed, re-formed, conformed
to the likeness of the image of Christ. A lump of clay not centred flings off
the wheel[1].
Before a pot can be formed it must first be centred, and then formed from
centre.
Career
chaplains, volunteer chaplains, lay pastoral care workers must all submit to this
centering process as part of their spiritual and vocational formation. For a chaplain to faithfully offer Christ’s
care on a situation by situation basis they need to know the centre out from
which they move: an understanding and
experience of a redeeming relationship with Christ together with a centred and
settled theological framework from which they respond to differing and complex
situations.
By a
theological frame work, a single point of orthodoxy is not being suggested but
rather an integrated understanding of a theological view of humanity, God, Christ,
sin and falleness, forgiveness, redemption, suffering, the limits of freedom,
discernment, faith, hope, grace, love. These Biblical understandings or
doctrines, work in tension with each other, modifying, limiting, and holding, as
the potters hands firmly steady and guide the process as the pot is formed.
Theological
centering provides the starting point and on-going reference point around which
is built a rich and textured ministry, based on prayer, study of the
scriptures, conscious spiritual formation, compassion, patience, sharing in the
suffering of Christ, and wisdom insights from human sciences of psychology and
sociology.
Compassionate
care, listening and reflecting are guided by underlying theological
presuppositions; “There is no view from no-where”. The challenge for each
pastoral care worker is to examine, understand and be formed by Scripture because
our presuppositions affect the care we give.
Christian ethicist Stanley Hauerwas,
who has written extensively on disability and the relationship between medicine
and the church observes that as a community we do not
regard sin, illness, dis-ease, and spiritual health as we ought. As a
consequence many pastoral visitors are not trained theologically to deal with
the complexities of ministry, preferring to continue to take listening courses
rather than grapple with Christology.
“I am not really into Christology this year. I am really
into relating. I would like to take more courses in CPE.” They [Students] are likely to be confirmed in
that opinion by being told, “Right, take CPE, after all that is what ministry
is ― relating. Lean to be a wounded healer.”… No one really believes that an
inadequately trained priest might damage their salvation. But people do believe
that an inadequately trained doctor might hurt them.[2]
Hauerwas is supportive of pastoral care, however, he is
concerned that compassionate care offered is theologically informed, centred on
Christ, and does not conform to the things of this world.
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ReplyDeleteMinistering on a frontier is especially meaningful for a couple of reasons. Most people are far from the centre of Christian congregational activity, but every type of person is represented in hospital. Ministry among these folk challenges us to become more effective in helping people relate with Christ, and to be blessed by him who has both entered our pain and triumphed over it. (Hebrews 4)
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