Dear Editor,
I was saddened by the letters in the June issue of en regarding pastoral care. My wife and I read the original letter in the May en and independently recognised it as a cry from the heart. We did not read it as either a ‘letter of complaint’, nor ‘an attack on a young pastor and his wife’ as has been suggested in these columns. Rather, it seemed to express an increasing problem in some churches.
There appears to be a lack of understanding among some as to the nature of the pastorate. When I trained for the ministry back in the 1970’s it was a ‘given’ that the pastor would preach and would regularly visit and care for the flock as well as spearhead the church’s outreach into the community as the minimum core of his work. However there are many cases where the pastoral work seems to be overlooked, especially when caring for the sick and elderly.
My own mother was a founder member of a well-known evangelical church back in the 1950s. She was actively involved in the church until she lost most of her sight, but continued to attend when transport was available and prayed without ceasing for the church and its leaders. In the last 15 years of her life a ‘new’ pastor came and he visited her once when he first arrived.
Towards the end of my mother’s life she was in hospital and, even when it was known that she was dying, the pastor never once visited her or phoned to ask how she was, even though we made sure that he was kept informed of her situation. Even when arrangements were being made for the funeral he did not visit any of the family or show any pastoral care.
On another occasion recently, I was at the funeral of another dear friend at a different church. He had been a founder member of that fellowship many years ago and had been a church officer. His last few years were spent in a nursing home.
The pastor who took the funeral service began by saying that, as he had only been the pastor for three years, he had never met this man! My wife and I looked at one another with shock.
I am planning to travel to visit an elderly pastor in his 90s next week who lives many miles away from me. He gets very few visitors and virtually no pastoral care. He does not complain, and would be horrified if he knew (which is why I will not reveal his name). But is this right after his lifetime of service to others?
This is not an unusual experience. I have spoken to many folk who have either witnessed or experienced such lack of pastoral care.
Yours sincerely,
