Journal: Reformation and Revival
Volume: RAR 03:1 (Winter 1994)
Article: Ministering the Grace of God in Pastoral Care
Author: A. Peter Parkinson

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RAR 3:1 (Winter 1994) p. 61

Ministering the Grace of God in Pastoral Care

A. Peter Parkinson

In recent years there has been an increasing trend for the pastor to perceive himself as having a twofold ministry and calling. First, to “preach the gospel,” and second, to function in the capacity of a “Christian counselor” specifically ministering to, or targeting, members of his flock perceived to have deep-seated emotional and personal problems. A plethora of books has emerged from the Christian and not-so-Christian press on the subject of “counseling,” some of considerable worth, and much of it of a questionable pedigree.

Identifying the true nature of pastoral ministry has been clouded by an unhelpful yet increasing tendency to distinguish between preaching and pastoral ministry. Statements such as, “Well, he is a great pastor but not a very good preacher,” or conversely, “He is a fine preacher, but you can’t really talk to him, for he is no pastor at all,” may frequently be heard in congregations. But here is either a fundamental misunderstanding of the true nature of the pastoral call on the part of the one making the observation, or a fatal flaw in the ministry of the pastor being cited. Such observations are becoming increasingly commonplace.

Doubtless the discernment of the “sheep” in our flocks making such observations is not entirely without credibility, and if this is the case, we may well have to conclude that neither category of person described is functioning in the pastoral role which the Scriptures prescribe.

However, there will doubtless be whiz kids who are both amazing preachers and sheer geniuses when it comes to the “counseling couch!” But if such a breed of “super pastor” really exists who can both preach, and at the same time has developed considerable counseling skills, can we assume that he will be functioning as a pastor should? In other words, what is the pastor’s mandate as prescribed in Scripture?

RAR 3:1 (Winter 1994) p. 62

How do we find a model upon which we who are pastors can fashion ourselves? How can we ascertain what are the true directives for, and constituent elements of, a biblical pastoral ministry which effectively labors in the grace of God? These are the fundamental questions I wish to address in my writing. We may go on to ask, that if (as for the most of us the case will be) we fall short of the super pastor standards previously described, can we nevertheless, with our severe limitations in both our preaching gifts and our counseling skills, still attain the standards which Scripture prescribes, and thus function adequately as pastors fulfilling our biblical mandate?

We need go no further in search of our model than t...

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