Introduction
Liturgies constitute one of the essential elements of the church, enabling all believers in Christ to come together and participate in worship services. Liturgies, such as the Eucharist, allow people to be in God’s presence and have a communal experience of serving God and one another. At the same time, sacraments such as penance are also considered a form of liturgy, providing individuals with intimacy and encouraging them to recognize their sins and receive absolution.
Pastors and ministers who conduct liturgies assist people in their worship and act as shepherds, offering spiritual protection (Baab, 2018). As a result, pastors must be able to provide pastoral care for the church and integrate it into the liturgy. Specifically, a lay pastor and minister should be able to help believers confess their sins, share their lamentations, offer hope, ensure formation through sacraments, and teach worshipers to maintain themselves.
Pastor Responsibilities
Guiding Believers Toward Honest Confession
First of all, pastors must be able to guide believers in addressing their sins by employing pastoral care. Self-deception is a key obstacle preventing people from exposing their failings during the liturgy of confession. Pastoral care in such cases involves helping the person overcome their unwillingness to recognize sins. For instance, pastors may point to the idea that believers must look to the example of Jesus Christ and compare themselves to Him.
Christ is a manifestation of holiness, and believers, by considering him as their role model, can aspire to lead a more Christian life, which also implies regular confessions. Pastors can use Christ’s words in their pastoral care practices to stimulate believers to confess. For instance, Christ once said about an adulterous woman, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (New International Version, John 8:7). Pastors can incorporate the phrase in their pastoral care during confession liturgies to remind believers of the fact that every person has sins to confess.
Encouraging Lamentation and Emotional Expression in Worship
All individuals lament certain life decisions and events and must express their concerns. Ministers can utilize pastoral care to create an environment where believers can express their lamentations during liturgies. Pastors must provide an opportunity for people experiencing distress and deep pain to come before God to address their sense of abandonment (Helsel, 2019). Thus, pastors can allocate a specific period during Sunday worship for lamentation.
One possible version of lament can be based on Psalms 27:9. Pastors can ask the congregation to recite the following words: “Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior” (New International Version, Psalms 27:9). Such a practice can help people who are suffering turn to God for assistance, protection, and possible liberation from their pain.
Pastors can also integrate Paul’s words into their pastoral care during liturgies. Paul once stated, “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked” (New International Version, 2 Corinthians 11:25-26). Paul’s experience can help people realize that God has not abandoned them and that suffering is universal for everyone, including saints.
Inspiring Hope Through Scripture and Shared Testimonies
Hope is another important element in pastoral care during liturgies. Hope motivates people to continue living and striving to be better Christians. Pastors should provide believers hope and inspire them to find meaning in their spiritual lives. At the same time, pastors must teach believers that Christian hope is not individualistic but communal. The source of believers’ hope is the grace of Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit (Newton, 2021).
As Christ said, “The water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (New International Version, John 4:13-14). The water is a metaphor for hope, and God is a constant witness to people’s hope. Yet, individuals also need to build witnessing on the human level. Therefore, Pastors can encourage believers to foster hope and witness each other’s worship experiences. One of the pastoral care practices during liturgies aimed at promoting hope is inviting a believer to share their personal concerns and related hopes. Such a practice can inspire people to share their concerns and hopes with others.
Strengthening Community Through Sacraments and Communal Worship
Sacraments, such as the Eucharist, must be performed as genuine formative experiences rather than mere procedures. Therefore, the pastors’ role here is to encourage people to engage with the symbols presented during liturgies, transforming their identities to better reflect Christian values. For instance, pastors can teach believers that when they break bread and share wine, they form a community and transcend their individualism. When people faithfully participate in the Eucharist, the words and gestures they pronounce demonstrate their love for the community and commitment to service.
Paul noted, “Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning” (New International Version, 1 Corinthians 11:27-30). Thus, pastors must rely on these words to remind believers that they must perform the sacraments genuinely. Communal singing is another pastoral care practice recommended to enhance the sense of community during liturgies (Uytanlet, 2020). When people sing in a community, they draw attention to one another, which creates a sense of responsibility in individuals and encourages them to engage in relationships with others.
Balancing Self-Sacrifice and Personal Identity in Christian Life
At the same time, although pastoral care must focus on helping believers transcend their individualism, it is also important to assist them in maintaining their own identity. Experts describe the phenomenon of unmitigated communion as an unbalanced approach to defining oneself solely through care and concern for others (Martinez, 2021). Such an arrangement can be detrimental, as it may cause people to lose themselves and have little concern for their own well-being.
Although Christianity encourages self-sacrifice, it is often more beneficial for an ordinary believer to cultivate a loving relationship instead. Therefore, pastors must teach believers to give and receive support and help from others. Christ himself asked for help from God, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (New International Version, Luke 22:42). Pastors can use these words to remind believers of the fact that even Christ did not hesitate to ask for help when he needed it.
Conclusion
Pastoral care is a crucial part of any liturgy. It can focus on enabling believers to confess their sins, lament, offer hope, foster spiritual growth, and acknowledge their needs. Pastors must act as shepherds and assist believers in supporting them throughout their spiritual experiences. Pastoral care takes many forms, and pastors need to be able to apply all existing practices to build a genuine Christian community.
References
Baab, L. (2018). Nurturing hope: Christian pastoral care in the twenty-first century. Fortress Press.
Helsel, P. (2019). Pastoral care and counseling: An introduction; care for stories, systems, and selves. Paulist Press.
Martinez, P. (2021). Take care of yourself: survive and thrive in Christian ministry. Hendrickson Publishers.
New International Version. (2011). Biblica. Web.
Newton, P. (2021). 40 questions about pastoral ministry. Kregel Publications.
Uytanlet, S. (2020). The multidimensional pastor: The many facets of pastoral ministry. Wipf and Stock Publishers.