10 Pastoral Care Teachers in honor of Herb Hoff's Birthday: Papa Joe

In honor of 65 years of Herb Hoff (his birthday is January 26), over the next few days, I want to mention the 10 teachers who have shaped my practice of pastoral care. Happy birthday dad, and thanks for modeling pastoral care so well for so long.

2nd Teacher: Papa Joe (Joe Johnson)

Papa Joe (Pastor Joe Johnson) teaches me how important is the pastoral care of the pastor. For Joe this means having fun (skipping as a spiritual discipline and the unsanctified playing of killer uno), being gracious with himself (which frees me to be myself around him), rhythms (advance and retreat, sabbath and work, walking and feasting) and daily grace (Moravian Daily text and Lectio and Examen).

When the Trinity Elders get together, the foundational question we ask is based on Paul’s word to the Ephesian Elders in Acts 20.28, “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (ESV). We turn this into two questions. “How is it with your own soul? How is it with the God’s precious flock?” Paul asks the self-care question first. He shepherds the shepherd so they can shepherd. This is self-care for the sake of the other. This is neighbor-loving self-care.

This is important. It isn’t just nice for shepherds to feel good. Hungry shepherds are tempted to feed on sheep. Resenting shepherds just leave. Entitled shepherds start taking advantage of the flock because they think they deserve it. The first reading at my ordination was from Ezekiel 34 which is entitled, “Prophecy Against the Shepherds of Israel.” What a crazy reading for an ordination, but I wanted to remember that the Shepherd heart begins in the heart of God, and is to reside in the heart of his under-shepherds. Self-care nurtures this heart, anchoring it securely in the baptismal identity conveyed to it by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

"The way the pastor deals with his own conflicted relationships is an important signal to others as to whether he may or may not be a trustworthy guide through their interpersonal conflicts. The avid conflict-avoider is not likely to be entrusted with the guidance of other's conflicts" (Thomas Oden. Classical Pastoral Care: Vol 4, Crisis Ministries. Baker, 1987 pages 11-12).

"Pastoral inquiry regarding spiritual disciplines is one way to begin spiritual evaluation. "How frequently do you worship?" "How often do you pray?" "What do you pray about?" "What happens when you worship?" "When do you pray?" "What do you pray about?" The goal of such questions is not so much to establish existing patterns of piety as to uncover dimensions of spiritual health. The soul that removes itself from public worship and private prayer is in jeopardy. The life-giving means of God's Holy Spirit are the vehicles of the soul's salvation and prayer is its respiration -- that is, what the soul receives from God in His Word it breathes back to Him in prayer. Shallow respiration is therefore a possible indication of spiritual malady...On the other hand, infrequent or shallow prayer can also indicate spiritual ignorance, not necessarily sickness. The healthy soul desires, like the disciples, to be taught to pray. (Harold L. Senkbeil, "The Art of Spiritual Evaluation: A Framework for Understanding the Health of the Soul and Its Cure." Christ's Gifts for Healing the Soul: Toward a Lutheran Identity in the New Millenium, 2001).

What does self-care look like for you?