The Role of the Clergy

In many churches, the pastoral care of the church family rests solely with the clergy. At their ordination, clergy promise to fulfil the following responsibilities:

Priests are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent. With their Bishop and fellow ministers, they are to proclaim the word of the Lord and to watch for the signs of God’s new creation. They are to be messengers, watchmen and stewards of the Lord; they are to teach and to admonish, to feed and provide for his family, to search for his children in the wilderness of this world’s temptations, and to guide them through its confusions, that they may be saved through Christ for ever. Formed by the word, they are to call their hearers to repentance and to declare in Christ's name the absolution and forgiveness of their sins.

Provision of Pastoral Care at Christ Church

The Pastoral Care team operates an explicit policy of corporate confidentiality.  Where appropriate, confidential information is shared within the team.  This protects against the possibility of members of the Pastoral Care Team being manipulated or divided by any individual with a pastoral need or concern sharing personal information with one team member and not another and helps to ensure that individuals with pastoral needs will receive appropriate care.

Criticisms of the clergy or staff members, as well as matters of Church discipline, will be shared with the Church Wardens and, if necessary, with the or Bishop.

There are occasions when they will need to seek advice, and so that an individual receives appropriate care, there will be times when they cannot offer absolute confidentiality.  Where appropriate and especially when faced with ethical dilemmas regarding confidentiality, individuals at risk and the law, they will seek guidance and support from members of the Pastoral Care team.

There are also other gifted members of St Joseph Church who are involved in providing pastoral care, such as those visiting the elderly, visiting the sick in hospital and those serving as home group leaders.  Their contribution is valued and without them we would be unable to provide the level of pastoral care which we seek.

A Biblically Functioning Community

In Matthew 18 Jesus has instructed us on how to handle conflict or disagreement within the Church family in a way that honours one another and glorifies God.

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.'

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven… For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."  (Matthew 18:15-20)