Secularism and Pastoral Care in the 21st Century Dissertation

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the impact of secularism on pastoral care in the 21st century. The study is based on the need to understand how the expansion of secularism in society has affected the practice and growth of pastoral care. In this dissertation, secularism is presented as a threat to the spread of the Gospel of Christ because it undermines people’s faith in God.

Four objectives guide this investigation and they seek to find out how secularization has influenced the role of the church in pastoral care delivery, affected pastoral care effectiveness, and impacted the growth of the ministry, and the leadership practices adopted. Data were obtained from three sources – interviews, surveys, and secondary research. Data obtained from these sources were analyzed using the thematic, content, and SPSS techniques, respectively. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that secularism supports pastoral care delivery in various ways.

Introduction

Background of the Study

Life has many challenges, some of which may have far-reaching implications on one’s emotional, spiritual, or physical wellbeing. Consequently, people often look for spiritual guidance to overcome these problems (Krogsrud, 2021). The practice of pastoral care is central to the provision of this type of care by improving human welfare, especially for people who feel hurt, disoriented, and isolated (Ebener, 2018). Pastoral care is a fundamental process that supports the functioning of the Christian ministry because it is associated with values of care, protection, and servitude (Kim, 2018).

The Book of Ezekiel 30 affirms this fact by saying that pastoral care is associated with the process of directing and guiding God’s people – a process that may include the provision of various services, including healing, safety, and justice (Kim, 2018). Based on this statement, pastoral care is an important service that is vital to the proper functioning of societies.

The ministry targets people who are in and out of the church to appeal to the audience. From a Christian standpoint, the target audience of pastoral care is defined as the flock and it is mentioned in several books, including those of Ezekiel, Psalm, Luke, and John (Kim, 2018; Sinton, 2022). In a non-religious context, pastoral care targets anyone who needs physical, social, and emotional support (Kim, 2018; Sinton, 2022). Stemming from this need, recipients of pastoral care services may comprise people from multiple denominations, ideologies, or religions. Indeed, pastoral care not only targets Christians because other faithful need a similar kind of support as well (Stokes, 2020). The common expectation in the pastoral care ministry is that ministers should provide their services with grace by addressing people’s emotional, spiritual, and social needs.

The theory and philosophy underpinning pastoral care delivery are not exclusive to one set of religious beliefs. Instead, they are focused on cracking the beliefs of a person’s inner world (Ebener, 2018). This statement explains why, in some parts of the world, pastoral care embodies distinctive forms of multi-faith practices (Grimell, 2019; Percy et al., 2021). In this analysis, the emphasis of pastoral care is on one’s perception of self and capacity to cope with life’s adversities (Ebener, 2018). Stemming from the religious pluralism of pastoral care, for purposes of this investigation, its focus will be on the Christian faith.

In biblical texts, pastoralism exemplifies an important metaphoric meaning of a shepherd tendering to a flock of sheep. The shepherd’s action involves guiding God’s people and catering to their needs as they pursue holiness (Buckingham, 2022; Percy et al., 2021). Based on this statement, the pastoral ministry thrives on the understanding that God is the only one and true shepherd of the world (Krogsrud, 2021). His plan to guide humanity stems from the vision of his son, Jesus Christ, who taught his followers that the ministry is a vocation aimed at fulfilling the needs and wishes of God on earth. This hierarchical understanding of God’s vision of the world explained where most pastors get the inspiration to work.

An attitude of servitude emerges from the teachings of Christ to the church. It stems from the Book of Acts where pastoral care was widely adopted by Apostles who founded various churches and appointed groups of elders to oversee their activities (Kruger, 2018; Williamson, 2017). Relative to this assertion, Kruger (2018) says, in Acts chapter 20 verses 28, Apostle Paul spoke to Bishops and overseers who had the task of guiding the flock. He informed them that the Holy Spirit made them overseers of the Church of God (Kruger, 2018). To demonstrate his commitment to the ministry, the Apostle Paul spent more than three years offering pastoral care services to the church in Ephesus (Bible Study, 2022). His vision of pastoral care embodied feelings of protectionism, refreshments, restoration, comfort, and guidance to people in need (Bible Study, 2022). This statement shows that the Holy Spirit inspires pastoral care and fulfills Jesus’s desire to see the work of the church continue in his absence.

The history of pastoral care has been influenced by the internal and external environmental dynamics affecting the Christian faith. Additionally, the uniqueness of each person or situation requiring pastoral care moderates pastoral effectiveness (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Thus, a one-size-fits-all approach is inapplicable to the ministry because of varying needs and personalities among different parties involved (Kim, 2018; Sinton, 2022). Aside from the environmental dynamics of pastoral care, a virtual continuum highlights integrity, discernment, love, respect, humility, diligence, temperance, and courage as notable tenets of pastoral care services (Yoon, 2019). These human virtues mirror those of Christ when he taught his disciples how to care for his people (Yoon, 2019). Pastoral care mirrors the same kind of service that Jesus gave his followers. This is why authority in pastoral care exists in the context of how well pastors follow the example of Jesus Christ.

A key aspect of mirroring the life of Christ in pastoral care involves understanding the elevated importance of leadership in the ministry. Particularly, the role of pastors as servants of God stems from their ability to mirror the life of Christ in their public and private lives (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Despite attempts by pastors to acquire certifications, qualifications, and ordination as tools for career progression, their authority in the church stems from that of God and not of man (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Relative to this assertion, scholars, including Jon Maxwell, suggest that positioning is among the lowest forms of influence ministers could have on pastoral care (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019; Stokes, 2020). They argue that the authority of bishops and ordained ministers are derived from the permission that the flock gives to them as they seek guidance in life.

Overall, the concept of pastoral care ministry stems from God and draws its credibility from the belief that human beings need guidance to stay close to God. Owing to their relationship with the ministry, people’s interaction with God is often operationalized through pastoral care to promote his will on humanity (Percy et al., 2021). This practice seeks to undermine false teachings in faith and intends to help believers live fulfilling lives (Grimell, 2019). This statement underscores the objective of pastoral care, which is to provide emotional and spiritual support to community members (Ebener, 2018). The noble objectives of the discipline have made it critical to the proper functioning of societies because people expect their pastors to give them hope and guidance, especially when they are in crisis (Krogsrud, 2021). In this dissertation, the field of pastoral care is evaluated within the context of the 21st-century global society that is characterized by demographic, perceptual, and spiritual changes affecting people’s psychology.

Problem Statement

Modern society has seen an increase in the secularization of states due to changing views on religion and governance. Society’s movement from religiosity to the pursuit of humane or non-religious values as overriding principles of society has characterized this trend (Voas, 2020). The quest to accommodate people from diverse backgrounds and religious groups has equally accelerated the change. Indeed, most observers argue that the secularization of society has helped to accommodate diverse religious views in a multicultural society (Müller, 2020; Voas, 2020). This development has led to the alienation of significant swaths of the population from pastoral care.

North America is one of the main centers of global secularization in the world. In Canada and Britain, secularization started in the 1960s, as part of a wider movement of socioeconomic revolution hinged on capitalism (Buckingham, 2022). At the same time, the growth of secularization in many western countries has been accelerated by individualism. It has dominated the social, political, and economic views of many citizens and influenced how people live and practice their faith (Krogsrud, 2021). The effect is that religion is no longer an important consideration for making moral or ethical decisions (Müller, 2020; Voas, 2020). Conversely, there has been a declining influence of religion in society.

Non-religious but influential personalities have emerged from this trend and replaced pastors from societal leadership by purporting to guide, love, and care for community members. The acceptance and spread of Judeo-Christian ethos have partly promoted these changes by discouraging congregants from using religious teachings, or views, to solve their spiritual and moral dilemmas (Buckingham, 2022). Instead, people have been encouraged to rely on scientific ideas to achieve the same goals (Buckingham, 2022). Stemming from these developments, there is a consensus that secularization has undermined religious dominance in modern society (Müller, 2020). Consequently, religious institutions are losing their influence in society. Stemming from this trend, the current study seeks to explain the nexus between pastoral care and secularization in the 21st-century.

Research Aim

This study aims to understand the role of pastoral care in the 21st century.

Research Questions

1. How have changes in society influenced the role of the church in pastoral care in the 21st century?
2. How has secularization impacted pastoral care effectiveness in modern society?
3. In what ways has secularization impacted the growth and expansion of pastoral care?
4. To what extent has secularization impacted pastoral leadership?

Rationale for the Study

For many people, religion is more than a lifestyle because it represents one’s identity and essence. Researchers have argued that religious affiliation portends several benefits to individuals and communities, including improvements in family, individual, and professional lives (Percy et al., 2021). The importance of this study to current theological literature emerges from this backdrop and it is rooted in the understanding that pastoralism in the 21st century should help to promote moral and ethical governance in society (Ebener, 2018). Thus, the findings of this study would promote moral self-regulation, thereby encouraging people to respect authority and one another (Krogsrud, 2021). Consequently, it will be easier to build a community of responsible and moral citizens by understanding the changing role of pastoral care in the 21st century. This contribution stems from the belief that religion is a force for peace and state-building.

Stemming from the entrenchment of democracy and governance in many countries, the findings of this paper will be useful in facilitating engagements within community social power structures. This contribution stems from the important role of religious freedom in promoting democratic practices within the pastoral care ministries (Buckingham, 2022). Therefore, improvements in pastoral care could enhance the art of negotiation in these social contexts. Consequently, the findings of this study will help to bridge the gap between pastoral care and administration. Indeed, understanding the role of pastoral care in the 21st century will give impetus to the engagement and development of social and religious institutions in society.

Dissertation Structure

This dissertation contains five key sections, each with its unique content and characteristics. The first chapter is the introduction section, which provides a background of the research topic. It sets the stage for the development of subsequent sections of the dissertation, including the literature review chapter, which appears as the second part of this analysis. This section contains an analysis of the existing body of scholarly research that has investigated the present research topic. In the end, this chapter will highlight the existing research gap that justifies the current probe. The third part of this dissertation is the methodology section, which describes techniques used by the researcher to undertake the current analysis. The fourth chapter is the findings and discussion section, which details the results obtained after implementing the research strategies mentioned above. The fifth chapter is the conclusion/recommendations section, which provides a summary of the main findings, including strategies that may be adopted to improve the practice of pastoral care in the 21st century.

Literature Review

History and Foundation of Pastoral Care

The history and foundation of pastoral care partly stem from the relationship between human sciences and religion. Particularly, the origin of pastoral care traces back to medieval times when the practice of worshiping idols and believing in magic was widely adopted (Stokes, 2020). Some scholarly texts suggest that attempts to help the people inspired believers to start the ministry because they wanted to encourage communities to pursue holiness (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018; Stokes, 2020).

This quest motivated the Apostles to encourage people to stop idol worship and adopt a biblical understanding of the Christian faith (Kim, 2018; Sinton, 2022). In this context, the church expected pastors to maintain faith in God while catering to the individual needs of the faithful (Sinton, 2022). Critics suggest that some people rejected this overture because the original version of pastoral care tried to exercise social control and indoctrinate people into believing that uniformity of belief was the true intention of God (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Consequently, there was some resistance to the acceptance of religion as the basis for the development of pastoral care.

In the 1930s, the vision of pastoral care disassociated itself from the idea of being exclusively religious to becoming pseudoscientific. The change happened because of the expanding body of evidence suggesting that human behaviors and belief systems are products of psychological reasoning (Sinton, 2022). Proponents of this view emphasize the need to combine the worlds of science and religion to create a new basis of pastoral care development that is acceptable and practical for believers to support (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018).

In this framework of pastoral growth, notable Christian scholars, including Norman Pearl and Smiley Blanton, inspired the development of the next stage of pastoral care evolution that was fixated on understanding people’s religious beliefs and how they would improve their overall welfare (Stokes, 2020). This development partly explains the shift of pastoral care from its religious roots to pastoral psychotherapy because of the need to make it more relatable to daily life. Today, the ministry involves the integration of teachings and practices from theology and behavioral sciences.

Today, the modern version of pastoral care contains religious and scientific principles because of the desire to see the field provide solutions for modern-day problems and yet reflect its authentic biblical roots. For example, the contributions of pastoral care to the development of educational and health sectors in various communities have been widely explored in these two areas of philosophical reasoning (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019).

The inclusion of religious and scientific principles in pastoral care has led to a redefinition of what the practice entails and whom it should target. Nonetheless, the central focus of pastoral care in modern society has been healing, guiding, sustaining, reconciling, and nurturing the flock. Differences in views and practices among different dioceses and churches have brought variances in the practice of pastoral care. However, healing remains a common theme in most of the pastoral care practices accommodated in the church (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Particularly, it flourished in communities where parish clergy were unable to solve social justice issues.

Theology of Pastoral Care

The theology of pastoral care refers to the study of God through religious texts. In this context of analysis, the theology of pastoral care brings with it hope, healing, and consolation to vulnerable members of society (Sedgwick, 2021). At the same time, if improperly implemented, theology can mislead pastors into focusing on their wisdom and qualifications, thereby negating their role as servants of God. Therefore, when examining the theology of pastoral care, it is important to understand issues that bring solace to those who need comfort and healing, as opposed to the qualifications pastors acquire in their academic pursuits (Percy et al., 2021). Based on this background, it is crucial to empower pastors to reflect on their practice and understand which aspects of their services bring solace or misinformation to the people.

To meet the above-mentioned goal, some scholars suggest that pastors should undertake introspective thinking to identify theoretical assumptions they may have about pastoral care. The goal is to understand how these factors affect their effectiveness as servants of God (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). This exercise could help them to explain the ambiguities and complexities of pain and suffering that people experience in their daily lives (Canales, 2018). Thus, the role that their theological focus could play in alleviating this type of suffering is significant to the quest for a better life (Sedgwick, 2021). Indeed, it is from this introspection that pastors can help the faithful to understand God’s existence and their roles in creating the vision of the world that is shared in the bible.

The need to understand the complexities of pastoral care and people’s suffering draws attention to an important development in the field of pastoral care, which is the development of a metacognitive understanding of the theology of pastoral care. This process is significant in appreciating the essence of pastoral care and plans for ministers to implement it through reflective practice (Myers, 2021). In their book titled “Method in Ministry,” two scholars, Evelyn and James Whitehead, highlighted the importance of reflective practice by encouraging pastors to reflect on how theological practice affects their roles as servants of God (Canales, 2018). This process involves an evaluation of one’s faith, personal experiences, and the cultural context for which one offers pastoral care.

Commonly, the practice of pastoral care is formulated within the systematic theology of religious practice and scriptures. However, this focus is only a partial view of theological reflection, especially as it concerns the need for a holistic understanding of the relationship between theology and pastoral care (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Furthermore, the theological foundation for which pastoral care draws its inspiration is an evolving concept and may be applied or misapplied, depending on the context in question (Canales, 2018). Human experiences and the theology of culture are the major driving forces of this evolution (Baldovin, 2021).

They refer to the influx of experiences and cultural influences that have influenced how pastors apply theological teachings in the real-world setting. This broad understanding of the relationship between theology and pastoral care appears to relate to three factors influencing pastoral care actions, which are culture, personal experiences, and the scriptures (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). These three factors moderate the relationship between theology and pastoral care.

The multipronged nature of the relationship between theological practice and pastoral care can be conceived within the complexities of factors influencing both concepts. Canales (2018) affirms the same position by arguing that the relationship between the vocation of pastoral care and theological practice in modern society needs to be defined more clearly by appreciating the complexities and ambiguities that characterize the practice today. This complexity reflects the multiple roles pastors play in the church. By definition, the role of pastors as leaders of congregations naturally attracts the expectation that they would fulfill multiple roles (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). In the context of pastoral care practice, the multifaceted roles of pastors can emerge in different forms.

The roles played by pastors in their theological understanding of their relevance to the church depend on the culture, practices, and norms of the affiliated religious institutions. For example, in many Christian religious institutions, congregants often expect pastors to bring people closer to God and to lead them in worship (Myers, 2021). At the same time, pastors are expected to play the role of a teacher whose work is to guide people in need of spiritual nourishment (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). In this review, the role of a pastor as a proprietor deserves a mention in the same sphere of analysis because it is expected that he or she is the custodian of the church’s assets, finances, and a defender of its activities (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Additionally, this duty is linked to the role of a pastor as a promoter of the church’s plans and a recruiter of people or groups to help them achieve their goals.

Ministers may need help because it may be practically and logistically difficult to interact with all members of the church, especially in large congregations or religious institutions. However, the availability of tools to overcome this problem may help them to decide whether to ask for help or not (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). To highlight further the multifaceted nature of pastoral care, additional responsibilities of a minister include being a prophet of God whose main duty is to spread the gospel of Christ and encourage people to repent (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Collectively, these expectations indicate that pastors play an important role in promoting the growth of theological practice because they reflect its multifaceted nature. They equally bring unique human experiences from interacting with different groups of people in their pastoral care practice, thereby creating an opportunity to merge experience with practice in modern theological contexts of review.

Given the multiple roles of a pastor in the 21st century, it is questionable how one person can handle multiple tasks and still live a fulfilling life. In reality, ministers cannot perform their duties effectively without the help of other people. Indeed, even if a pastor can complete assigned tasks without assistance, it is difficult to accomplish this goal with the precision and attention it deserves (Canales, 2018). The theology of pastoral care helps to guide them to overcome these problems by providing an operational model founded on Christian scriptures and spiritual practice (Baldovin, 2021).

Overall, the theology of pastoral care is a work of art founded on the belief that spiritual nourishment could be best achieved by understanding how the experiences of ministers in the field of pastoral care merge with commonly practiced spiritual norms and religious cultures. The quality of relationship that a pastor has with his people is critical in understanding the strength of this interrelationship (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Overall, the theology of pastoral care stems from a broader interaction of factors underpinned by culture, human experiences, and understanding of the scriptures to promote a function-centered understanding of God’s ministry in society.

Purpose of Pastoral Care

It is important to understand the purpose of pastoral care in this analysis because it helps to contextualize discussions about the relevance of the practice to modern-day society. Relative to this goal, in the 1980s, Dr. George Houghton authored a book titled “We believe in Preaching,” to highlight the importance and purpose of pastoral care (Domokos, 2022). He said that pastoral care is the platform that preachers use to interact with their flock (Domokos, 2022). Therefore, the objectives of pastoral care are developed within the realm of understanding that they should be designed to foster interaction between ministers and their congregants. Today, the purpose of pastoral care is confined to two key objectives, which include problem-solving and serving people (Kuepfer et al., 2022b). These two objectives of pastoral care suggest that the vocation is aimed at promoting servitude in the church.

Linked to the goal of servitude, it could be assumed that modern-day practices in pastoral care have simplified goals, which include serving the people and solving their problems. A focus on serving the people, as the primary goal of pastoral care, stems from the understanding that people are not enemies but friends who need to be embraced and welcomed in the church (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). The underlying principle for adopting this welcoming approach to pastoral care is that the ministry is a people-centered one. Therefore, as a farmer loves the outdoors, pastors often embrace people and welcome them to the church because serving them is one of their main purposes (Percy et al., 2021). Thus, a commitment to servitude should come naturally to them.

As highlighted in this review, the second objective of pastoral care is conflict resolution. To be effective in this role, ministers may get inspiration from the teachings of the scriptures because they explain how God developed solutions to problems affecting man. Relative to this statement, Voas (2020) says ministers need to maintain discipline and plan on how to accomplish the vision of the church to realize the importance and purpose of pastoral care. This strategy is an important tenet of their problem-solving function in the ministry because it outlines a model for which pastors could hear people’s issues and solve them (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). This framework of problem-solving stems from the relationship between pastoral care and theology because both concepts provide the basis through which pastors develop relationships with the people they serve.

Overall, an analysis of the theology of pastoral care that has been conducted in this section of the analysis reveals that most religious scholars believe in the importance of ministers leading their flock by demonstrating good practices (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018; Stokes, 2020). Indeed, it is through mutual love and trust that pastors develop relationships with their congregants to help them overcome their spiritual problems. To accomplish this goal, the importance of pastoral visibility and the need to develop close relationships with congregants are crucial. Broadly, caring for people and solving their problems are the two essential purposes of pastoral care. If ministers fail to fulfill these goals, it would mean that they are simply earning a living and not living up to the true purpose of their vocation, which, as mentioned in this paper, revolves around the functions of problem-solving and offering spiritual guidance to congregants.

Pastoral Leadership

It is important to review the concept of pastoral leadership in this analysis because it is essential in understanding the evolution of pastoral care in the modern age. Indeed, as mentioned in this chapter of the dissertation, pastors play a pivotal role in guiding people through their spiritual challenges. This act of servitude is moderated by the effectiveness of a pastor in leading congregants. Given that leadership, as a concept, is widely mentioned in the bible, few people dispute its importance to pastoral care (Kuepfer et al., 2022b). In this regard, modern-day discussions have focused not on its importance but its effectiveness. To understand its place in this review, there is a need to examine what the scriptures say about leadership because its effectiveness should stem from religious doctrines (Tan et al., 2021). Drawn from this school of thought, spirituality, sacrifice, and authoritativeness emerge as the three main pillars of pastoral leadership and they are discussed below.

Spirituality

Spirituality is the first tenet of pastoral leadership practices highlighted in this review. It refers to the acknowledgment of a higher power that influences human experiences on earth (Kuepfer et al., 2022a). Its proponents argue that spirituality helps people to understand human experiences within the divine context in which they exist (Andrews, 2020; Kim, 2018). The concept of spirituality is important to our understanding of leadership in pastoral care because leaders should act from a solid spiritual base to become effective leaders (Geoffrion, 2021). Thus, as a requirement for effective leadership, pastors are expected to express their spirituality in their vocation (Kuepfer et al., 2022a). This expectation stems from the need to have members of the clergy who possess the skills and competencies needed in providing effective care to God’s flock (Lasair, 2021). These requirements are important in maintaining effective pastoral leadership practices because spirituality enhances leadership effectiveness.

Effective leadership in pastoral care stems from the belief or understanding that effective leaders should tap into their divine powers to manifest the relationship and love that God has for his people. This expectation is drawn from research studies, which have shown that people have high expectations of their leaders beyond the commonly sought requirements of skills and knowledge (Geoffrion, 2021). There are available prices of evidence showing the desire for effective leadership both within and outside of the church (Domokos, 2022). Indeed more people are seeking to have leaders who can demonstrate their commitment to integrity, authenticity and depth than ever before (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019).

This progress is juxtaposed against traditional recruitment practices, which sought to identify people who had certificates or documents affirming their skills and competencies (Geoffrion, 2021). This paradigm shift demonstrates that people are looking for spiritual vitality in leadership at different levels of governance both within and outside of the church (Domokos, 2022). They expect this power to influence how their leaders think, behave, and interact with other people.

The desire to have leaders with spiritual vitality has been expressed in different ways within the practice of pastoral care. For example, when congregants sit in a church and listen to their pastor give a sermon, they are waiting to listen to how the preacher makes the connection between the experience of the pastor and the values or principles they are trying to convey in the sermon (Geoffrion, 2021). By harboring this expectation, they may hope to see the struggles of the pastor embodied in the values they preach either within their family or community setting. Staff members of the church may equally want to see their leaders look beyond the targets, duties, and expectations of their jobs and appreciate them for their contribution to the growth of the church (Geoffrion, 2021). The common desire that people have for their leaders both within and out of the church is to feel valued and appreciated. These examples demonstrate the expectations that people have of leaders with spiritual vitality.

Characterized by the desire to identify people with spiritual vitality to occupy leadership positions, there is a need to understand the distinction between a spirit-filled and spirit-led leader. A spirit-filled leader exercises spiritual authority in the church to complete impossible tasks or achieve unique goals and objectives that other people are unable to do (Chappelle, 2022). This statement draws attention to a theme on leadership in the church, which was adopted by Lancaster Baptist Church and it said that all spiritual leaders should be filled with the Holy Spirit (Chappelle, 2022). Therefore, failing to anchor God’s ministry in the Holy Spirit makes it difficult to fill the leadership roles expected of ministers or people who hold influential positions in the church (Geoffrion, 2021). In this context of the review, the power of the Holy Spirit empowers spirit-filled leaders to do what would ordinarily be impossible.

To understand the contribution of spirit-led leaders in the church, it is crucial to rely on the teachings of the New Testament, which contain examples of these kinds of leaders. For example, Peter and Paul are mentioned as spirit-led leaders because they drew their leadership effectiveness to the power of the Holy Spirit (Geoffrion, 2021). It is believed that this power gave them visions and dreams that they used to guide the people (Geoffrion, 2021). Comparatively, spirit-led leaders are those who have intentional actions activated in the Holy Spirit. These actions are designed to help people achieve two goals that Christ has for his people – to grow and to go (Miller, 2021). Growing refers to a universal call to holiness and “going” is linked to the expectation that everybody has a mission in life that they should follow (Miller, 2021). These two goals outline the premise on which spiritual leadership is founded.

Stemming from the expectation that spirit-filled leadership is intentional, there are unique requirements that prospective candidates should possess. First, they need to show that their pursuit of leadership is informed by the abundance of their talent and not their possession of skills and knowledge (Miller, 2021). Second, spirit-filled leaders should demonstrate their commitment to understanding the love of God (Miller, 2021). This condition is placed on them because their understanding of this love will inform the quality of interaction with the people (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Therefore, as spirit-filled leaders are assuming more leadership positions in the church, there is a common expectation that their actions and practices will be anchored in the Holy Spirit.

Both spirit-filled and spirit-led leaders are integral to the provision of effective pastoral leadership care. Their dual contribution to the church should define parameters that a pastor’s leadership skills are examined because changes in leadership effectiveness depend on how well pastors manage spirit-filled and spirit-led leadership practices (Corpuz, 2021). Likewise, the spiritual life of the church assumes the same patterns of change because pastors play a critical role in defining the direction that the church follows (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Spirit-filled and spirit-led leaders should play a critical role in influencing this direction.

The relationship between pastoral leadership and the church is central to understanding how spirit-filled and spirit-led leadership profiles relate to the character of Jesus Christ who is the foremost leader of the Christian faith. This analysis is relevant to this review because effective pastoral leadership should mirror the character of Christ (Kim, 2018). Stated differently, a pastor should lead his flock in the same manner as Jesus led his followers. This model of governance means that a pastor should keep away from adopting a dominant attitude in the church leadership structure because it may promote tyranny and breed resentment among the people (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). This statement means that pastors are expected to demonstrate effective leadership qualities without being tyrannical or exhibiting high-handed behaviors.

At the same time, pastors are not expected to demonstrate attitudes that prompt church members to pity them because this response would draw attention to a leader’s profile as opposed to the teachings of Christ. Acts 20:28 demonstrates the important role that pastoral leadership plays in making sure this does not happen. It says, “Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his blood” (Andrews, 2020, p. 196). The reference to the blood of Christ signifies the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity (Kim, 2018). Pastoral care borrows from this ideology and encourages its leaders to ascend to a spiritual level of care and concern for the flock that Christ demonstrated (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). This statement implies that a pastor can only lead the flock in the context of his understanding of these scriptures.

Sacrifice

The second pillar of effective pastoral leadership is hinged on understanding the importance of sacrifice in leadership. This idea stems from ecclesiological and theological teachings, which encourage pastors to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the church (Joseph & Yanzuh, 2020). This philosophy stems from the works of Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself for the redemption of humankind. Grace and wisdom are important qualities that allow pastors to meet this requirement because people who have grace and wisdom can easily manage different people with varied expectations and temperaments (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, a pastor’s spirituality can help him or her to manage the uncertainty that comes with interacting with people who have varied expectations and temperaments (Ebener, 2018). Stemming from the need to address this ambiguity, effective pastoral leadership requires sacrifice.

The duty to fulfill the responsibilities that pastors have towards their flock means that they have to make personal sacrifices to cater to the needs of their people. This statement means that, despite their busy schedules, they are expected to contend with limitless phone calls and unplanned private talks that may limit their private time (Nelson, 2021). These expectations abound because people believe that pastors should always be accessible because their work is to serve the people (Andrews, 2020). When parishioners hold this belief, pastors naturally conform to their expectations and sacrifice their private time, ambitions, and goals in servitude to the people (Nelson, 2021). This action is not limited to minimizing their commitment to pursuing their family goals or pursuing personal educational exploits (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, personal sacrifice is deemed a natural quality that pastors should have to meet the church’s expectations of servitude to the community.

The role of personal sacrifice in the provision of pastoral care has been examined differently. For example, Bouckaert and van den Heuvel (2019) argued that the extent to which pastors should sacrifice their time might be informed by their understanding of their collective roles as shepherds of God’s flock. Therefore, those who take this role seriously make the most sacrifices, while those who do not appreciate their position as leaders in the church sacrifice the least (Bouckaert and van den Heuvel, 2019).

A story of a “Solicitous Shepherd” is told to help ministers better comprehend their unique skills and how they fit within the role of pastoral care. This story is found in the New Testament in the Book of Luke 15 where pastors are assigned the role of being shepherds of God’s flock (Kim, 2018, p. 91). In this matrix, pastors are expected to heal, sustain, guide, and reconcile the different needs of their parishioners (Kim, 2018). Therefore, there is an abundance of responsibility that is expected of them from members who are within and outside of the church.

The principle of self-sacrifice in pastoral leadership has drawn attention to the importance of recruiting people who possess unique qualities or attributes of servitude in the church. The Book of Ezra 34 in the old restatement highlights the sacrificial role of pastors in the church through the expectation that pastors should be courageous and bold (Smith, 2018, p. 20). These qualities are meant to empower ministers to speak about social injustices that happen in society (Smith, 2018). For example, through bold and courageous actions, they can draw attention to the plight of vulnerable members of the community despite the presence of opposition from critics (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, possessing these qualities and skills enables them to be effective at protecting the most vulnerable people in society. The will to use these skills for the service of humanity explains why sacrifice is an important tenet of leadership in pastoral care.

The examples highlighted above are borrowed from the Old and New Testaments and they reveal that Jesus Christ sacrificed himself for the church and his disciples committed their lives to living by this example. Based on this action, the reputation of Christ’s shepherds in the Old Testament was pegged on how much they sacrificed their comfort for the pursuit of justice and civility in society (Smith, 2018). In this context of analysis, self-sacrifice is mentioned as an important quality that pastors should possess. It is equally mentioned alongside other qualities, including healing and self-sacrifice, which pastors should have.

Despite the presence of multiple responsibilities, pastors need to prevent burnout by striking a balance between catering to their personal needs and those of the parishioners. Proponents of this view oppose the idea that pastors need to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others if there is a significant personal cost attached (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019; Grimell, 2019). They argue that risking one’s life for the sake of other people is a radical view of viewing pastoral care in contemporary theological teachings (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019; Grimell, 2019). Furthermore, they believe that this form of self-sacrifice is an abuse of power and a representation of the imbalanced needs of pastors and those of the people that they lead.

Relative to the above assertion, power cannot be perfectly symmetrical between pastors and parishioners because of preexisting structural imbalances within the church’s administrative structure. Therefore, imbalance is likely to be witnessed when pastoral care workers pursue their interests in the church (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). In the same breadth of analysis, pastors are encouraged to be aware of their power and the need to balance it with the needs of parishioners (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019; Grimell, 2019). The goal is to avoid the potential of power abuse between both sets of participants in the church.

The main problem associated with pastors who experience burnout because of self-sacrifice is their narrow-focused nature of pastoral care. For example, through pastoral leadership, some pastors choose to focus on the problems affecting their parishioners and not any other party or segment of the population that is outside of the church (Grimell, 2019). Some scholarly texts suggest that the potential for egocentrism to infiltrate the church within this narrow framework of pastoral care action is high, especially if members of a church share a good relationship with their pastors (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). The contention is that some pastors choose to engage in selfish activities that are aimed at boosting their egos to compensate for the sacrificial burden of serving the people that they have (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). These types of pastors are known to seek self-validation and recognition through the work they do (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). In this regard, they often ignore the needs of others because their sense of personal sacrifice is of more importance.

Traditional pastoral practices defined the success of Apostles by evaluating how well they listened and addressed the needs of parishioners. Today, the main metric of success is characterized by how well ministers meet their congregants’ needs as well as those of the church (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). At the same time, more institutions are acknowledging the practical limitations of pastoral work, including geographical barriers and lack of finances, when reviewing the work of individual pastors (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). The same restrictions have been used to understand the limitations of church leaders in inspiring change among their followers using spiritual knowledge and skills (Corpuz, 2021). For example, some researchers say that the sacrificial connotations of pastoral care are limited to the modern-day application of human skills and expertise (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). This limitation reminds us of the dangers of extreme forms of sacrifice in the personal and private lives of pastors. For example, burnout is one of the limitations of self-sacrifice in pastoral care.

The metaphorical interpretation of the role of a pastor as a shepherd of God’s flock has its limitations concealed within the spiritual realm of pastoral leadership. This limitation is defined by the imbalance of power between ministers and their congregants (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). In this setup, ministers exercise more power of influence on the people compared to a reverse scenario where audiences influence pastors (Corpuz, 2021). The result is an imbalanced power structure that makes it possible for pastors to abuse their power and spiritual connection with God to harm or exploit church members (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). Therefore, the application of spiritual powers in pastoral leadership is confined within the limits of servitude, which pastors subscribe to.

Arguments against self-sacrifice have led people to question whether losing oneself in the ministry is beneficial to the overall practice of pastoral care. The guiding principle has been to understand how pastors would guide their flock if they lose themselves due to self-sacrifice (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). On one side of this argument is the belief that self-sacrifice has its limits because if pastors sacrifice too much of their time for the church, their family members or congregants may start to worry about their welfare (Grimell, 2019). The existence of these concerns amounts to a lose-lose situation for all parties involved because the self-sacrifice demonstrated by the pastor and the worry it causes to the people who are close to them negates the benefits that congregants would get from the same sacrifices made by the pastor.

At the same time, critics have opposed the idea that pastors should sacrifice themselves beyond what they can offer. They say so because the attitude of accepting sacrifice as a core tenet of pastoralism masks the challenges of pastoral care (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, ministers are discouraged from overburdening themselves because their actions may create an overdependence on pastors to solve people’s private problems or the provision of unwanted forms of care from pastors who may not understand their duties or responsibilities (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Therefore, the spiritual limits of servitude make it possible to predict objectives that pastors can meet as they assume their roles as shepherds of God’s flock.

Relative to the challenges of self-sacrifice highlighted in this paper, attention has been drawn to the importance of striking a balance between what pastors can sacrifice in service to the people and the amount of personal time they need to allocate to themselves. In this debate, the concept of the “Good Samaritan” emerges as a symbolic representation of a balanced leader (Son, 2021). Stated differently, a Good Samaritan is formed when pastors act in good faith towards helping the church meet its goals without losing themselves in service to God (Son, 2021). Again, the need for balance in the vocation is highlighted.

The above statements imply that religious organizations have to develop unique solutions that create a balanced environment for their workers. A theologist named Jeanne Stevenson Moessner (cited in Son, 2021) gave an example of how pastors can minimize their responsibilities by sharing them with other professionals. She believes it is a way of maintaining the balance of care between the church and other social entities in society (Son, 2021). To support this position, Dillen (2017) gives an example of a pastor who takes a homeless person to a shelter and pays for their care out-of-pocket or by using the church’s finances. In this example, the homeless person receives the care they need, but the pastor does not do all the work of rehabilitation. This example shows how pastors can share responsibility with professionals in a manner that allows them to attend to other matters with the surety that the needs of the congregants are addressed.

Subject to the above-mentioned illustrations, it is useful to evaluate leadership styles that are highlighted in biblical literature to understand the potential of lessening the burden of pastors who over-commit themselves to pastoral care. Particularly, it is important to evaluate the leadership practices of Moses, David, Jesus, and Paul because they exemplified the need to delegate the authority of the church to other people. By seeking the support of other people, they expanded their respective ministries.

As advised by Jethro, Moses delegated his leadership authority to other people to have a bigger impact on the people (Boyer, 2018). In Exodus 18:24, his commitment to the delegation was affirmed again when he empowered his assistants to help him in his apostolic activities (Boyer, 2018, p. 117). To further highlight examples of delegation in the bible, in Matthew 10, Jesus adopted the same practice when he trained his successors to follow his example and teach the Gospel in his absence (Sri, 2019, p. 37). These examples show that delegation is a biblically ordained practice that can be used by modern pastors to overcome the burden of self-sacrifice in leadership. It equally draws attention to the limited scope of pastoral care because self-sacrifice does not imply that a pastor should complete tasks that are detrimental to their health or wellbeing.

Allowing other people to help pastors in their duties has immense benefits for pastoral care. For example, it prevents them from portraying themselves as ultimate saviors, where people are subjects of their influential positions in the church. Additionally, the abuse of pastoral power is minimized if delegation is practiced because responsibilities will be shared between pastors and other parties (Dillen, 2017). The inclusion of professionals or other interested people in pastoral care has positive implications on the target audience because it allows church leaders to offer different types of care that one person may not be competent at giving if they worked alone

Some pastors are known to be selfless to the extent that they refuse to accept favors or gifts from others. These ministers are often vulnerable to burnout because they run the risk of giving too much of their time to congregants (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Likewise, limitless care may create abuse of power by distorting the balance needed to provide effective pastoral care services (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). Therefore, pastors are encouraged to re-examine their positions in society to avoid the thrill of exercising their leadership powers irresponsibly.

Authoritativeness

As highlighted in this chapter, pastoral leadership comprises several tenets, among them being authoritativeness. The concept refers to a leadership attitude that demonstrates control by setting objectives and formulating strategies for achieving them (Newton, 2021). The concept of authoritativeness should not be confused with authoritarianism because the latter refers to a coercive approach to implementing unique needs and requirements, while the former is about having conviction and confidence in executing leadership plans within the church (Newton, 2021). Therefore, authoritativeness is a subtle approach to building consensus while authoritarianism seeks to achieve the same objective using force if need be.

Scholars who have studied the authoritative nature of leadership in pastoral care argue that a nexus exists between persuasive and authoritative leadership styles (Bowers, 2018). The notion of authoritative leadership in pastoral leadership favors obedience as opposed to the pursuit of freedom through individualism or the accomplishment of personal goals (Bowers, 2018). Comparatively, the notion of persuasive leadership has been linked to the ability of a leader to encourage others to believe in the ministry of Christ through logical reasoning.

Symbolically, a church building is the authoritative center of leadership because it acts as a common point where people converge to experience God’s power. Office holders often wield the authoritative power that the church has on society through the various positions they hold. For example, preaching or administering sacraments are duties that are both fitting and necessary for the exercise of the church’s authoritative power in society (Roger, 2021). Most churches around the world have one or a combination of offices to allow them to complete various tasks in their parishes. These institutional and administrative structures organize the social power of the church in society.

Historically, four offices have operated as the administrative hubs of the church. They include apostleship, diaconate, leadership, and bishopric offices (Allison, 2018). As its name suggests, apostleship is an authoritative office exercised by apostles and meant to provide a solid foundation for planning most of the church’s activities (Allison, 2018). Originally, the office of apostleship traces its roots to the 12 Apostles chosen by Jesus Christ as protectors of the Gospel. Through the works of notable Apostles, including Paul and Barnabas, apostolic leadership acts as a spiritual testament to Christ’s life on earth, his death, and resurrection (Roger, 2021). His sacrifice gives power to the apostolic office, which is one of the earliest institutions of the church.

The prominence of the apostolic office in coordinating the functions of the ministry means that the apostles were the first to preach the Gospel of Christ. They embarked on the quest to spread the word of God in initially Jerusalem and later in other cities around the world (Allison, 2018). The common vocation shared by the apostles allowed them to perform miracles and wonders that sustained people’s faith in Christ. Given that they are among the first people to perform miracles, they could be credited for establishing the first authoritative office of the church.

Bishopric offices have similar origins as those of the apostolic office because, unlike Apostles, Bishops exercise the authority of the church in a limited context. Their main role is managing church activities, including ordaining bishops and priests (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Teaching, sanctifying, and supervision are other oversight duties exercised by this office (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Eldership is another authoritative office of the church that is occupied by elders, or senior members of the church, including priests and administrators, who oversee a church’s activities (Allison, 2018). Their key responsibilities include teaching, leading, praying, and guiding members of the church. Alternatively, the diaconate office is another authoritative center of power for the church (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Its authority is exercised by various ministries of the organization, depending on their contributions and roles to a specific church-related activity (Allison, 2018). The authority exercised by this office often applies to anyone who freely chooses to contribute to the growth of the ministry (Allison, 2018). Therefore, any public officer who is officially recognized in the church could exercise this power.

Scholars have provided biblical support for focusing on authoritativeness as a constituent element of pastoral leadership regardless of the authority wielded by any of the four offices mentioned. For example, Hebrew 13:17 and Corinthians 15: 16-17 have been mentioned as biblical excerpts encouraging members of the church to obey their leaders (Allison, 2018). This reminder recognizes the authority held by certain members of the church in overseeing its activities and relationships with external partners. This statement highlights the link between effective pastoral leadership and authoritativeness.

Practice of Pastoral Care

The practice of pastoral care stems from the quest to adhere to set rules, norms, and principles that influence the conduct and behaviors of all parties associated with the ministry. Traditionally, the practice of pastoral care has been anchored on biblical teachings and the quest to emulate the life of Christ (van der Kooi & van der Kooi, 2021). However, social, economic, and political changes that have occurred around the world have influenced people’s perception of the ministry, thereby creating a paradigm shift in pastoral care practices to accommodate corporate leadership practices in the church (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). The goal has been to introduce efficiency in administrative practices and streamline church operations (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). This change has created a nexus between the church and the corporate world where the emphasis has been on how leadership practices in the corporate could be juxtaposed with those of the Christian ministry to create efficiency in pastoral care (van der Kooi & van der Kooi, 2021). Relative to these developments, there have been concerns about the infiltration of corporate management practices in church leadership.

The infiltration of corporate management practices in pastoral care is part of a wider global trend to professionalize institutional operations. However, the church, unlike other types of global institutions, has deep-rooted philosophical roots that cannot be easily overcome by proponents of modernization (van der Kooi & van der Kooi, 2021). Consequently, a growing number of critics argue that the infiltration of corporate management practices in pastoral leadership attracts significant operational risks to the church. For example, Clarke (2021) argues that the adoption of corporate management practices in the ministry is misleading pastors by creating unclear boundaries between pastoral leadership practices and performance management goals. Furthermore, the adoption of corporate principles in the church has elevated the importance of consumerism and self-fulfillment, which are undesirable traits.

Despite attempts to minimize the synergy between corporate management and religious doctrines, people have started to compare church with corporate leadership standards. Differences in performance have been observed in these discussions, with most findings showing that the corporate space has a higher management vigor compared to pastoral care (Johnson, 2020). Likewise, similarities have emerged where corporate and religious institutions share similar objectives, thereby making it difficult to distinguish the two.

Subject to the confusion highlighted above, servant leadership has been erroneously confused with customer service practices. Similarly, the process of manifesting spiritual gifts has been associated with selfishness and grandiosity (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). At the same time, teaching the gospel of Christ has been confused with motivational speeches (Johnson, 2020). Therefore, likening pastoral care practices to corporate management objectives has been criticized for misguiding followers into pursuing a path of self-hate (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). This statement derives its credibility from the belief that pastors will one day disapprove of this practice (Johnson, 2020). Furthermore, it has led to the development of cynicism and skepticism among members of the church about the true practice of pastoral care and the possible strength of its fit to the objectives of the ministry.

Worship and Pastoral Care

In pastoral care, the concept of worship refers to the practice of reverence or adoration for God. Religious devotion stems from this concept because it embodies man’s acknowledgment of God’s power and influence in the universe (Baik, 2021). In this regard, worship could happen in formal or informal groups, but the identification of a leader who will lead the faithful in it is a priority (Johnson, 2020). Worship is a fundamental aspect of Christian practice because it helps the faithful connect with God. Its relationship with pastoral care stemmed from the teachings of Jesus Christ when he was in the wilderness. He said that people should worship God alone and not any other being.

Catechism principles encourage people to glorify God and enjoy a life of fulfillment in his teachings and principles. Relative to this expectation, in the book “The City of God” it is declared that there is no justice without the freedom to worship God (Wells, 2019). In biblical texts, liturgy is proposed as the foundation of worship for being the source of human identity (Johnson, 2020). In this context of the discussion, liturgy is not defined within selfish lenses of worship because it encompasses the aspirations of the faithful who are inspired by the Holy Spirit to worship God (Wells, 2019). The kind of Liturgy explored in scholarly texts refers to the worship of God as a joint or communal undertaking and not the responsibility of one person or a group of people (Wells, 2019). In this regard, worship is a spontaneous action that involves one person or groups of people praising God. There is a distinction between this kind of practice and stage-managed acts of worship aimed at attracting more people to the church.

Given the importance of worship to pastoral care, the duties of pastors have been redesigned to include the ability to lead worship and prayer as one of the requirements for recruitment into the leadership structure. Indeed, researchers who have investigated the relationship between worship and pastoral care suggest that pastors should play the role of worship leaders (Wells, 2019). Other members and officials of the church, including youth leaders, artists, and musicians, may support their work by making the worship process interesting, entertaining, and creative (Benjamins, 2021). Their contributions have helped to deconstruct the concept of worship in pastoral care based on four key tenets.

The first tenet relates to the creation of a perception that worship and pastoral care is a craft. This analogy means that a person’s talent is harnessed in how they lead worship sessions because God empowered everybody with unique gifts and worship is one of them. By creating the perception that worship is an art, it is easy to explain why some pastors are more effective in this field than others because their artistry allows them to think of innovative ways to appeal to congregants (Benjamins, 2021). For example, the use of metaphors to explain biblical teachings is one way that pastors have used to spread the word of God (Jones, 2019). Some worship leaders are equally competent at making beautiful music that appeals to the hearts and minds of worshippers (Benjamins, 2021). Others are good at writing interesting pieces of art or music that can be recorded as hymns or supplementary texts for Christian worship.

Broadly, the above-mentioned examples show that people consider worship leaders as craftspeople before assuming any other role in the pastoral leadership sphere of influence. Some notable worship leaders who have used their artistry skills to enhance their craft include Isaac Watts who was a hymn poet and Palestrina who was a musician leading worship in the church (Jones, 2019). By using their talents to improve worship, these leaders become craftspeople.

The second way of deconstructing worship and pastoral care in the Christian faith is to analyze the roles and duties assigned to pastors. In Christian scholarly literature, it is assumed that most worship leaders consider themselves program coordinators or leaders (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). This statement explains why some worship leaders assume the title of worship coordinators or music directors.

The roles of worship leaders come with multiple responsibilities, including identifying people who would play specific musical instruments and those who will lead the faithful by singing. In some parishes, the roles assigned to worship leaders could spill over into planning rehearsals and printing orders of service (Wells, 2019). Therefore, the roles of the worship leaders as program coordinators and planners imply that they play a significant role in the management of worship activities.

The third way to deconstruct worship in pastoral care is to examine it as a performance for God and his followers. Looking back at the example of musical composition, as a craft aimed at enhancing worship, the use of instruments to play music emerges as a form of performance (Jones, 2019). Similarly, the art of storytelling or playing chords using musical instruments conveys performance, as an art, in the practice of worship (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). People often judge the works of worship leaders using the performance model because those who report low scores are often ineffective in their work, while those who have high scores are deemed more effective in leading worship practices.

The dichotomy of performance outlined above explains why some worship leaders spend a lot of time perfecting their craft to get good feedback from worshippers. The desire to succeed is commonly influenced by the need to receive positive comments from audiences, similar to when a pastor gives a powerful sermon that inspires the people (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020; Jones, 2019). Therefore, regardless of how worship leaders perceive their role to be in the Christian faith, their contribution to the gospel is evaluated within the performance model highlighted above.

The fourth technique used to deconstruct worship in pastoral care describes its leaders as spiritual engineers. This perception of worship leaders explains why they commonly strive to inspire people (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). In this practice, the role of a spiritual engineer is to help the worshippers to experience God’s presence. Alderson and Davie (2021) say some church leaders use spiritual inspiration as one of the requirements for recruiting worship leaders. Therefore, most church leaders look for people who can turn ordinary worship practices into a moment of holiness and inspiration for all (Alderson and Davie, 2021). Overall, the insights highlighted above show that worship practices in Christianity could be deconstructed using four key tenets that include performance, craftsmanship, spirituality, and coordination of worship activities. These four pillars of worship need to be analyzed collectively to gain a broader understanding of the relationship between worship and pastoral care.

Pastoral Care in the Five-Fold Ministry

The five-fold ministry refers to a framework of allocating duties among pastors to fulfill their work obligations. This concept traces its roots to the teachings of the Apostle Paul in the Book of Acts 20:28, which says, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his blood” (Davis, 2020, p. 1). In this statement, the spiritual ministry emerges as an embodiment of the role of a pastor as a leader of the flock. Therefore, guiding and offering spiritual nourishment to members of the church are the two main reasons for which the spiritual ministry is founded (Davis, 2020). The same sentiments can be traced to the work of the Apostle Paul when he was speaking to the elders of the Ephesian Church.

Relative to the above statements, it is important to understand the weaknesses that undermine the ministry and the flock itself before analyzing the role of the five-fold ministry in leading God’s flock. These weaknesses underscore the need to seek collective spiritual leadership because it is more powerful than individually-inspired leadership practices (Davis, 2020). Relative to this assertion, Jesus acknowledged that the flock was weak and susceptible to deception from Satan (Davis, 2020). This statement highlights the presence of forces of good and evil in society. Some scholars argue that without proper guidance, the flock will be lost by joining evil forces (Alderson and Davie, 2021). Furthermore, they believe that if the spiritual leaders of a church are unable to show direction to their followers, those who look up to them are likely to lose faith in the church (Alderson and Davie, 2021). Failing to live up to the expectations of the church and the ministry is one of the sins of pastoral care.

Granted, like other human beings, pastors can make mistakes when performing their roles. However, the biggest problem affecting the church today is not the individual weaknesses of each pastor that fails to live up to the expectations of the ministry but rather the ministry itself has changed into an entity that seems unrecognizable if its essence was analyzed from the original the spirit of the scriptures (Davis, 2020). For example, critics accuse ministers of failing to do their fundamental duty of preaching to the people; instead, they are concentrated on improving their administrative functions (Kim, 2018). This practice indicates a misdirection of priorities in pastoral care practice..

Regardless of the position held in the church, the fundamental duty of ministers is to serve the church and not to meet individual or personal needs. This statement contradicts the perception that ministers are figures of authority who are often unapproachable. Instead, a service-centered leadership approach is deemed more effective in meeting the goals of pastoral care, thereby making it possible for people who have higher positions of influence to interact well with those who hold lower ranks (Yoon, 2019). Furthermore, some churches tolerate widespread adoration of individual talents as if to glorify the service of man as opposed to the service of God (Kim, 2018; Davis, 2020). Based on the above statement, the need for servant leadership in pastoral care emerges as a fundamental pillar in the proper functioning of the church (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). However, it is important to understand one’s unique gifts and talents to be effective in this space.

The above-mentioned statement suggests that pastoral care is much a vocation as it is a gift from God. However, many people struggle to identify their unique gifts or ways to harness them to serve God (Yoon, 2019). Consistent with this line of questioning, some pastors often ask themselves questions, including about how best to use God’s gift for the church and serve him using available resources (Davis, 2020). Finding the correct answers to these questions would help church leaders to provide better guidance on how people could participate in building the ministry (Yoon, 2019). These questions play a significant role in understanding the role that pastors have to play in pastoral care.

The fivefold ministry was developed to help pastors answer some of the above-mentioned questions. Therefore, pastoral care in the five-fold ministry helps pastors to understand the objective and scope of their work in the church (Davis, 2020). Similar to other pastoral care subtopics mentioned in this literature review, it is important to examine the role of pastoral care in the five-fold ministry by basing it on biblical texts. For example, in Ephesians 4:11-16, it is said, …and he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Hayworth, 2018, p. 194).

According to the above text, Christ recognized the multifaceted nature of the ministry where people worked as prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. The multiplicity of these roles helped the church to attain unity of faith and improve people’s understanding of God’s wisdom and knowledge (Davis, 2020). Based on these texts, the five-fold ministry role is defined in Table 2.1 below

Table 2.1 Five-fold ministry (Source: Developed by Author).

Overall, based on the description of the five ministries underpinning pastoral care highlighted in Table 2.1 above, pastors could harness their content to help people live fulfilling and enriching lives.

Ministry and Role of the Church in Pastoral Care

Pastoral care is a broad discipline supported by various organizations, institutions, and well-wishers. The type and quality of care provided in this vocation are partly informed by the setup of the ministry supporting core activities and the influence of churches that regulate ministerial work (van der Kooi & van der Kooi, 2021). In this regard, the success of pastoral care is related to the success of people who are ordained in the ministry (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). In this regard, the success of pastoral care is commonly evaluated through the lenses of the people who are involved in it.

The use of people as symbols of success in pastoral care creates a limited understanding of the concept. This is because the vocation is not primarily limited to the works of ordained leaders but the church at large (van der Kooi & van der Kooi, 2021). Stated differently, the work of pastors often involves all members of the church through shared responsibility (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). A few people are chosen to lead the process, but all parties involved often share the outcome.

The existence of an oversight authority to regulate the activities of pastors highlights the need to understand the role of the church in pastoral care. However, first, it is important to comprehend gaps that exist in pastoral care that have created the need for seeking supplementary assistance in pastoral care via the church as an oversight institution. In the sections below, sharing responsibility, the quest to break codependency cycles, expanding community outreach programs, and the quest to professionalize pastoral care services are highlighted as the main areas underpinning our understanding of the role of the church in pastoral care.

Responsibility Sharing

Traditionally, the church has played an important role in shaping societies by influencing people’s behaviors morally or ethically. In recent scholarly texts, it is assumed that pastoral care and the church have traditionally shared a co-dependent relationship (Kyeyune, 2021). This relationship exists because ministers have too many responsibilities which have to be met. At the same time, they have to be available to listen to issues that the congregants have. This is the core purpose of their job – listening to the people. Often, they have limited time to do anything else, thereby creating burnout (Raichur, 2021). For example, ministers are expected to visit the sick, console the bereaved, ordain weddings, make regular house calls, and follow up on distressed persons with little consideration for their private time (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). The presence of overwhelming responsibilities means that pastors could be easily overburdened with their work and may require assistance. The church emerges as one of the facilitative institutions that help them meet these goals.

In a book authored by Spencer (2018), the author says that pastoral care, if left without any support, could stunt the growth of the church. This claim is made because, as churches grow, the responsibilities expected of ordained ministers commensurately increase, thereby making it difficult to meet the needs of most congregants (Spencer, 2018). Consequently, in some evangelical churches, pastors prefer to keep a small number of congregants to avoid burnout and exhaustion (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020; Kyeyune, 2021). Comparisons have been made between the responsibilities that pastors working for small and large churches have. It has been established that ministers working for large churches have significantly more work compared to those who work for small religious institutions (Raichur, 2021). Most of the people who work in large churches cannot meet the expectations of all members, hence the need to relook the ratio of pastors to congregants to maintain attention balance.

In the field of pastoral care, the church can help pastors to perform their duties satisfactorily. For example, churches have helped pastors to provide shelter and food to underserved members of the community (Raichur, 2021). Similarly, they have assisted millions of people in gaining access to education services around the world (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). The involvement of the church in pastoral care means that the work to be done cannot be accomplished by one person (Raichur, 2021). Therefore, for ministers to work efficiently, they need immense support from different well-wishers, and the church is one of them.

In the midst of growing concerns that societies are becoming secularized, the supportive role of the church, which is described above, could ease the burden of responsibility that ministers hold by offering physical rehabilitative services to the people who need them. Their commitment to these causes is demonstrable through the work that the church has done in the past to help underserved and underprivileged communities improve their welfare (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). These tasks highlight an intersection where the goals of the church and those of pastoral care merge.

Several practical examples have been given to show how the church and pastoral leadership teams could work together to promote social justice. For example, an Ireland-based Church known as St Vincent de Paul Society has been providing care for the underprivileged since the mid-1800s and still does the same to date (Barrios, 2020). Its success has been reported in several areas, including helping victims of war, famine, and economic hardships to find assistance and rebuild their lives (Barrios, 2020). The church can advance the same type of support to ordained ministers, especially when they need help in addressing the needs of their congregants (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). By tapping into the support of the church, they would be borrowing from the wealth of experience that churches have in managing social support programs.

Breaking Codependency Cycles

The contribution of the church to the field of pastoral care is not limited to sharing responsibilities alone because the church equally helps to break codependency cycles between pastors and other parties involved in pastoral care. For example, they create conditions for minimal personal self-indulgence among errant pastors (Romano, 2020). To support this statement, critics have observed that the modern model of pastoral care service delivery increases the chances of pastors engaging in self-fulfilling grandiose behaviors, including looking for praise from church members for contributing to the ministry’s success (Lockhart, 2021). Kellock (2021) says that this risk exists because ministers are human, and some of them prefer to be liked, as opposed to maintaining their commitment to the vocation.

Negative attitudes, behaviors, and expectations of congregants have worsened the current outlook of pastoral care. They assess the effectiveness of church leaders based on how well they embody desirable interpersonal skills, including friendliness, availability, and likability (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). This claim is supported by the idea that pastors are natural people-pleasers (Kyeyune, 2021). Therefore, there is a belief that they look forward to being heaped with praise for the work they do to realize their self-worth.

The church helps to eliminate undesirable attitudes and values of leadership in pastoral care. It does so by disassociating the work of the ministry from the people that run it (Romano, 2020). Thus, it creates a depersonalized approach to serving the needs of congregants, which creates an environment of objectivity in pastoral care practice (Kyeyune, 2021). This contribution of the church to the field of pastoral care is noble because the church intends to lead and not necessarily to seek validation or approval from people in the same way ordinary human beings do (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). In this relationship, the church breaks the unhealthy codependent relationship between ministers and congregants, which often affects how pastoral care works.

In understanding the potential of the church in breaking codependency cycles, it is similarly important to acknowledge the institution’s ability to convey biblical teachings in the manner described by Christ. Indeed, scholars believe that the bible has important scriptures that are relevant to the lives or problems affecting congregants in modern society (Kellock, 2021; Lockhart, 2021). These problems are some of the main causes of unhealthy codependency relationships that some ministers have with their congregants (Romano, 2020).

Nonetheless, skeptics do not believe it is possible to break these codependency relationships because severing some relationships could attract negative consequences to a church’s operations (Kyeyune, 2021). Therefore, those who hold this view believe that the Church’s influence should be confined to religious matters and all other matters of governance left to the state (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Thus, even as churches help to break codependency cycles with the pastoral care discipline, there are limitations to their involvement in social and religious matters.

Expanding Community Outreach

The church’s contribution to the field of pastoral care is demonstrable in its role as a community service agency. In this regard, it plays different facilitative roles for pastors who intend to increase their impact on society (McDonnell & Idler, 2020). For example, churches have helped ministers to expand their audiences by giving them access to social networks that bind their congregations (Kyeyune, 2021). The potential of the church in expanding community outreach programs can best be demonstrated through the social infrastructure it enjoys in various communities (McDonnell & Idler, 2020).

Indeed, churches have existed for a long time, and their years in operation have enabled some of them to have well-preserved social networks to support their work (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). These infrastructures are not exclusive to church members or religious groupings because they involve well-wishers, non-profit organizations, and even government agencies as well (Kerwin & Alulema, 2021). Therefore, there is a collaborative understanding of the roles that each team member will play in accomplishing the objectives of a program.

Pastors could tap into this existing social infrastructure of the church to provide care and service to congregants. For example, the church can facilitate its activities by linking ministers with government agencies, international organizations, and similar entities to allow them to function effectively (Holmes, 2022). This way, they will have a higher impact on society and be able to reach more people (Gustafson, 2021). This type of assistance is important today more than at any other time in human history because societies are becoming increasingly diverse and multicultural (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Thus, it may be difficult for one person, or individual, to have the same kind of impact they would achieve if they collaborated with others (Orthner, 2021). The church provides this linkage, thereby allowing ministers to become more effective in their work.

Professionalization of Pastoral Care

The process of professionalizing pastoral care can be enhanced by the church because its existence as an institution is characterized by the pursuit of professional norms and practices. The same objectives could be introduced in the pastoral care ministry or become better integrated with mainstream ideologies in the vocation to enhance professionalism (Holmes, 2022). This contribution will help to stabilize pastoral care because it will become increasingly visible to all involved that a stabilizing force is needed in a world that is becoming increasingly non-religious (Orthner, 2021). So far, the church has had a stellar record of creating this stability, as evidenced in its history of peace relations around the world. Therefore, as leaders influence their respective fields of practice, they could learn from the professionalism of the church to stabilize their roles in the community. Doing so will give them more relevance and influence in the communities they serve. This process requires a comprehensive understanding of the job descriptions of pastors.

Job Description in the Pastoral Care Ministry

A job description helps to identify critical skills or responsibilities required for a person to carry out their job effectively. By finding the right match, prospective candidates can better understand the environment they will be working in as well as the responsibilities expected of them (Kim, 2020). Stemming from this background, the job descriptions of various positions in the pastoral care ministry are critical in helping pastors to understand the environment they will be operating in and the kind of skills or competencies required to provide quality care (Kim, 2020). In this analysis, it is important to appreciate the duties expected of them as pastoral care workers.

Duties

In pastoral care, the duties assigned to a pastor refer to a set of tasks that are expected to be completed within a specific time. As highlighted in this chapter, the main duties of pastoral care workers are confined to six key areas of care – healing, nourishment, liberation, reconciliation, guidance, and sustenance (Kim, 2020). The duty to heal involves helping people to become wholesome by enabling them to choose a path of righteousness and holiness (Baab, 2018). This strategy is supported by the expectation that ministers will guide their congregants to live a life that is fulfilling and purposeful.

The task is closely associated with the second duty of pastoral care workers, which is liberation. It refers to one’s ability to help congregants understand the path to salvation (Baab, 2018). The process may involve reconciling one’s past with the future (McDonnell & Idler, 2020). In the end, this approach helps members of the church to develop a sustainable model of providing pastoral care services that are supported by modern expectations of the practice and changes in religious education standards (McDonnell & Idler, 2020). Nurturing members of the church is another duty that pastors have in their vocation (Baab, 2018). In this analysis, most of the contributions they can make are associated with the enhancement of spiritual nourishment goals.

Reconciliation and offering guidance to members of the church are additional duties that pastoral care workers have to do. This literature review has highlighted cases where pastors play the role of conflict mediators and spiritual guides to God’s flock. The role taps into the biblical understanding of Pastors as shepherds of God’s flock (Allison, 2018). Therefore, reconciling warring factions of society and offering them spiritual guidance is part of their duties and responsibilities to the ministry (Voas, 2020). Sustenance is the last duty expected of pastoral care workers, and it involves maintaining the interest of church members in God and his ministry (Allison, 2018).

It involves ensuring that God’s flock remains rooted in the church’s teachings despite external forces that may dissuade them from doing so (Samuels, 2022). Collectively, these activities of pastoral care work describe six main duties of ministers in the church. To recap, they include healing, nourishment, liberation, reconciliation, guidance, and sustenance. These duties are often associated with pastoral care workers operating in various religious settings.

The duties of those who operate in non-religious settings differ from those in the religious context because the issues they manage are different. Relative to this assertion, Samuels (2022) says that the duties of pastoral care workers operating in non-religious contexts may include conflict resolution, arranging worship services, resource allocation, documentation, and crisis management. The most common place where pastoral workers are expected to fulfill these obligations is the education sector, where ministers are commonly expected to enable students to thrive in a safe and supportive environment for learning (BAC, 2022).

In this setting, they promote different dimensions of wellness and act as a medium for facilitating the connection between church members and their leaders (BAC, 2022). Subject to these responsibilities, the education sector emerges as the second commonly researched area where the duties of pastoral care workers are evaluated within religious realms of discussion (Samuels, 2022). This statement means there are other contexts where the duties of pastoral care workers are openly defined, but religious and educational contexts are the most commonly researched and documented.

Qualifications

Few scholars have discussed job descriptions as a research topic in pastoral care because of varying religious practices, expectations, and dynamics affecting pastoral care in the Christian faith. For example, the job descriptions of pastors who work full-time are different from those working on a part-time basis (Kim, 2020). At the same time, the job requirements of a pastor working alone are different from those whose responsibility is shared with other people.

These differences affected various positions in the church, including deacons, assistant pastors, and their peers (Kim, 2020). Despite the existence of varying job requirements for pastors, there is consensus that they should provide emotional, physical, and psychosocial support to congregants (Raichur, 2021). Therefore, people who are socially driven and willing to care for other members of society are best suited for these positions (Raichur, 2021). In this regard, the main responsibility of ministers is to help people achieve their spiritual purpose and improve their wellness (Kim, 2020). Relative to this statement, Samuels (2022) says the work of a minister in a pastoral care context is to provide healing, guidance, and sustenance to people in need.

The church’s administrative duty to recruit ministers makes it important to appreciate the distinction between pastoral care and pastoral ministry. Samuels (2022) says the two concepts are closely related and have different meanings. However, churches may consider any institutional recommendations that may be there to support the recruitment of an individual into the ministry (Kim, 2020). Therefore, there is a religious affiliation to the recruitment of pastors in the context of pastoral care delivery.

The job descriptions of ministers in the pastoral care ministry define the expectations that the church has of its leaders. These job descriptions vary depending on the institution and sector involved. For example, some people propagate a common misconception that opportunities for pastoral growth only exist in the health and education sectors (Kim, 2020). However, this is not always the case because pastoral care employees work in various other institutions, including hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers (Raichur, 2021). For many pastoral care workers, their occupational responsibilities are measured or assessed based on how well they help people improve their mental and spiritual well being (Raichur, 2021). Worker placement is done based on their varying different skills, competencies, and institutions they intend to work for.

In North America, traditions define practices that the church would follow when employing pastoral care workers. Most religious institutions require prospective candidates to have a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in theology (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Equivalent qualifications in divinity and pastoral studies are acceptable in some churches (Kyeyune, 2021). Most churches equally require their pastoral care workers to have accreditation in Clinical pastoral education (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). If one is a member of the ordained clergy, they have a higher chance of being recruited, as opposed to a nonprofessional (Kyeyune, 2021). Institutional-specific requirements may demand that a prospective minister shows specific skills in other areas of competency, including historical or cultural fluency, depending on the community in question (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, most religious-based organizations prefer to recruit people from the country they intend to practice pastoral care.

Required Skills

The skills required in pastoral care are often identified based on the expected responsibilities and expectations of workers in the ministry. As highlighted in this paper, scholars have pointed out that the main responsibility of pastoral care workers is to work with members of the community, especially the most vulnerable (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). Therefore, one’s ability to observe and listen is a critical skill required in pastoral care (Samuels, 2022).

Similarly, one’s ability to make a diagnosis is a desirable skill that a pastor should have because people have many problems that need accurate analysis (Luciani, 2020). Having the ability to make a proper diagnosis is critical in helping one to do their job effectively (Lee & Rosales, 2020). In this analysis, a pastoral care worker should demonstrate the ability to help people by offering accompaniments, guidance, and support (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). These skills may be context-specific because they are subject to the demographic characteristics of the target audience.

Based on the findings highlighted above, general skills that are desired among pastoral workers include excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Furthermore, most institutions prefer to recruit people who possess the ability to provide personalized care to congregants (BAC, 2022). Comparatively, qualified persons can show empathy and self-awareness when carrying out their work (Lee & Rosales, 2020).

The level of self-awareness and skills required in this context is equally influenced by the kind of institution where pastoral care is offered (Lee & Rosales, 2020). For example, those who intend to work in educational institutions are often required to demonstrate patience and interest in children (Grimell, 2019). Additionally, those who work in hospitals or prisons are required to demonstrate mental strength because these environments could be strenuous for people that are unfamiliar with them (Martínez-Ariño & Zwilling, 2020). Similarly, institutions that offer spiritual care to these people are often high-pressure environments (BAC, 2022). They require a person who can work best under these conditions.

Given that pastoral care workers often help people in distress, having the ability to resolve conflicts and crises is often valuable. This skill is especially important in providing counseling services in marriages, families, and households (Grimell, 2019). Pastoral care workers who operate in conflict regions of the world are especially required to have these conflict-resolution skills (Martínez-Ariño & Zwilling, 2020). Overall, regardless of the type of skills required of pastoral care workers, most of them experience different challenges that affect their job performance (Martínez-Ariño & Zwilling, 2020). For example, emotional fatigue is associated with ministers who operate in high-conflict zones because managing people’s expectations has the potential to drain them physically, mentally, and emotionally (Hoppe & Hoppe, 2020). This is why having strong mental strength is important in ensuring that they surmount these challenges.

The fix-it syndrome drains the energy of pastoral care workers because there is a common expectation among congregants and community members that their leaders have solutions to all their problems (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). Therefore, people are likely to be frustrated when pastoral care workers cannot meet their expectations, especially when managing complicated social issues (Lee & Rosales, 2020).

Some pastoral care workers have equally reported seeing biased recruitment practices adopted in some churches, especially if they do not belong to a specific parish (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). This situation has made it difficult for some congregants to accept ministers who have been assigned duties in their jurisdictions (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). In this analysis, there is a common belief that associating oneself with a specific church makes it easier or more acceptable for pastoral care workers to be tolerated in the community.

Relative to the above discussions, the acceptability of pastoral care workers in society is contextual and predicated on the religious leanings of a nation or state. For example, in North America, pastoral care workers are often recruited by churches, and the failure to belong to one could automatically mean that prospective workers are excluded from the recruitment process (Lee & Rosales, 2020). In some countries, the idea of recruiting a pastoral care worker is new because people tend to use other professionals to carry out their duties (Bouckaert and van den Heuvel, 2019). Therefore, one may find it difficult to express their ideas because the dominant culture would make it impossible to share ideas freely (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). Countries with cultures that accept and appreciate the role of pastoral care workers in the community may be more suitable for accommodating this cadre of workers.

In this discussion, it is important to accept the existence of cultural nuances within pastoral communities, which may impede workers’ functions. For example, difficulties in switching operational fields are problems affecting countries where churches are keen on recruiting people with specific skills (Bouckaert and van den Heuvel, 2019). Therefore, the requirements for the specialization may force workers to perform specific duties and hold certain offices for a long time (Luciani, 2020). The result is their inability to perform other tasks because they will lack the experience or temperament to manage adversity.

The above insights show that the recruitment design of pastoral care workers could make it difficult for prospective candidates to contribute fully to the field. The same limitation makes it difficult for them to enter and exit the profession (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). These limitations have equally assumed a gender dimension where male pastoral care workers have a lower chance of acceptability in various levels of care compared to their female counterparts (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). This statement is supported by statistics, which show that up to 58.8% of pastoral care workers are female (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). The data applies to the recruitment of prospective volunteers or employees in educational and healthcare fields.

Institutions in pastoral care that have a balanced gender representation of workers are rehabilitation centers and educational centers where the number of male and female participants is nearly similar (Luciani, 2020). Regardless of the challenges affecting pastoral care work in different fields of operation, research studies show that most pastors are satisfied with their work, as reported in a recent survey, which estimated that they had a 4.9/5 satisfaction rating (Idestrom & Kaufman, 2018). This statistic means that most pastoral care workers are happy to be serving communities in various capacities, despite the existence of some of the challenges highlighted above.

Summary

The findings of this literature review have shown that there is a disconnect between the church’s modern experiences in pastoral care and traditional pastoral writing. This gap has peaked in the 21st century through the influence of secularization on religious doctrines. Based on this statement, it is unclear how effective church leadership is expected to thrive when many congregants are distracted by too many variables from modern society, including social media and video games.

Methodology

This chapter highlights techniques adopted by the researcher to meet the objectives of the study. To recap, this investigation aims to understand the role of pastoral care in the 21st century. The research questions are designed to investigate how secularization has affected the position of the church in supporting pastoral care services and helped ministers to develop solutions that can enhance the effectiveness of the field. Additionally, one of the objectives of this investigation is to assess the effects of secularism on pastoral care and monitor changes to the discipline that have occurred in the last century. In the sections below, techniques that were adopted by the researcher to meet the objectives of this study are mentioned. For purposes of this investigation, the research onion model developed by three researchers, Saunders, Lewis, and Thornhill (cited in Bell, 2018), will be used to organize the methodology as shown below.

Research Philosophy

Specific ontology and epistemological foundations underpin research philosophy development. In this analysis, ontology refers to the authenticity of information used in a study and a determination of ways that the public could comprehend its significance to them (Stokes, 2017). Comparatively, epistemology refers to the validity of information used to develop a research philosophy and how best to access this type of data (Bell, 2018). Relative to this assertion, positivism and interpretivism are the two major research philosophies used in scholarly investigations (Patten & Newhart, 2017). In this dissertation, positivism refers to the objectivity of information used in a study. It advances the idea that the knowledge obtained in a study could be independent of the subjects under investigation (Stokes, 2017).

Comparatively, interpretivism research philosophy advances the view that people have unique characteristics that prompt them to interpret facts distinctively (Bell, 2018). Their uniqueness creates differences in opinions about a subject of analysis (Patten & Newhart, 2017). Based on these differences, researchers must have compelling reasons for selecting one approach and excluding another.

The focus of the present study is on understanding the nature of pastoral care in the 21st century. This goal made the interpretivism research philosophy the most appropriate technique for the investigation. Its adoption fits within the understanding that the research topic looks into the future of pastoral care (Mwenisongole & Mligo, 2018). However, this future is subject to interpretation, meaning that there could be a lack of consistency in ideals between the nature of the investigation sought and the research philosophy employed (Bell, 2018). These statements demonstrate that the quest to understand the nature of pastoral care in the 21st century is consistent with the interpretivism research philosophy.

Research Approach

The research onion model suggests that once a researcher has identified the philosophy to use in a study, they should select the best research approach to use as well. Two major research approaches are employed in academic studies – deductive and inductive methods (Bell, 2018). The deductive approach assumes that a researcher would investigate a topic by first developing a hypothesis from preliminary research (Bell, 2018). Later, the same hypothesis is tested in different contexts of application to determine whether it is true or not (Patten & Newhart, 2017). Comparatively, the inductive approach uses a reversed method of analysis whereby a researcher makes observations about a specific topic of study and then uses the same information to create a theory (Stokes, 2017). The above-mentioned differences between inductive and deductive techniques define the criteria for selecting one method as opposed to another.

Subject to the exploratory nature of the present study, the inductive technique emerged as the most appropriate approach for the review. The researcher adopted this technique because different sets of data were collected from multiple sources to develop a set of findings that appealed to the aim of the study. Stated differently, the researcher gathered both primary and secondary data to observe trends of secularization in society and their possible impact on pastoral care practices. Given that multiple sources were consulted, the inductive technique emerged as the natural approach to use for the investigation because of its ability to accommodate diverse views (Kumar, 2018). By using this technique, primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed to develop a common position of the research topic that explained the future of pastoral care in the 21st century,

Research Strategy

According to the research onion model, five main research strategies are used in academic research. They include systematic literature review, action research, interviews, experimental research, and surveys (Kumar, 2018). The type of data a researcher intends to collect informs the selection process (Bell, 2018). The purpose of a study equally contributes to the same decision. By using these two parameters for selecting the best model to adopt in the present study, three strategies were adopted – interviews, surveys, and a systematic literature review. This three-pronged data collection strategy formed the basis for developing the data collection framework using the triangulation method, as shown in Figure 3.1 below

According to Figure 3.1 above, a three-phased data collection strategy was adopted to diversify sources of data for the research – surveys, interviews, and a systematic literature review. The surveys were instrumental in collecting data from a large pool of respondents, while interviews were relevant in sampling the views of informants with confidential information about the research topic. Alternatively, secondary data was instrumental in contextualizing the interview and survey findings.

Choices of Methods

The research onion model proposes three choices of methods for research – mono-method, mixed-method, and multi-method (Kumar, 2018). As its name suggests, the mono-method is applicable only when there is one technique to use in a study (Stokes, 2017). Comparatively, the framework of the mixed methods is applicable when two or more techniques are used in a study (Stokes, 2017). In this framework of analysis, both qualitative and quantitative forms of data were included in the review process. The multi-method model is applicable when a variety of choices is employed in data collection (Kumar, 2018). Based on the descriptions of each of the research choices highlighted above, the framework of the mixed methods was used in the present investigation.

Time Horizon

A time horizon analysis is useful in understanding the nature of data collected in a study. Stated differently, a time analysis is relevant in understanding the implications of observations made within a study (Kumar, 2018). According to the research onion model, two types of time horizons are applicable in research investigations – longitudinal and cross-sectional (Bell, 2018). In the cross-sectional data format, all pieces of information obtained in a study are collected at one point in time. The survey and interview techniques adopted in this study meant that information was collected in one instance. Therefore, the cross-sectional time horizon technique emerged as the best fit for the study.

Comparatively, the longitudinal method of data analysis is applicable to research studies that obtain information at multiple points of time in an investigation. For example, a health program aimed at improving literacy levels could track progress at 2-year intervals. The same data can be used to develop a report that stretches over a five or ten-year period (Stokes, 2017). This type of data collection method is associated with the longitudinal time horizon technique. Given that data was collected in one instance, the cross-sectional time horizon method emerged as the best fit.

Techniques and Procedures

For purposes of this investigation, the techniques and procedures highlighted in this paper were used to undertake the review. They refer to methods used by the researcher to carry out the study. Subject to this classification, techniques, and procedures used in the present research process included discussions on data collection and data analysis, as shown below.

Data Collection

As highlighted in this chapter, the researcher used primary and secondary data sources to develop the findings. Primary data came from surveys and interviews, while secondary files were associated with the selection and analysis of published sources of information. Details relating to each technique adopted in the study are highlighted below.

Surveys

Surveys were the first set of tools used to collect primary data from the respondents. This technique was employed to sample the views of pastoral care officials regarding the impact of secularization on their work. The survey technique was used because it allows researchers to sample the views of a large population of respondents at one time (Patten & Newhart, 2017). Given that the researcher captured the views of many people in one instance, the survey technique emerged as the most appropriate tool for the study. This data collection instrument helped the researcher to sample the views of different pastoral care officials working at various parishes within the researcher’s locality. The list of positions held by the informants included clergymen, laymen, music composers, worship leaders, and bible study members.

The survey process was initiated by distributing structured online questionnaires to the respondents. The questionnaires were divided into two major sections that highlighted the dichotomous nature of the information sought in the review. As shown in appendix 1, the first section of the questionnaire captured the respondents’ demographic characteristics, including gender, pastoral experience, and educational background. The goal of obtaining this data was to gain a better understanding of their background and assess its possible impact on the study. The second section of the questionnaire gathered the respondents’ views on various issues related to the research topic, including pastoral effectiveness, growth of the ministry, the role of the church in pastoral care, and the extent to which secularism had affected the vocation. After completing the questionnaire, the respondents emailed the complete copies to the researcher.

Sentiments expressed by the respondents in the survey were measured using the 5-point Likert scale, which has five levels of agreement or disagreement with a specific statement posed to an informer. The five levels include “strongly agree,” “agree,” neither agree nor disagree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree.” This scale was instrumental in standardizing the responses gathered from the informants, thereby making it possible to analyze them using one statistical tool (Kumar, 2018). Each level of agreement or disagreement with a research statement was assigned a unique code for easy data comparison, as described in Table 3.1 below.

Table 3.1 Codebook (Source: Developed by Author).

The codes contained in Table 3.4 above were instrumental in analyzing the data because each of the responses given by the informants was captured using the codebook highlighted above. These codes were later used to develop a Microsoft Excel sheet with all the responses tabulated in rows and columns, ready for statistical review. The data were later curated and transformed into CSV format for further analysis using the SPSS software.

Interviews

The interview method was the second data collection technique adopted in the study. It was used to sample the views of respondents who held pastoral leadership positions in the church. The views of 17 parish leaders were sampled using this data collection model. Each of the respondents interviewed in the study was part of the leadership teams in their respective parishes. In this study, a parish refers to the gathering of Christian faithful who have chosen to worship at a specific location (Percy et al., 2021). Based on this description, each of the 17 informants interviewed was a leader of a self-supporting community of church members. Their work was supported by a vestry of elected officials within the parish. Elected officials in each parish sampled in the analysis equally formed part of the target population. The final list of interviewees was made up of several pastoral care officers, including parish leaders, their assistants, and priests.

The researcher prepared for the probe by developing leading statements that would guide the interviews into four distinct sections (see appendix 2). The first one was centered on understanding the impact of secularization on the role of the church in facilitating pastoral care activities. This line of questioning emerged from the literature review findings, which showed that the church played a supplementary role in the provision of pastoral care services (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). The same investigation showed that the church wields a lot of power in recruiting officials to run its pastoral care programs (van Deusen Hunsinger, 2019). Based on these observations, it was important to assess the impact of secularization on the effectiveness of the role of the church in supporting pastoral care services as a primary line of questioning in the research study.

The second area of the probe in the interview protocol related to understanding the effectiveness of pastoral care practices. Discussions that occurred in this area of analysis were designed to find out whether secularization made pastoral care effective or ineffective. Its effectiveness was an important line of inquiry because it influenced the quality of pastoral care in society (Percy et al., 2021). Therefore, it was important to find out external factors that moderated this impact.

The third line of inquiry in the interview related to the growth and expansion of pastoral care services. This area of assessment sought to find out the effects of secularization on the growth and expansion of the ministry. Again, this analysis was influenced by the findings of the literature review section, which showed that the growth of the ministry was important to the practice of pastoral care because church leaders often want to reach more people through the services they offer (Percy et al., 2021). Therefore, the potential to reach many people is a priority for many pastoral care organizations. This statement explains why it was important to investigate the impact of secularization on the growth of the church.

The last area of probe forming part of the interview process included discussions about the extent to which secularism has changed pastoral care experiences. This line of inquiry was instrumental in determining the influence of secularization on the pastoral care field (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). The information gathered in this section of the interview made it possible to contextualize the findings within the realm of what could be achieved in the short, medium, and long term. Overall, these areas of discussion formed the basis for developing the research protocol, which appears in appendix 2.

Systematic Literature Review

A systematic literature review was performed as the last step in the data collection process. Its purpose was to anchor the findings of the primary data collection process into the existing body of scholarly literature. This objective was achieved by examining areas of divergence or convergence between what is already known about the research topic and what was discovered in the study. The systematic literature review involved the collection of data from several published sources, including credible websites, books, journals, government publications, official church documents, and magazines.

The inclusion criterion for identifying materials to review was based on the publication date and credibility of research sources. On the publication date part, emphasis was made to include articles that were published in the last five years. The goal was to obtain the most updated information for review. The exclusion criterion was based on this metric as well, with materials published before 2017 excluded from the analysis. On the credibility of sources part, emphasis was made to include content from credible websites. This strategy meant that institutional and organization-run websites were given priority for review in the study. Broadly, the data collection plan excluded content from websites with a commercial appeal and those that contained opinionated pieces about the research topic.

Sample Size

The number of informants to include in a data collection process varies with several factors that are intrinsic to the nature of a study and type of investigation. In this probe, views from respondents were collected using two data collection techniques– interviews and surveys. The criterion used to select the sample size in each segment was determined by the accessibility of the respondents, the kind of information expected to be collected, and the objectives of the investigation (Patten & Newhart, 2017). Subject to these three criteria of analysis, 17 respondents were recruited to participate in the interview part of the data collection process, while 257 respondents were enrolled to participate in the survey part. Given that it was relatively difficult to access the first group of respondents, the purposeful sampling method was employed to recruit them. Comparatively, the simple random sampling technique was employed to recruit participants for the survey to eliminate bias (Patten & Newhart, 2017). Thus, the justification for using each of the sampling methods employed was the data collection goal.

Data Analysis

To recap, this investigation included the collection of both primary and secondary data. Primary data were obtained from surveys and interviews, while secondary data were collected from published sources of information. Data from the primary research section were analyzed differently from the secondary sources. For example, interview data were reviewed using the thematic and coding method, while survey data were analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software –version 23. Comparatively, secondary data were analyzed using the content analysis method, which has a rich history of application in qualitative investigations (Kumar, 2018). Each of the techniques employed yielded different results, but the cumulative findings will be analyzed towards the end of the investigation.

Interviews

As alluded to in this chapter, the interview technique was one of the main data collection methods in this study. This technique works by dividing data into common themes and patterns of interaction (Stokes, 2017). These themes are developed from a convergence of ideas or schools of thought within a set of findings (Kumar, 2018). Broadly, the researcher followed six key stages of data analysis when employing the thematic and coding methods. They included familiarization with data, coding, generating themes, reviewing themes, defining themes, and the final write-up. These stages of data analysis are detailed in Table 3.2 below

Table 3.2 Steps followed in thematic and coding method (Source: Developed by Author).

Surveys

Survey data were collected using questionnaires that were sent to different members of the pastoral staff. The SPSS technique –version 23 was used to analyze this type of data. Information was reviewed at two levels with the first one relating to the collection of demographic data, including years of experience in the service, gender, and age. This information formed part of the descriptive analysis of the survey data. In it, information was analyzed by reviewing the mean, median, frequencies, and standards of deviation from the data obtained. The second level of analysis was the inferential analysis part and it was completed using the one-way ANOVA technique. It helped the researcher to understand the relationship between the findings and the demographic characteristics of the informants.

Secondary Data

The content analysis method was used to analyze published information obtained from secondary sources. This technique works through the identification of themes, concepts, or patterns of words that appear in a series of research materials (Stokes, 2017). The process of identifying these themes helped to expose the relationships that underpinned key variables to have a broader understanding of the research issue (Percy et al., 2021). For purposes of simplifying the data analysis process, the content generated from the multiple sources of secondary data reviewed in this research process was categorized into codes.

Codes were broken down into several subcategories to identify special characteristics or meanings of the words used. Communication trends adopted by individuals and religious institutions were used to detect bias and understand the meaning of specific words or phrases used in the publications as well. Collectively, the content analysis method helped to reveal patterns of communication that emerged from the investigation and that were pivotal in understanding the findings of the secondary data (Percy et al., 2021). Overall, the details of each data analysis method used in the investigation are summarized in Table 3.3 below.

Table 3.3 Data analysis techniques (Source: Developed by Author).

Overall, the researcher used the triangulation method to merge the findings of the three sources of data highlighted above – interviews, surveys, and secondary data. Again, each type of data collected provided an important piece of information that helped to answer a specific aspect of the research topic. Similarly, each part of the data collection process provided unique insights into the pastoral care practices adopted in the church that helped to predict its future in a secularized world. Details included in each section of the data collection process are summarized in Table 3.4 below.

Table 3.4 Data collection strategy (Source: Developed by Author).

Reliability and Validity of Findings

The reliability and validity of a study’s findings are important measures or indicators of data integrity. In the sections below, the measures taken by the researcher to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings are highlighted.

Reliability

Reliability refers to the ability of a set of data to be stable, reproducible, and accurate (Dobrick & Fischer, 2017). The stability of findings is achieved by categorizing data using unique codes to represent core themes and patterns of investigation (Patten & Newhart, 2017). The reproducibility part of the findings refers to the ability to understand techniques adopted by a researcher to come up with the findings (Dobrick & Fischer, 2017). The goal is to repeat the same research and arrive at similar conclusions. The accuracy part of the data analysis process represented a system of classifying texts according to one standard or norm. To ensure the reliability of the findings reported in this dissertation, the researcher engaged the respondents through the member-check technique to ensure the consistency of ideas between them and the final report.

The presence of biases in the data analysis process is not associated with a specific error or act of omission from the researcher. Instead, it is associated with inherent human weaknesses in information processing (Patten & Newhart, 2017). To safeguard against this risk, the triangulation method was adopted to contrast the findings of the interviews, surveys, and secondary data. This strategy was employed by using the interview data to compare the findings of the surveys and vice versa, where the findings generated from the surveys were used to contextualize interview data. The inclusion of secondary data in the analysis helped to enrich the reliability of the findings because primary data were compared with secondary data to understand their contribution to scholarly research. This data analysis process helped the researcher to investigate whether the findings obtained were consistent or inconsistent with existing knowledge on the topic area.

Validity

For the validity part of the assessment, three criteria were used for the review. They included the closeness of categories used to assess a research issue, the level of allowable implications, and the ability to generalize results into a theory (Patten & Newhart, 2017). To assess the level of implications of the study, the findings were double-checked with the informants using the member check technique to ensure that the conclusions derived from the process represented authentic information as originally conveyed by the respondents. This member-check technique helped to identify areas of inconsistency and misalignment of facts, which needed further probing. In the end, the triangulation technique helped to compare multiple sets of data to understand inherent weaknesses in the findings.

Ethical Considerations

The main goal of undertaking an ethical analysis is to make sure that no harm is done in the process of developing a research paper. Particularly, this analysis is critical when human subjects are involved (Temple, 2019). As highlighted in this chapter, the collection of primary data involved human subjects because members of pastoral care teams took part in the review. Consequently, there was a need to understand the ethical implications of the study. Relative to this aim, four ethical considerations were explored. They included anonymity of respondents, treatment of data, voluntary participation, and conditions for withdrawing from the study.

• The Anonymity of Data: Data obtained from the respondents using interviews and surveys were presented anonymously. This action means that personal identifying features, including names and actual parishes where the informants hailed from, were excluded from the investigation. The aim of hiding this type of data was to improve objectivity in the utilization of the findings.
• Informed Consent: Good ethical practice dictates that participants in a research process should have the freedom to choose whether to participate in a study or not (Temple, 2019). This freedom is instrumental in ensuring that data obtained are reliable. Relative to this statement, all the informants who took part in the investigation did so voluntarily. They signed an informed consent form that affirmed their involvement in the study. The form detailing the nature of the study and circumstances when respondents’ rights could be breached. This form appears as appendix 3, and it contains information about the purpose of the investigation. Therefore, participants were made aware of the content of the research before committing themselves to take part in it. Overall, no coercion, intimidation, or financial overtures were made to any of the respondents to take part in the investigation.
• Treatment of Data: The treatment of data in research is an important process in securing the integrity of information obtained from participants. From the point of data collection to analysis, the data obtained from the study were in the custody of the researcher. Indeed, information was stored in a computer and secured using a password. The goal was to prevent unauthorized access to data because it could lead to tampered findings or the leakage of confidential information. At the end of the research process, the information stored in the computer will be discarded.

Findings and Discussion

This chapter of the dissertation seeks to present the findings of the study based on the implementation of the research techniques highlighted in chapter 3 above. To recap, data were obtained from three main sources – interviews, surveys, and secondary research. Initially, the researcher sought to sample the views of 300 respondents working as pastoral care workers, but among those who completed valid questionnaires were 257. The findings relating to each part of the research probe are mentioned below.

Survey Findings

Survey findings describe the first part of the primary research process undertaken in this study. Respondents were required to answer two sets of questions from the survey questionnaire. The first one sought to capture their demographic profiles and the second one sampled their views on various areas of pastoral care management affected by secularization.

Demographic Data

The importance of obtaining the respondents’ demographic data was to investigate whether their personal characteristics influenced their views on the research topic. In this regard, the main demographic characteristics sampled in the investigation included age, gender, work experience, and educational qualifications.

Gender

According to Table 4.1 below, the number of male respondents who took part in the study was 53.7%, while that of females was 46.3% of the sample. Given that these percentages do not show significant differences in gender, it can be assumed that the findings were gender-balanced.

Table 4.1 Distribution of respondents according to gender (Source: Developed by Author).

Age

The respondents’ ages were the second demographic variable sampled in the questionnaire. A majority of those who took part in the investigation were between the ages of 18 and 30 years. As highlighted in Table 4.2 below, they accounted for 49.8% of the total sample. Comparatively, the group with the smallest number of participants comprised informants who were between the ages of 51 and 60 years. They accounted for a paltry 0.8% of the total sample.

Table 4.2 Distribution of respondents according to age (Source: Developed by Author).

Education Qualifications

The educational qualifications of the respondents formed the third set of demographic variables sampled in the research. According to Table 4.3 below, most of the informants mentioned High School certification as their highest educational qualification. This group of respondents accounted for 58% of the total sample. The smallest group of respondents accounted for 6.2% of the total sample, and is composed of people with Diploma certification. A more comprehensive summary of the educational qualifications of the respondents is contained in Table 4.3 below.

Table 4.3 Distribution of respondents according to education qualifications (Source: Developed by Author).

Work Experience

The work experiences of the informants were of interest in this study because years of service in pastoral care influence one’s views of the vocation or discipline (Bouckaert & van den Heuvel, 2019). Therefore, it was expected that people who have varied work experiences are likely to suggest different views on pastoral leadership. According to Table 4.4 below, most of the respondents had accumulated 7-10 years of work experience. This group of informants accounted for 39.7% of the total sample. Comparatively, those who had accumulated between five and seven years of work experience comprised the second largest group of informants at 33.1% of the total sample. A comprehensive breakdown of the results is depicted in Table 4.4 below.

Table 4.4 Distribution of respondents according to work experience (Source: Developed by Author).

Assessment

The second part of the questionnaire assessed the respondents’ views on the impact of secularization on pastoral care practices. Four main areas of probe guided the study, and they included discussions about the impact of secularism on the church’s role in pastoral care, leadership, and the growth and s of pastoral care practices.

Impact of Secularism on Church Roles

The impact of secularism on the role of the church in pastoral care practices was evaluated by posing four statements to the respondents (see appendix 1). The mean indicator of the responses for the four statements was 2.07. Again, the respondents’ views were measured in numerical strength, whereby scores of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 referred to “strongly agreed,” “agreed,” “neither agree nor disagree,” “disagree,” and “strongly disagree,” respectively. A score of 2.07 outlined above means that the respondents “agreed” with the statements affirming a positive role of secularism in church roles.

Table 4.5 Impact of secularism on church roles (Source: Developed by Author).

Based on the above response, the respondents agreed with the view that secularization led to better resource distribution, community cohesion, and diversity in pastoral care practice. Given that the church provides some of these services, it is implied that secularization has enhanced the role of the church in pastoral care.

Impact of Secularism on the Effectiveness of Pastoral Care

The second area of the probe in the investigation related to an examination of the impact of secularism on the effectiveness of pastoral care. According to Table 4.6 below, the average mean statistic for the four statements posed to the respondents was 3.2, meaning the respondents neither agreed nor disagreed with the statements posed in this line of questioning.

Table 4.6 Impact of secularism on the effectiveness of pastoral care (Source: Developed by Author).

Based on the mean scores for the items highlighted above, it can be deduced that secularism had a neutral impact on the effectiveness of pastoral care.

Impact of Secularism on the Growth of Pastoral Care

The third area of the survey related to an assessment of the impact of secularism on pastoral care. Similar to other subtopics appearing in the research questionnaire, respondents were expected to give their feedback on four statements (see appendix 1). According to Table 4.7 below, the average score for the four statements was 2.25, meaning that the informants “agreed” with the views posed.

Table 4.7 Impact of secularism on the growth of pastoral care (Source: Developed by Author).

The findings reported above signify that the informants believed secularism led to the growth of the pastoral care ministry. The effects have been felt through increased diversity, the adoption of persuasive language, and an increase in the outreach of pastoral care services (Percy et al., 2021). The research participants equally agreed with the idea that secularism has made pastors more persuasive when attracting new audiences and increased the level of interest among people willing to listen to the ministry. Broadly, given that the statements posed to the respondents in the questionnaire were affirmative, it can be deduced that secularism has contributed to the growth of pastoral care.

Impact of Secularism on Pastoral Leadership

The last area of the probe in the questionnaire sought to sample the views of the respondents regarding the impact of secularism on pastoral leadership. According to the findings highlighted in Table 4.8 below, the mean score for the four statements that addressed this area of the probe was 1.91, meaning that the informants “strongly agreed” or “agreed” with the views presented in the questionnaire.

Table 4.8 Impact of secularism on pastoral leadership (Source: Developed by Author).

Based on the findings highlighted above, it can be deduced that secularism has made pastoral care dynamic and redefined its goals. For a long time, these goals were made with the desire to achieve community objectives, but today the emphasis is on the achievement of personal goals. This is the only way that secularism has changed pastoral care and the informants supported the same view.

Inferential Analysis

The inferential analysis part is associated with the examination of the impact of the respondents’ demographic characteristics on the findings highlighted above. This statistical technique was used to assess whether the gender, age, educational qualifications, and respondents’ work experiences affected their findings. The One-Way ANOVA technique from SPSS version 23 was used to come up with the findings.

Impact of Gender on Findings

According to the data highlighted in Table 4.9 below, the respondents’ gender did not have a significant impact on their views of the research topic. The lack of relationship is supported by an analysis of the significance value of the line statements posed in the questionnaire. Given that they were higher than p>0.05, which is the threshold of significance, no relationship between gender and the findings was established. The overall results are summarized in Table 4.9 below

Table 4.9 Impact of gender on findings (Source: Developed by Author).

Although gender affects how people perceive social issues, there was insignificant evidence to support its influence in the current study.

Impact of Age on Findings

Age was the second demographic variable assessed in the inferential analysis part. It sought to find out whether the ages of the respondents had an effect on the findings captured in the study. According to the data presented in Table 4.10 below, this variable did not have a significant effect on the findings. This position was affirmed by the fact that only four out of the 16 line items in the questionnaire met the significance threshold of p<0.05. This finding implies that most of the responses given by the informants were unaffected by their ages.

Table 4.10 Impact of age on findings (Source: Developed by Author).

The findings highlighted in Table 4.10 above suggest that the respondents’ ages did not affect their perceptions of the research topic. This outcome is inconsistent with research evidence showing the impact of generational differences on workplace issues (Martínez-Ariño & Zwilling, 2020). Thus, it can be deduced that the findings mentioned above are unique to this investigation.

Impact of Education Qualifications on Findings

The third area of the inferential analysis analyzed the impact of education qualifications on the respondents’ views. Table 4.11 below shows that only three out of the 14 line items appearing in the questionnaire met the significance threshold of p<0.05. Thus, it can be deduced that the educational qualifications of the respondents did not affect their views on the research topic.

Table 4.11 Impact of education qualifications on findings (Source: Developed by Author).

Impact of Work Experience on Findings

The impact of work experience on the informant’s views about the research topic was explored as the last part of the inferential analysis. Based on the findings highlighted in Table 4.12 below, this demographic variable had a significant effect on the findings because 10 out of 14 of the line items appearing in the study met the significance level p<0.05.

Table 4.12 Impact of work experience on findings (Source: Developed by Author).

The impact of work experience on the findings highlighted above affirms prior research evidence demonstrating the impact of work experience on employee behavior, output, and productivity (Nelson, 2021). This outcome is further reaffirmed in human resource literature highlighting the role of work experience in boosting employee performance (Kuepfer et al., 2022b). Overall, the findings depicted above show that they are consistent with those of current scholarly research on the subject area.

Interview Findings

As highlighted in this paper, interviews formed one of the main techniques of data collection in the present study. They were included in the data collection process to sample the views of participants who held top leadership positions in their parishes. This goal led the researcher to recruit 17 participants who gave information in this area of the research. The interview was one of the main techniques for gathering qualitative data, which is rich in content and meaning (Temple, 2019). As mentioned in chapter three of this study, the interview process was guided by the need to adhere to a set of leading questions, which have been highlighted in appendix 2 as the interview protocol. These questions focused on four key areas of assessment, as indicated below.

Impact of Secularization on the Role of the Church in Facilitating Pastoral Care Activities

The role of the church in facilitating the activities of pastoral care was a common theme in chapter two of this analysis. It pointed out that the church plays a critical role in supporting the activities of pastoral care because most of those who head these programs are employees of the church or are affiliated with it (Kyeyune, 2021). On this basis of analysis, the impact of secularization on the role of the church as a facilitative agent in pastoral care was included in the discussions.

Nine of the respondents claimed that secularization played a positive role in enhancing the facilitative role of the church in pastoral care. They believed that secularization made the church more vigilant and supportive of pastoral care practices because of the perception that the ministry was under attack from external forces. Therefore, the consolidation of forces of pastoral care was likely to happen in this situation. However, a group of other respondents led by three members who were parish leaders suggested that secularization negatively affected the role of the church in providing pastoral care. They argued that the trend led to a loss of faith in God, hence minimizing people’s interest in the church and pastoral care. Relative to this assertion, one of the research informants said,

You see…the problem is not necessarily the church or the leaders in it; it is a matter of perception and image of the church in the eyes of the people. When congregants start to lose faith in God, through the secularization of society, it increasingly becomes difficult to make them pay attention to the teachings of Christ. See… although the commitment of the church to its people may be unaffected by secularism, that of the audience is severely undermined.

The above excerpt shows that the secularization of society has negatively affected the role of the church in pastoral care by making people skeptical of its teachings. Thus, it has made communities less receptive to learning about God’s teachings.

Effects of Secularization on the Growth and Expansion of Pastoral Care Services

Understanding the effects of secularization on the growth and expansion of pastoral care services was an important area of the probe for the current study. This is because its relevance is rooted in the idea that pastoral care should expand to reach many people (Kyeyune, 2021). Therefore, the growth and expansion of the discipline is an inherent part of its relevance to modern society. Broadly, the respondents claimed that secularization harmed the growth and expansion of the church. This view was held by 14/17 of the respondents sampled, meaning that a majority of the respondents agreed with it. Those who argued that secularization negatively influenced pastoral care held the strongest views in this regard. One of them said,

I do not see how secularization could enhance the growth and expansion of the church. How would that happen? I mean, from what I see, secularization has undermined people’s confidence in religion and more so in the teachings of Christ. When you find a critical mass of people who hold these views, it becomes increasingly difficult to teach them about the word of God. Simply, they will not be receptive to the message.

The above-mentioned statement showed that secularization made people critical of the church and God. It made them hostile to the word of God, thereby minimizing the prospects that the church or pastoral care would grow from the spread of the Gospel.

Two of the respondents who held contrary views said that their encounter with secularization did not necessarily impede the growth and development of pastoral care. They held this position because they believed that secularization was a neutral force in the world, and it was up to members of the church or clergymen to convince people to follow Christ’s teachings and live by his examples. They paid a lot of attention to the art of persuasion as the key to converting people into believing in the Gospel. Therefore, they disagreed with the view that secularization stunted the church’s growth.

Impact of Secularization on the Effectiveness of Pastoral Care

The impact of secularization on the effectiveness of pastoral care was another line of questioning that emerged in the interview process. In this discussion, the effectiveness of pastoral care was conceived within the quest for pastors to complete their respective duties within the shortest time and using minimal resources. The respondents had a mixed view of this research topic because nine of them argued that secularization did not affect the effectiveness of pastoral care, six opined that the impact was positive, and two argued that the effect was negative. One of the informants who believed that secularization had a positive impact on pastoral care argued that it breeds diversity in the management of human resources. He believed that this process created room for new and innovative ideas to be formed. Another respondent associated the positive impact of secularization with the effectiveness of pastoral care through technology adoption.

Respondents who held a negative view of the impact of secularization on the effectiveness of pastoral care opined that the effectiveness of the discipline was out of the control of pastors. Instead, they believed that the systems and institutional culture, which govern the operations of different players, would affect the effectiveness of care delivered through pastoralism. In this regard, they believed that the forces affecting pastoral care effectiveness were greater than secularism could overcome.

Impact of Secularization on the Growth of Pastoral Care

The last part of the interview protocol prompted the researcher to probe the impact of secularization on the growth of pastoral care. This area of assessment attracted the highest rate of consensus among the respondents because only two out of the 17 sampled held contrary views to the idea that secularization would positively affect the growth of pastoral care. One of the two respondents who held the minority view said,

Look…secularism cannot promote the growth of pastoral care or the church because it is inherently counter-religious. Allowing it into mainstream pastoral ideologies would contaminate the system to an extent we cannot recognize. I believe we need to be careful about how much secularism we can tolerate…

Respondents who held the view that secularization would positively impact the growth of pastoral care said it brought unique ideas to pastoral care practice, which enhanced the quality of information within the field. Another one believed that secularization should spread in the coming years. Therefore, he emphasized the importance of changing the direction of pastoral care and adopting secularization, as opposed to the other way around, where secularization dictates the agenda in pastoral care practice.

Secondary Research Findings

As highlighted in chapter 3 of this document, secondary research formed part of the data collection process. Materials that were included in the review were published within the last five years to uphold the relevance of their findings to the present probe. The researcher sampled 81 books, journals, and credible websites in this data collection part. The contents of these documents were contrasted with interview and survey findings. Subject to this analysis, the analysis of the research content revealed inconsistencies between the survey findings and those of present scholarly research. This difference was profound when explaining the impact of demographic factors on the informants’ views about pastoral care.

Despite the inconsistency between primary and secondary findings, the interview and survey outcomes were consistent with the existing body of scholarly research. Convergence of thought was poignant in the areas of pastoral care delivery. Relative to this statement, the current body of evidence analyzed in this section of the analysis was consistent with the views presented in the current research. They affirm the position that secularism may have a neutral or positive effect on pastoral leadership (Helmerich et al., 2020). Overall, the secondary research process was distinctly dissimilar from the primary research findings because technology emerged as one of the main influences on growth and effectiveness in pastoral leadership.

Summary

This chapter has revealed the findings of three data collection techniques adopted in the investigation – interviews, surveys, and secondary research. The views presented by the interviewees were the most diverse out of the three sources of data sampled. Those contained in the surveys were standardized, hence the lack of major differences in outcomes. At the same time, the secondary research analysis provided context when interpreting the interview and survey findings. The contextual analysis highlighted inconsistencies between primary and secondary findings, which will be discussed in subsequent sections of this dissertation.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Conclusion

This study aimed to understand the role of pastoral care in the 21st century. Four research questions underpinned the investigation. They sought to find out how secularism has influenced the role of the church in pastoral care, affected its effectiveness, influenced the growth and expansion of the discipline, and influenced leadership practices. The findings of the study demonstrated that secularism would positively influence the role of the church in supporting pastoral care delivery practices by increasing diversity in decision-making and increasing the number of resources for service delivery. These contributions were mentioned in the context of how secularism could initiate human resource improvements in churches through the expansion of social networks for service delivery and growth.

The findings of this study demonstrate that secularism has positively affected pastoral care by facilitating its growth and expansion. The evidence analyzed in this review showed that the trend promotes the diversity of opinion in decision-making processes, which improves the quality of decisions made in pastoral care. This finding shares a close relationship with the impact of secularism on pastoral leadership because the same outcome was affirmed in the analysis of the trend in spirituality and governance. Stated differently, the data gathered in the investigation demonstrated that secularism positively influenced pastoral leadership practices through enhanced collaboration and skills development.

Broadly, the findings developed in this dissertation suggest that secularism plays a pivotal role in supporting pastoral care. Nonetheless, its impact on pastoral care effectiveness is the weakest link in implementation because of the subjective nature of pastoral effectiveness in modern society. The secondary research part of the analysis highlighted the importance of examining secularism within the technological realm. The emphasis comes from the significant role that technology plays in shaping the design and delivery of pastoral care services.

Recommendations

The dissertation findings highlighted in this document showed consistent views among different cadres of pastoral care workers regarding the impact of secularism on everyday practice. Pastoral care officers who held high-ranking positions in the parishes sampled dominated most of the views espoused in the interview part of the probe. Their sentiments were consistent with those of lower-ranking officers who formed the bulk of respondents that completed the survey part of the investigation. Given that the responses of the latter group were captured using the 5-point Likert scale, differences in convictions between both sets of pastoral care workers towards the ministry emerged. Consequently, there is a need to investigate variations in attitudes and behaviors among distinct levels of pastoral care workers regarding the impact of secularization on the vocation. The analysis will help to better prepare institutions to accommodate variations in views among different groups of employees or pastoral care workers.

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