Ethical Practices Self-Assessment Plan and Practices for Future Ministry
A plan for future ministry outlines the ethical and self-assessment strategies that a minister expects to employ in the course of their ministry. The purpose of this text is to develop a self-assessment plan for growth and strategy in the areas of self-care, pastoral care, community care, and familial care.
Growth Areas and Strategies for Self-Care
While there is no exclusive command requiring us to love ourselves, there is Biblical support for self-care. Confronted by the Scribes to give His view on what was the first of all commandments in Mark 12: 28-31, for instance, Jesus answered that it is to love the Lord with all of one’s heart, soul mind, and strength; and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. Loving oneself, therefore, is a prerequisite for loving God and one’s neighbor.[footnoteRef:1] Christians have an ethical duty to love and care for oneself, as self-care forms the foundation of love for God and others.[footnoteRef:2] There is a need for me to grow in this duty of self-care and the realization that there is a balance between working for justice and resting in the care of God. When we take time to rest, we acknowledge that God is bigger than our efforts of goodness and trust that He is in control. [1: Jeffery Gates, “Self-Care: A Christian Perspective,” Evangelical Review of Theology 35, no. 1 (January 2015): 6 ] [2: Ibid.]
In Genesis 1 and 2, God creates the entire creation in six days and rests on the Sabbath, thereby blessing it and making it holy. The day of rest symbolizes holiness, the very essence of God’s character. Similarly, rest on the Sabbath after six days of pastoral work is one of the self-care strategies that I intend to employ in ministry.
Multiple times in His earthly ministry, Christ retreats from His ministerial demands to draw into a deeper and intimate relationship with God through prayer.[footnoteRef:3] Following His baptism, for instance, Christ retreated into the wilderness, where He spends 40 days and nights fasting and praying for God to equip Him to handle the devil’s temptations. Like Christ, it is important for ministers to retreat into solitude once in a while to seek spiritual renewal and a reconnection with God through prayer. After retreating to pray in Mark 1: 35, Christ returned and told His disciples that it was time to move to another town.[footnoteRef:4] Thus, retreat and prayer provide...
.." Kotter specifically is noted as having stated as follows: "Leadership is different from management but not for the reason most people think. Leadership isn't' mystical and mysterious. It has nothing to do with having charisma or other exotic personality traits. It's not leadership necessarily better than management or a replacement for it: rather leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary activities. Both are necessary for success..." (Kotter, 1990, p.103
Theology for and the Process of Planting a New Church Many years ago, America was known as a "Christian nation." However, in modern society, our nation is in a religious era in which individuals create their own belief and value systems instead of listening to God's teachings. The amount of churchgoers in America today is rapidly decreasing as churches fail and close every day. Church planting is the process of planting
(Paul, 2005) In fact, the AAPC survey found that African-Americans, devout evangelicals, people without a college degree, the elderly and people age 18 to 29 are most likely to fear that a professional counselor won't take their religious beliefs into serious consideration when treating them. (Paul, 2005) People come to Christian counselors for two reasons," commented Randolph Sanders, executive director of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, an association of
Furthermore, when groups began people naturally turned to the group leader for direction and advice. It would be accurate to state that most of the relating was to the group leader at that point. However, by exercising linking behavior, I was able to get the group members to look to each other for understanding and help. Initially, I had to point out when people were saying things that would indicate
Counseling Model A Practical Pastoral Counseling Model Counseling Setting Where Will Counseling Take Place? Boundaries for Safety and Security Relational Style Relational/Communication Style Structure/Strategy Sessions Summation Supportive Feedback God's Riches at Christ's Expense Annotated Bibliography A Practical Pastoral Counseling Model This is an overview of the counseling position that I will take when working with clients/parishioners. I realize that this cannot encompass every eventuality that may occur during a counseling session, but it should be comprehensive enough to account for most of the possibilities
(Byrd and Byrd, 1993) The process of healing can be found, for example, in Luke 13:10-17, which refers to a woman who has been crippled for eighteen years. The healing takes place by the laying of hands on the women by Christ. In John 5:1-18 we have the story of a seriously ill man placed at pool waiting for healing. This episode stresses the importance of listening to Christ's instruction and
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now