I am teaching an online class, “Introduction to Pastoral Care and Counseling” for seminary students in Sierra Leone. The students had a great question:

Why call it “Pastoral Care and Counseling”? Why not simply call it “Care and Counseling”?

This is a more fleshed-out version of my response to the class.

“Pastoral” comes from the Latin for shepherd. “Shepherd” is a common image/metaphor in the Bible and relates to providing care. Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34, and John 10 are key in relation to this metaphor, but there is far more. However, using a certain metaphor does not necessarily mean that the care or counseling we provide is any different from what others provide. Therefore, let’s look at three characteristics that do make things different.

#1. Guided by Scripture.

The Bible is our authority in terms of our faith and practice. I don’t then continue to imply that the Bible tells us everything we need to know to be effective in terms of care and counseling. The Bible was not written for that purpose. Nevertheless, someone cannot really do pastoral care or pastoral counseling unless one is guided by Scripture.

#2. Informed by the History of the Church.

The church has nearly 2000 years of experience in caring and counseling. We have a vast resource to draw from to inform our ministry. We have people like Gregory of Nazianzus. Augustine of Hippo, Tertullian, Gregory the Great, Martin Luther, Richard Baxter and so many more. This does not mean that we blindly follow the patterns of those before us. I have complained about some horrible counsel that St. Jerome gave to another who was grieving. One reader of my post complained that I was questioning the wisdom of a “Saint.” However, I would argue that in the subsequent 1600 years of the church, we have gained insights that critique his guidance. While the church is conservative (in the sense of valuing and preserving the past to inform present faith and practice), that does not mean that we cannot or should not learn and progress.

#3. Grounded in Christ.

As important as Scripture is, it is pretty clear that in both care and in counseling, the temptation to pick verses to support one’s own preferences and prejudices, leading one astray. As important as the History of the Church is, often the church has gone in tragically bad paths regarding care and counseling. Therefore, the character and model of Christ needs to placed above the other two. Care and counseling that is not grounded on Christ, the Good Shepherd, certainly cannot be called Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counseling.

This does not mean that one cannot be informed by culture and by the social sciences. I do believe that culture and “secular” studies should always be taken seriously. However, the above three are what make care and counseling distinctively “pastoral.”