December 16, 2016
PEACE pastoral care is an intentional pastoral care model which emphasises the importance of each person caring and being cared for in the context of a healthy Christian community. This model fits into Church@ParaVista’s vision and mission to help people become active committed followers of Jesus Christ.
PEACE is an acronym that means that people in the church do the following:
The idea is that small groups continue to do what they are doing but look at pastoral care through this framework. They don’t have to solve any particular problem. They accompany individuals along the journey. Ideally we want everyone to be connected to and involved in a home group but we know that is not always possible. For those unable to be in a small group the context for PEACE pastoral care is the home group to which they are assigned (either self-selecting or allocated by us). The aim is for everyone to care for one another, receive care, and feel cared for.
If everyone in the church is in at least a couple of relationships where these things are happening in a regular, committed, intentional way, then proactive pastoral care, aimed at building up the body of Christ to maturity, will be happening. In a church where this model is operative, the leadership encourages PEACE to be happening within all its ministries and promotes the idea that PEACE is the heart of ministry and pastoral care and something everyone can do.
The activities of PEACE are proactive “one another-ing”; and the “shepherding” of leaders happens best when the “one another-ing” of PEACE is underpinning it. “Shepherd” leaders don’t have to do all the PEACE things for everyone, they simply have the responsibility to see that PEACE is happening for all their group members.
This model then ensures that pastoral care is both proactive and responsive, addressing the issues and problems and crises which make up life. As we respond to a situation, part of that response is to make sure that the people are being cared for, are being PEACEed, so that those essential and foundational pastoral care things are happening whilst we work out helpful ways forward with them.
What does it look like? When problems arise, as they so often do, the person or people in the midst of it know that they have others around who can and will continue to support and encourage them, keeping on with PEACE and addressing other matters as they are able. The PEACEers know that they don’t have to solve the problem, but they can and do minister PEACE and it works!
If we were to put something like this into practice it could look like the following.
To offer yourself to care for others: