Charismatic Pastoral Care of the Terminally Ill and Chronically Disabled

By Jomon K. John

Healing of the sick is a prominent theme in the biblical narratives. However, when it comes to caring for the chronically and terminally sick, there are no clear directives in the New Testament describing how the church may minister to them. There are significant differences in the way many churches approach this matter. Even among the charismatic churches that believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including miraculous healing, are available to present-day believers, there are differences in the way the sick are cared for.

This book investigates the pastoral challenges with regard to chronic infirmities and terminal illnesses in a charismatic-church context. This is undertaken with the understanding that many who are chronically and terminally ill in this context present poor medical prognosis and have remained unhealed in spite of prayers.

Clear foundational values are drawn for defining the pastoral challenges and objectives. Three true cases, present in public domain, are presented and analyzed to identify the challenges. The pastoral-care objectives are defined, and strategies are drawn to meet these. The findings and conclusions would be relevant to the pastors, the sick and those who care for them, and indeed, the whole church.

The author is personally involved in the care of the sick as a practicing surgeon as well as a pastor. Being a pastor in a charismatic church that believes in praying for miraculous healing of the sick and practicing modern medicine, the author is faced with the challenges of pastoral care for those with poor medical prognosis who remain unhealed in spite of believing in prayers; they are very close to his heart. The author provides the foundational principles and goals in the pastoral care of such situations and outlines the strategies for doing so without compromising the conviction that Jesus Christ still heals the sick.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Sep 2, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524662950

Jomon K. John

The author is personally involved in the care of the sick as a practicing surgeon as well as a pastor. Being a pastor in a charismatic church that believes in praying for miraculous healing of the sick and practicing modern medicine, the author is faced with the challenges of pastoral care for those with poor medical prognosis who remain unhealed in spite of believing in prayers; they are very close to his heart. The author provides the foundational principles and goals in the pastoral care of such situations and outlines the strategies for doing so without compromising the conviction that Jesus Christ still heals the sick.

Book preview

2016 Jomon K. John. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 09/01/2016

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6293-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6294-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5246-6295-0 (e)

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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®). Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Abstract

Introduction

Definitions and Contexts

Pastoral

Terminal and Chronic Illnesses

Charismatic

Methodology

Chapter 1

Biblical Benchmarks for Pastoral Care: General and Specific

General Biblical Benchmarks for Pastoral Care

The Value of Life

Significance of Death

Value of Health and Holiness

Some Specific Guidelines

Application of Truth with Grace

Value of Upholding the Whole Counsel of God, including Charismatic Theology

Chapter 2

Case Studies

Case 1: The Story of Floyd McClung, Daughter Misha, and Grandson Luke

Spiritual Background

The Crisis

The Response

The Outcome

Case 2: The Story of David Watson

Spiritual Background

The Crisis

The Response

The Outcome

Case 3: The Story of Kevin

The Spiritual Background

The Crisis

The Response

The Outcome

Chapter 3

Analyses of Cases and Identification of Pastoral Challenges

Emotional Crises

Sadness, Fear, Shock, and Uncertainty

Theological Factors

Community Factors

Chapter 4

Pastoral Objectives with Regard to Chronic Infirmities and Terminal Illnesses in the Charismatic Context

1. Purpose of Life

2. Value of Life

3. Pattern of Life

4. Significance of Death

Objectives of a Pastor in the Care of the Terminally Sick and Disabled

Salvation

Peace

Fellowship with God and Other Believers

Emotional Support

Physical Well-Being

Practical Support

Positive Influence on the Community

Chapter 5

Pastoral Strategies with Regard to Chronic Infirmities and Terminal Illnesses in a Charismatic Church Context

Overview

Pastoral Strategies: Engaging the Congregation

Relevance of Congregational Engagement

Christ Crucified: The Central Theme of Congregational Engagement

Congregational Engagement: The Didactic Components

Attributes of God and Sickness

God’s Name, Nature, and Knowledge

The Love of God

The Justice of God

Faith in the Context of Chronic and Terminal Illnesses

Activity of God and Sickness

Atonement of Christ and Availability of Healing

Kingdom of God and Healing

The Availability of Grace

The Theology of Suffering and Sickness

Availability of Fellowship

Spiritual Gifts and Healing

Congregational Engagement: Some Practical Preparations

Pastoral Engagement of Those Who Suffer Due to Chronic or Terminal Illness

Preparation

Building the Bridge

Content of the Pastoral Engagement with the Sufferer

Eliciting the Big Questions

Time to Be Silent and Time to Speak

Directing the Operational Theology

Practical Help and Care

Prayer and Anointing with Oil

Helping to Put the House in Order

Dealing with the Family

Helping with Decisions

Encouraging the Community Involvement

Safeguarding the Pastor

Guarding the Integrity of Life and Doctrinal Purity

Emotional and Physical Burnout

Strategies to Safeguard the Pastor

Prioritizing the Time

Prayer and Bible Study

Ministering in Teams and Accountability

Summary and Conclusions

Note on Bible Quotations

Abbreviations

Bibliography

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge the help of Dr Anne Dyer, who not only supervised me in this dissertation but also brought me to do this in the first place. Her wisdom and academic insight (or foresight!) helped me to manoeuvre my excitement and passion regarding the unhealed sick in the Charismatic Church environment into a satisfying spiritual pursuit with academic viability. I am sincerely grateful to her!

Dr David Petts, who taught ‘charismatic gifts’ and ‘divine healing’ at Mattersey Hall, inspired me as an intellectually sharp scholar with a pastor’s heart. It is therefore not surprising that I wanted to do my dissertation on that which embraces both modules that he taught.

I cannot sufficiently express my gratitude and appreciation for my family – my wife, Sarah; and my daughters, Grace and Joanne – who inspired me and encouraged me, putting up with my ‘light is on but nobody is home’ vacant expressions while I was fully immersed in this work. These three girls make my life a delight!

I am ever so grateful to my mother, who encouraged me to do this work as something that glorifies God. I am certain that her constant prayers have influenced this paper.

I thank my dear friends and co-labourers in God’s Kingdom, the eldership team of Doha Fellowship, led by Rob Botha, who encouraged me, prayed for me, and granted me time off from the ministry responsibilities so that I could finish this dissertation on time.

All of the above are secondary to my unending gratitude to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who sustains me in his grace and surrounds me with all these good people and other wonderful resources. May this work be found pleasing to him!

Abstract

Healing of the sick is a prominent theme in biblical narratives. However, when it comes to caring for the chronically and terminally sick, there are no clear directives in the New Testament describing how the Church may minister to them. There are significant differences in the way many churches approach this matter. Even among the Charismatic Churches, which believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including miraculous healing, are available to present-day believers, there are differences in the way the sick are cared for. This work investigates the pastoral challenges with regard to chronic infirmities and terminal illnesses in a Charismatic Church context. This is undertaken with the understanding that many who are chronically and terminally ill in this context present poor medical prognoses and have remained unhealed in spite of prayers.

Clear foundational values are drawn for defining the pastoral challenges and objectives. Three true cases present in the public domain are presented and analysed to identify the challenges. The pastoral care objectives are defined, and strategies are drawn to meet these. The findings and conclusions would be relevant to the pastors, the sick, and those who care for them – and indeed for the whole Church.

Introduction

This is a work that is aimed at identifying pastoral challenges with regard to chronic infirmities and terminal illnesses in the Charismatic Church context, with a view to distilling strategies to address them in a manner faithful to the Scriptures.¹

The Church of Jesus Christ is identified as his body and therefore represents him, who is the head of the body.² Its mission is to continue the work of Christ that he initiated while on Earth.³ A major component of the ministry of Jesus Christ during his earthly work was healing the sick.⁴ Biblical narratives indicate the continuation of the same by the early Church through the Apostles,⁵ especially but not exclusively.⁶

The Bible clearly indicates that the care of the ‘sheep’⁷ does not merely involve taking care of their spiritual needs. This is evident from the history⁸ depicted as well as the instructions conveyed in the Scriptures.⁹ Caring for the physically sick characterized the Church right from the beginning.¹⁰ However, the concept of how to care for the sick is not universal among the believers. Charismatics¹¹ believe that ministry to the sick includes miraculous healings, while cessationists¹² generally deny that possibility.¹³

Several apostolic directives in the epistles indicate an appreciation of challenges faced by the churches in different contexts. For example, many epistles contain instructions in response to identified challenges and problems including false teachings and disorderly services (examples: Phil. 3:2–11; 1 Cor. 14:26–40). However, the writers of the New Testament do not specifically address the issue of caring for those suffering from chronic disabilities and terminal illnesses in the Church. Therefore, there is a need to investigate and identify the challenges presented by these situations and find ways to address them. Given the differences of opinion¹⁴ in this sphere, it is also necessary to explore how the spiritual gifts such as ‘gifts of healings’ (1 Cor. 12:8) should be understood and applied in these cases.

Definitions and Contexts

Pastoral

When debating the challenge of pastoral practices with regard to illness, we need to define the term ‘pastoral’. The word ‘pastor’ literally means shepherd.¹⁵ The pastoral responsibilities would therefore include caring for the believers, leading them, and protecting them from false teachings and dangers. In the Christian context, it means serving as an under shepherd of Christ with a loving relationship with him.¹⁶ Pastoral care therefore involves faithful stewardship with accountability to the ‘good shepherd’,¹⁷ with a recognition that the ‘sheep’ belong to Christ.¹⁸ This in turn implies that the pastor acts in line with and is faithful to the teachings of Christ.

Terminal and Chronic Illnesses

The term chronic implies long duration and/or repeated occurrence.¹⁹The term terminal illness denotes sickness that is grave and life threatening, with no expected reversal from its natural course. Both conditions present a poor prognosis in terms of physical well-being. Severe alterations in lifestyle, significant limitations of function, and almost inescapable dependence on others, are associated with these conditions. A wholesome pastoring of such individuals involves appreciation of not only their own physical, emotional, spiritual, and social vulnerabilities but also of those of their kith and kin.²⁰

Charismatic

This study is further focussed