Gentle Shepherding

Joseph Bush

Description

Named "One of the Top Ten Books for Parish Clergy" for the year 2006 by the Academy of Parish Clergy! Gentle Shepherding offers a rare balance in an introduction to pastoral ethics, one that identifies deeply with the pastoral vocation and brings it into conversation with a developed body of ethical theory. The goal of the book is to equip seminarians and pastors with conceptual resources for clarifying moral responsibility in the practice of ministry. This responsibility includes three levels: the minister as a moral agent in offering care; the minister as a moral enabler in encouraging virtue in others; and the minister as a moral leader in facilitating congregational life and witness in society. Helping ministers and seminarians to think anew about their responsibilities and the moral quandaries in pastoral practice, Gentle Shepherding integrates theory with practice, providing case material for further reflection and discussion and at least one case study or exercise associated with each chapter.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology
• Ethics in religion
• Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Chalice Press
• Date de parution: 09 novembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780827212657
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

J OSEPH E. B USH J R .

G ENTLE S HEPHERDING

Pastoral Ethics and Leadership

G ENTLE S HEPHERDING

For my nieces and nephews: Gillian, Armin, Colin, and Caitlinwho trusts her pastor.

G ENTLE S HEPHERDING Pastoral Ethics and Leadership

J OSEPH E. B USH J R .

© Copyright 2006 by Joseph E. Bush Jr. All rights reserved. For permission to reuse content, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 7508400, www.copyright.com. Bible quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from theNew Revised Standard Version Bible,copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Those quotations marked RSV are from theRevised Standard Versionthe Bible, of copyright 1952, [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (TEV) are taken from theToday’s English Version—Second Edition © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken fromThe Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from theNew King JamesVersion. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Material in chapter 3, “Permission for Mission,” was originally published as “Informed Consent and Parish Clergy,” inThe Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling57, no. 4 (Winter 2003). Reprinted with permission. Material in chapter 6, “Confidentiality in Care,” was originally published as “Pastoral Confidentiality,” inBusiness & Professional Ethics Journal—Incorporating Professional Ethics: A Multidisciplinary Journal22, no. 4 (Winter 2004). Reprinted with permission. Words on page 150 from “Bring Many Names” by Brian Wren. © 1989 Hope Publishing Co., Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Cover and interior design: Elizabeth Wright

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Library of Congress Cataloging–in–Publication Data Bush, Joseph Earl, 1956 Gentle shepherding : pastoral care in congregations / Joseph E. Bush, Jr. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISB IS N B 1 03 N : 9 0 7 8  2 0 7  2 8  2 1 7 2 2 5  0 1  2 X 50 (  p 3 b (kp.b : k a . lk : . al p k a .ppear)per) 1 I . SB Cl N e  r 1 g 0 y : — 0 P  r 8 o 2 f 7 e 2 s  si 1 o 2 n 5 a 0 l  e X th ( i p c b s. k. 2 : . al P k a . st p o a r p al er c ) Title.are. I. 1 B . V C 4 l 0 e 1 rg 1. y 5 — .B Pr 8 o 7 fe 2 s 0 s 0 io 6 I. Title.nal ethics. 2. Pastoral care. 2 B 4 V 1' 4 . 0 6 1 41 . — 5. d B c 8 2 7 2 2006 241'.641—dc22  2005025994 PrintedintheUnitedStates of America  2005025994 Printed in the United States of America

Acknowledgments

Preface

Contents

1 Moral Self in Community Introduction to the Moral Life

2 Working Gently Nonmaleficence in Ministry

3 Permission for Mission Informed Consent in Pastoral Ministry

4 Keeping Faith I Veracity as Not Lying

5 Keeping Faith II Veracity as Truth-telling

6 Confidentiality in Care

7 Vocation I Creation and Community

8 Vocation II Church and Ministry

Conclusion

Notes

Index

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Acknowledgments

It is with joy that I give this book back to the ecumenical church that has nurtured me in the moral life and in the life of faith. I wish to thank my own teachers in ethics from both seminary and graduate school who have tried in good faith to instruct me: Edward LeRoy Long Jr., Donald G. Jones, Roger Lincoln Shinn, Thomas W. Ogletree, Larry L. Rasmussen, Bruce C. Birch, and J. Philip Wogaman. I wish to thank some of my current colleagues and friends at United Theological Seminary for reading parts or all of the manuscript for this book: Paul Capetz, Christie Cozad Neuger, and Marilyn Salmon. My good friends and colleagues Richard Knox and William Elkins have also read parts of this manuscript and encouraged me in its writing. Of course, I assume blame for any errors or misunderstand- ings apparent in these pages. I especially want to thank members of my family who have supported me patiently and with love throughout this endeavor: my parents Joseph and Virginia, my wife Elizabeth, and her parents Don and Jane Ward. Finally, it is with deep gratitude that I thank the faculty, staff, and students in the School of Ministry for the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand, located at Knox College in Dunedin. Much of the initial research for this book was conducted while on sabbatical from my teaching duties there, and some of the original composition was presented there in lectures. Your feedback was helpful, and your friendship is dear. Finally, several libraries have given me access to their stacks and granted to me borrowing privileges. In New Zealand, I am grateful to the Hewitson Library at Knox College and the rest of the University of Otago Library system—especially the staff at the medical library (who welcomed me to their staff parties as well as to their stacks). In New Jersey, I wish to thank Drew University Library and the Gardner A. Sage Library at New Brunswick Theological Seminary. In Dubuque, Iowa, I was welcomed with privileges at the Wartburg Theological Seminary Library and the Charles C. Myers Library at the University of Dubuque. In the Twin Cities, I have enjoyed use of all the libraries within the Minnesota Consortium of Theological Schools, but I especially want to thank the staff of the Spencer Library at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, who have been extremely helpful—Sue Ebbers, Dale C. Dobias, and Penny Truax.

vii

Preface

This book concerns professional ethics for clergy. It is written for two audiences in particular: (1) seminarians studying pastoral ethics or social ethics, and (2) pastors or other leaders in the church who are interested in attending to their ethical responsibility in offering ministry. The purpose of this book is to equip seminarians and pastors with some conceptual resources that will be useful for clarifying moral responsibility in the practice of ministry. This responsibility includes three levels: (1) the minister as a moral agent in offering care, (2) the minister as a moral enabler in encouraging virtue in others, and (3) the minister as a moral leader in facilitating congregational life and witness in society. The book is written as an introduction or primer in pastoral ethics for those who may never have had a course in ethics previously. At the same time, I imagine that experienced pastors will be able to identify with the pastoral heart of this book, and find here resources for thinking anew about their responsibilities and moral quandaries in pastoral practice. Actually, very few books attempt to provide this kind of balance to this degree—to identify deeply with the pastoral vocation,andto bring it into conversation with a developed body of ethical theory. This book begins “in the middle,” with moral principles that are employed within society for thinking about the moral life. These principles are commonly used in discussions about applied ethics in general and in the particular area of healthcare ethics, e.g., fiduciary obligation, duties of nonmaleficence, etc. These principles are placed here within a Christian context and examined with regard to their applicability for Christian ministry. I have tried not to delve too deeply into extensive epistemological justification for this approach—either through philosophical argument or through biblical and theological interpretation. Many other resources are available to engage reflection at this “metaethical” level, and I hope that I have indicated some of those sources in the notes of this book as well as in the text itself. I have tried instead to focus these pages as directly as possible on the nature of pastoral ministry and pastoral relationships. Moral principles and ethical methods are gradually introduced throughout

viii

Preface ix the book to increasingly encourage ethical reasoning about the moral responsibilities of clergy acting within their profession. I have attempted to integrate ethical theory with ministerial practice from the very beginning. I have also provided case material for further reflection and to aid in class discussion. Each chapter has at least one case study or exercise for reflection. The case studies are based in truth but have been entirely disguised. Chapter 1, “Moral Self in Community,” begins with a general introduction to the subject of ethics as critical reflection on the moral life. It then proceeds to describe ways in which we might understand moral character to be shaped by culture and community, all the while affirming the role of the church in nurturing people of virtue. Chapter 2, “Working Gently: Nonmaleficence in Ministry,” argues simply, “First, do no harm.” This is the popular understanding of the Hippocratic oath that applies in healthcare ethics. It is my contention that pastors would do well to recover this sense of respect for others and exercise a prudent caution about efforts to extend help. A method is suggested for determining when pastors are most obligated to prevent or remove harm, such as cases involving domestic violence or a risk of suicide. Chapter 3, “Permission for Mission,” emphasizes that pastoral ministry occurs within community. A pastor receives permission from others to extend care and to practice ministry. Respecting the nature of this permission is the subject of this chapter. Because many expectations for pastoral care are actually implicitly stated, ministers need to develop sensitivity to hear both requests for help and requests for privacy. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 all speak about duties of fidelity. Chapter 4 emphasizes the importance of not lying, while chapter 5 looks more constructively at what it means to speak and act truly. Chapter 6 examines the importance and the limitations of pastoral confidenti- ality. Veracity and confidentiality are presented here in apparent tension—veracity seeming to require the sharing of information and confidentiality seeming to require the keeping of secrets. Chapters 7 and 8 broaden the focus theologically. They are each about a theology of vocation, but each with different foci. Chapter 7 discusses the vocation of all creation to glorify God and the vocation of all of humanity to seek justice. Chapter 8 focuses on the evangelical vocation of the church and the particular vocation of the clergy. The thesis of these chapters is that the vocation of the pastor must be seen within the context of the vocation of the church, of humanity, of society, and of creation. The whole church is called to be steward of