Tag: pastoral care

Pastors get depression too

I want to share with you the results of a little survey I did via twitter. It is important to emphasise that these twitter polls don’t count as scientific surveys with appropriate proportions of people and adjustments. Therefore, the percentages are a little meaningless. So, what I’d encourage you to do is to look past… Continue reading Pastors get depression too

Is it ever a good thing to lay people off?

We were sat in the meeting room off of the open plan office again. We had been through too many of these conversations. It was frustrating because I’d seen something in the lad during his apprenticeship and given him a job in our team.  However he had coasted after that, he seemed lethargic, disinterested and… Continue reading Is it ever a good thing to lay people off?

Learning to See

Yesterday I paid a visit to Eye casualty.  I was picking up a sort of wormy line in my vision. I suspected it was a floater and those are generally harmless but given I have a pre-existing eye condition and cornea grafts I thought it wise to get things checked out. The doctor confirmed all… Continue reading Learning to See

Anxiety

I’ve written quite a bit over the past year about depression. However, many people who experience emotional health issues don’t just suffer from depression. In my case, the doctor diagnosed me with Mixed Anxiety and Depressive disorder. So, I wanted to write a little bit about anxiety now. Anxiety can be experienced as a chronic… Continue reading Anxiety

Pastoral Apologetics

Pastoral Apologetics My approach to apologetics is founded in the assumption that most people are not asking the types of questions that philosophers are asking. They are not trying to work out if there are proofs that there is a God. We have been conditioned into thinking that this is a reasonable question to ask… Continue reading Pastoral Apologetics

Forgiveness and reconciliation may not always mean a return to normal

A boyfriend completely forgets his girlfriend’s birthday and goes out with his mates for a drink instead. It’s not the first time he has let her down.  She decides to break off with him.  At the time he expresses sorrow, buys her flowers, chocolates and concert tickets but she sees through the remorse, this isn’t… Continue reading Forgiveness and reconciliation may not always mean a return to normal

#ChurchToo – Pastoring the accused

What are our responsibilities towards someone who has been accused of abuse or bullying within the church? It is important to remember at this stage that being accused and being found guilty are not the same things. So, our first responsibility both to the accused and the accuser is to seek truth and justice. Secondly,… Continue reading #ChurchToo – Pastoring the accused

How do we handle #ChurchToo allegations? Supporting the victim

It is perhaps helpful when thinking about how we would handle a complaint from an adult about abuse within the church to remember that we have some starting points. Much of what we should do is covered in the policies we tend to have for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. I think the key things… Continue reading How do we handle #ChurchToo allegations? Supporting the victim