This thesis presents a new approach to pastoral care
called problem-solving. Part I begins with a discussion
of the nature and purpose of pastoral ministry; then
looks at methods of care in the field of social work
practice. Problem-solving is discussed as a comprehensive and flexible model for pastoral care; a process
that can be adapted to work with individuals, groups, and
the community at large, and thereby a means of expressing
the social concerns of the Christian Gospel.Part II presents a theory of human behaviour for
interpreting and explaining problems encountered in
ministry. The theory is the product of an interdisciplinary approach which correlates insights from systematic theology with insights from the social and psychological sciences. Two fundamental units of interaction,
the human relationship and the social transaction, are
examined in the theological perspective. Several diagnostic tools are presented for analysing problem situations
in social and theological context.Part III sketches in broad outline a program for
pastoral ministry that integrates the three generic
methods of social work practice: casework, group work,
and community work into one comprehensive approach to
pastoral care. In distinction from Part II, here is
a
theory about how behaviour can be changed or modified
in the act of care — it is, in other words, practice
theory. Illustrations and examples are provided which
are based on my experience as a minister and community
worker in the city of Glasgow.Part IV discusses the writings of three major
pastoral theologians: Eduard Thurneysen, Thomas Oden,
and Seward Hiltner. The work of each author is presented
and then critiqued in regards to methodology, knowledge
base, practice theory, and theological frame of reference
The preference is for a methodology which encourages two-way
dialogue and correlation between theology and the
human sciences; a theory of human behaviour which includes
insights from both psychology and the social sciences;
a practice theory that can be adapted to human needs
at different levels of social involvement; and a
theological frame of reference which expresses the
social dimensions of God's plan for the world. The
purpose of this section is also to draw attention
to a two-fold danger, commonly found in much of pastoral
literature, of doing pastoral theology from a static,
closed, and individualistic perspective or with no
systematic theological frame of reference at all.Part V seeks to avoid this two-fold danger by
adopting a new theological framework for pastoral
ministry. Pastoral care is described as a ministry of
word-in-deed in response to a theological understanding
of God's Word as God's deeds in the midst of human events
Attention is directed to the importance and purpose of
the "world" in God's redemptive plan and the Church is
described as an instrument of God's mission to the world.
The aims and goals of pastoral care are discussed in the
context of the Kingdom of God and problem-solving is
seen as a mode of preparation; a way of becoming
intentional about the demands of Christian ministry.
This section completes the search for a new frame of
reference by offering a theology of the Word which is
dynamic in perspective and social in scope