Lay Pastoral Care: A Narrative Approach

by Christie Cozad Neuger, Joretta L. Marshall (Editor)

Overview

Care companions in congregations support others at multiple levels. They walk with people during challenging life situations, including death and grief; become prayer partners in moments of need; and are present in everyday moments of life. Sometimes care relationships arise through informal networks such as Sunday school classes or fellowship groups. Other times people are recruited and trained to become part of the caring ministry of a church.

Lay Pastoral Care: A Narrative Approach offers guidance for people across a spectrum of care. Using a model grounded in narrative and collaborative theories, Joretta L. Marshall and Christie Cozad Neuger describe key ideas and practices that inform lay care companioning. They also provide comprehensive curricular suggestions for training lay companions.

Marshall and Neuger build on a commitment to mutual learning, deepening spiritual growth, and collaborative support for people who wish to become care companions. Congregational leaders and members alike will discover that the recommended practices enhance the relational and spiritual lives of participating individuals and the congregation as a whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781506474502
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Pages:	194
Sales rank:	806,312
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Joretta L. Marshall is professor emerita of pastoral theology, care, and counseling at Brite Divinity School. At Brite, she also served as executive vice president and academic dean, interim director of the pastoral care center, and director of the Carpenter Initiative in Gender, Sexuality, and Justice. She also served on the faculties of Vanderbilt Divinity School, Iliff School of Theology, and Eden Theological Seminary. Marshall is ordained in the United Methodist Church and previously served as a pastor and a chaplain. She is the author, coauthor, or coeditor of books and articles about forgiveness, gender and sexuality, and rural ministry.

Christie Cozad Neuger has served as a pastor, chaplain, pastoral counselor, and professor. An ordained United Methodist elder, she received her MDiv from United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities and her PhD from Claremont School of Theology. After serving as a professor of pastoral care at Princeton Theological Seminary, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities, and Brite Divinity School (emerita), she founded and directed the Institute for the Support of Pastoral Ministries at United Theological Seminary. Neuger is also active in developing lay ministry programs in congregations. Besides numerous reviews, articles, and book chapters, she has published four books.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Lay Pastoral Care at the Heart of the Church 1

2 Presenting Narrative Therapy Theory 25

3 Narrative Practices for Lay Pastoral Care 45

4 Collaborative Learning Communities 73

5 Curricular Possibilities for Lay Care Groups 97

6 Developing Networks of Care 127

Appendix A Resources for Forming Care Groups 149

Appendix B Resources for Care Companion Learning Groups 165

Appendix C Boundaries: Resources for Group Presentation and Discussion 171

Appendix D Rituals for Use in Care Relationships 175

Appendix E Reading Resources 183

Appendix F A Sampler of Stories from Members of a Care Companion Group 187

Notes 191

Editorial Reviews

"In Lay Pastoral Care: A Narrative Approach, Christie Cozad Neuger and Joretta Marshall use the narrative method to offer parish pastors a unique resource for reinvigorating lay­people's participation in congregational pastoral care. Drawing upon the insights of narrative therapy theory and collabora­tive learning, they create a model for training and overseeing lay caregiver networks that is guaranteed to stimulate and maintain interest and greater participation in the ministry of congregational pastoral care. This approach will be life­ giving and sustaining for both care companions and care seekers. As a seminary professor who teaches on lay pastoral care, I believe this book is a must­ read." —Raynard D. Smith, associate professor of pastoral care/pastoral theology, New Brunswick Theological Seminary

"Joretta Marshall and Christie Cozad Neuger have written a timely book. In consideration of current traumatic experiences and continual grief and loss, they recognize that the work of caring for God's people cannot be done alone. They write with passion, using the lens of narrative theory and conveying deep understanding of the spiritual significance of community engagement in the care of souls. Consistent with the narrative approach to communal care long used in African American pastoral care, Marshall and Neuger foster new under standings of collaborative learning communities. The authors provide practical tools and rituals that can be used in a variety of con­gregational and community settings. They recognize that lay spiritual caregiving is at the heart of the church. Partnering is important. Reciprocal involvement with congregational leaders and parishioners is essential. But more important, lay involvement is crucial, and educating and equipping lay­persons is vital. This book is indeed needed—for such a time as this." —Beverly R. Wallace, coauthor of African American Grief, associate professor of congregational and community care, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

"After contributing to pastoral care literature over many decades, Marshall and Neuger offer another exciting collabora­tion. Their new book on narrative lay pastoral care belongs in all pastoral care conversations in seminary classrooms, church lay leader trainings, and communities of faith seeking mutual support in a world that needs healing." —Mindy McGarrah Sharp, associate professor of practical theology and pastoral care, Columbia Theological Seminary, and author of Creating Resistances: Pastoral Care in a Postcolonial World (Brill, 2019) and Misunderstanding Stories: Toward a Postcolonial Pastoral Care (Pickwick, 2013)

"In these days of recovery from the unprecedented psychic stress of a global pandemic and the many isolations and adap­tations it has required of us all, combined with the spiraling demands for mental health services in a society longing for healing from divisions, the wisdom and experience Marshall and Neuger bring to the conversation about culturally compe­tent and spiritually relevant pastoral care for our time is needed now more than ever. Their reflections speak to our human con­dition and our need for coherence, connection, and hope." —Deb Patterson, United Church of Christ pastor, member of the Oregon State Senate, and author of The Essential Parish Nurse: ABCs for Congregational Health Ministry (Pilgrim, 2003)

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