PASTORAL ASSOCIATES
Mission Statement

     Pastoral Associates (PAs) are selected and trained by the minister to visit church members and friends in times of transition and those unable to attend church regularly, such as those in nursing homes with limited mobility. Monthly meetings are provided to help them deepen their art of spiritual listening. The content of their visits is shared only as needed for supervision, and anything shared will be kept confidential. From these meetings and others, we will learn who needs a visit from their minister.

     The Pastoral Associate visits not as a professional counselor or social worker but as a spiritual listener. She or he is there to listen with compassion, and perhaps help the person visited approach their situation from spiritual perspectives and from their core values. Visits will be up to an hour, with conversations varying from person to person. In the hospital or similar situations, visits will usually be briefer and more of a check-in. The Pastoral Associate Coordinator, selected by the minister, assigns Pastoral Associates to church members in consultation with the minister.

     PAs will be careful to work within their limitations, making referrals, including to the minister, as appropriate. They will also coordinate closely with the Caring Committee, which provides people in transition with practical short-term assistance, such as rides to the hospital or home-cooked meals to people following the death of a family member. The minister continues to provide pastoral care directly, focusing on those whose situations call for a minister.

     For the safety of church members, Pastoral Associates and people volunteering for Caring Committee programs must have a background check if they are ever to be alone when making a visit, providing a ride or other service. 

Main PA page
Application (pdf)   (also available at the church office)