ETHICS IN PASTORAL MINISTRY
Keywords:
Challenges in Ministry, Code of Ethics, Integrity, Pastoral Care, Pastoral Ministry, Pastoral PrudenceAbstract
Pastoral ministry received a scholarly attention merely in this century. However, the Church has been on the move in the establishment of the Kingdom of God and was concerned about the redemption of souls. Our model in this regard is Jesus of Nazareth who went about doing good. Over-exposure to the world and unstable involvement in the institutional services have brought forward numerous challenges to the Pastors and some find it difficult to overcome these challenges. Secularization, globalization and the material affluence have considerably affected the pastors. There lies the relevance for spiritual, disciplined and the holistically efficient pastors for the successful completion of the ministry started by Jesus. Professionalism and excellence shall not be emphasized at the cost of Gospel values; instead, the pastors have to read the signs of the time and shall be capable of giving the core message of the Gospel in the present context. This article is an attempt to get into some of the current challenges of the pastors and emphasizes certain ethical principles in pastoral ministry.
References
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Here what I mean is the recent incident where a few priests exploited a woman with confessional secrets.“Secret Confession Allegedly Used to Blackmail, Abuse Woman; 5 Kerala Priests Suspended,” Hindustan Times, Jun 25, 2018.
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