Presenter: Rev Dr Lynne Baab, author of Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-first Century

Description: In the past few decades, Christian pastoral care has changed in many ways. The pastoral counseling model remains, but many additional models have developed: lay pastoral care teams, small groups as a major place for pastoral care, and pastoral care among people in the wider community as well as within congregations. Today, we know much more about empowerment, the challenges of ethnic diversity, and the communities and contexts in which care recipients live and move. This workshop will provide an overview of seven current trends in pastoral care and four pastoral care skills that are essential for our time: understanding stress, listening skills, spiritual practices, and resilience.

Lynne Baab was associate pastor at Bethany Presbyterian Church between 1997 and 2004. She then earned a PhD in communication from the University of Washington and taught pastoral theology in New Zealand from 2007 to 2017. She is the author of numerous books on Christian spiritual practices and congregational life, most recently Nurturing Hope: Christian Pastoral Care in the Twenty-First Century. She blogs at lynnebaab.com.