Pastoral care strategy for British Army chaplains ministering to soldiers suffering crisis and trauma
Fuller Theological Seminary, Doctor of Ministry Program, Ann Arbor, D.Min., (1999)(ISSP).Abstract
The purpose of this Ministry Focus Paper is to set forth the theological and psychological foundations of pastoral care with specific regard to the British Army and the Royal Army Chaplains' Department (RAChD). This will provide the foundation for a systematic strategy for chaplains ministering to soldiers suffering crisis and trauma. The first section discusses the social context of the modern soldier with special regard to morality and spirituality. It will include discussion on the history, authority and approach of the RAChD. The second section of this paper will begin by identifying that all ministry is properly understood as God's ministry; to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit. Divine activity involves a single movement in two directions, revelation and reconciliation. It is God who sets the ministry agenda and he invites the church, as the visible Body of Christ, to be co-workers with him. A theology of ministry assumes that God is able to bring transformation in a soldier's life, ex nihilo . Christian pastoral care has more to offer than other approaches as it attempts to place a soldier in a position where God may bring about a change. Christian pastoral care will use some of the approaches of other mental health professionals but goes further by introducing the ex nihilo activity of God. The third section will outline an unfolding strategy of pastoral care. It will include widely used approaches such as Crisis Intervention and Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. A spiritual approach to pastoral care using a Twelve STEP programme, which I have developed called "Peacemaking: Rebuilding Your Broken World" will be discussed with detailed material in the Appendix. This approach aims at shifting a soldiers dependency for self-worth, from self and others, onto God. The shift of dependency places the soldier in a position where God may act, ex nihilo . The final chapter places a soldier's recovery within the context of his or her family system. Recovery from crisis or trauma inevitably requires reintegrating with people, not least those closest to us.