This engaging work is a necessary read for any member of the body of Christ. It is a deep well of living water for both clergy and laity alike. Writing from a pastor’s heart, Senkbeil plumbs the depths and living reality of both the care of souls and the cure of souls. It is written from a clear Lutheran perspective and language. While aiming at being accessible to all, there may be some difficulty in language and perspective not immediately accessible, or quickly understood, by non-Lutherans. While engaging in this book, it is important to keep in mind its limitations. It is not an academic treatise that lays out any and all detailed situations in which those who are engaged in pastoral care may find themselves. It is also not a clinical textbook or a systematic how-to book on the care of souls.
While not purely theoretical, this book is also not purely practical. Senkbeil weaves together both theory and practice in a tapestry where the rich tradition and deep theological truths in which he has studied and lived come through in clearly discernable practice. At the outset, an important distinction is made between the care of souls and the cure of souls: “In medical terminology, care and cure are two sides of the same coin. Care is the ongoing treatment you receive for chronic conditions; cure is what you seek when you have an acute need. . . . Pastors offer both: care in public worship and cure in private pastoral care as needed” (65).
Senkbeil speaks not only of the center of pastoral care, but really the core of the life of the pastor. Pastoral care is not simply a function of knowing certain facts and abstractly applying them. Pastoral care flows organically from the heart of the pastor, and it can only be done right and proper as the pastor’s heart is the heart of Christ. Pastoral care is not just the care of the pastor to the people; rather, it is the care of Christ to his people. The pastor is merely the instrument by which the gifts of God are given.
It is the life and work of the pastor to give Christ and him alone. Senkbeil points out, “This daily dying to sin and rising to new life through faith in Christ is the pivotal hinge in every Christian’s life, and it’s an essential ingredient in faithful and consistent care of souls. No pastor can give to others what he himself has not received” (19). What does this mean? How often must one receive? What does this look like?
Senkbeil paints both the life of the pastor and the task of the pastor in Christ, using the distinction of habitus vs. acedia. Habitus, or the pastor’s habituation, is a “pastoral temperament or character worked by the Holy Spirit through his means” (17). This habitus is not the pastor’s work; rather, it is “worked in you through a lifelong process of receiving for yourself the gifts of Christ, and then handing them unto others as he sends you to do, daily tending his beloved sheep and lambs” (270). In this tending of sheep, there are many things with which to be concerned. Senkbeil notes, “While there are multiple dimensions to every person’s life—bodily, social, emotional, and psychological—as a pastor I’m especially attentive to that person’s relationship to God. Therefore the soul’s spiritual life is my ultimate, though not exclusive, concern” (66).
How does the pastor do this? Listening is key. First, the pastor listens to the word of God. “He sends his Spirit by his word. Word and Spirit are inseparably linked. If you want the Spirit of God, you need the word” (40). Senkbeil warns, “Please keep in mind that the Bible is much more than a book of instructions. Whenever you apply the word of God, you have a tiger by the tail. The Bible is the Holy Spirit’s book, and it throbs with the life and vitality that is the Spirit’s own” (40–41).
Jesus said to his disciples, “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (John 14:26–27).(Endnote 1) For this reason, Senkbeil cautions, “So, for God’s sake please don’t use the word of God casually. Your goal is not to create a soothing, calming mood by mouthing spiritual platitudes. You want to do something with God’s word; his word really does what it says—in the very saying. This is the living word of the living God. He doesn’t speak in platitudes; he speaks realities” (41). God word is not simply a therapeutic tool; rather, it is a word that kills and gives life.
Second, the pastor engages in listening to the soul. Only by accurate listening can a proper diagnosis be made, to be followed by a proper intentional treatment. Whether listening to God’s word or the word of sheep who need care, “Attention and intention are equally important” (67). To help understand these aspects, Senkbeil lays out four pillars of good listening: faith (80), providence (82), holiness (86), and repentance (88).
This work of the pastor can easily lead to burnout, especially if the pastor sees the work as coming more from himself than from God. As the pastor gives and himself is not refreshed in the word, the temptation grows to give of himself more and more. Senkbeil calls attention to this: “Jesus still has the words of eternal life. Whether you are merely bummed out in ministry or well on your way toward burn out, you will find eternal life in the words of Jesus. You’ll need to do more than merely read those words or study them. You’ll need to chew them over verbally, mull over them mentally, and make them your daily bread and butter; you’ll need to meditate on them” (43–44). In other words, the word of God is to be your daily bread. The pastor needs to be fed, just like those he feeds.
Habitus has a devastating enemy: acedia. Commonly translated as “sloth,” it really has an underlying spiritual cause: “disappointment with and disaffection from God’s divinely ordained gifts, be they in the realm of creation or redemption” (210). Sloth draws one away from the words of life, leaving one alone in the words of death. Drawing from both Scripture and personal examples, Senkbeil places important truths in a practical manner to combat this negative habit. Whether chronic or episodic, “Whenever we grow numb to Christ’s saving work and the Father’s gracious gifts by which he makes us and preserves us, spiritual boredom takes hold, followed by apathy and subsequent despair” (210).
The habitus or acedia in the life of the pastor is vitally important, both for the pastor himself and for how the pastor is able to care for Christ’s sheep. Senkbeil rightly argues, “Soul care isn’t an option, it’s a given—also in mission. . . . There is no division between the care of souls and mission” (220). In this mission, “the called servants of Christ are not advertising agents or salesmen, but spokesmen for Jesus. When you open your mouth to speak the gospel you’ve been given to proclaim, people receive the words of Jesus. In a very real way, they hear Jesus himself” (226). Therefore, “Mission is nothing more than the church in motion to dispense the gifts of life and salvation that are in Christ Jesus” (228).
As one must continue to return and feed from God’s holy word, so this work will prove to be one to which readers will often return. This may be a difficult work for some pastors that will challenge them to examine their own habitus; may God strengthen them to do so, as this work calls to attention the importance and necessity of properly understanding and practicing pastoral care.
Joel G. Koepp
Pastor, Immanuel Lutheran Church
Grinnell, Iowa
Endnote:
- Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.