Spanish 
Part 1 of 2 from "Walk with me" in the Summer 2016 VISION Newsletter
Going forward, the USA Apostles and I would like pastoral care to be a more intentional focus in each of our congregations. One might ask, what does this entail and whom does it involve? Perhaps the first thing we all think of when addressing pastoral care is the responsibility of the minister.
In its most general sense, pastoral care refers to the ministries/services usually performed by a pastor. Some denominations of the Christian faith use the phrase to refer to more specific aspects of a pastor’s ministry, such as counseling and visitation. The core idea of “pastoral care” is that pastors are to care. The word pastor comes from the Latin word for shepherd. A pastor is to be a shepherd or caretaker of God’s flock.
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 1 Peter 5:2-3
“From this we derive that ministers have the task of ‘tending’ the flock of Christ and of preparing them for the return of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. They do this ‘willingly’ and ‘eagerly.’” (Catechism 12.4)
Pastoral care isn’t confined to the responsibilities of the ministers, but it is also the task of the entire congregation. This relates to practical help in life. In one of His parables, Jesus says...
For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Matthew 25: 35-36
Pastoral care is a model of emotional and spiritual support that can be found in all cultures and traditions. The goal of pastoral care is to support one another in pain, loss, and anxiety, or in triumphs, joys, and victories.