All the preparation of an M.Div./MSW equips you for ministry in the community. Ministry and particularly prayer in the community are, at times, difficult. Often we spend more of our time in preparation for community prayer worrying about who we will offend, instead of praying to the God who unites us. In all Christian mainline…
Category: Social Work
Combining theological counseling and social work for hospice care
When I first started my chaplain training, I treated social workers as rivals. They seemed never to understand exactly how chaplains served patients and their families. The fact that I did not understand the role of social workers didn’t help much, either. Perhaps this animosity came from the fact that our roles seemed so similar….
Mental Illness and the Church’s Response
Christians care about human suffering. The biblical narrative recounts that Jesus restored sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, and drove demons out of the possessed. His disciples carried on that work, and for thousands of years Christians have attended to healing and wholeness for body, mind, and spirit. But, not all shapes…