Images of Pastoral Care

by Robert C. Dykstra

This book is an edited volume of works that have predominated over the past several decades in contemporary pastoral theology. Through the writings of nineteen leading voices in the history of pastoral care, Dykstra shows how each contributor developed a metaphor for understanding pastoral care. Such metaphors include the solicitous shepherd, the wounded healer, the intimate stranger, the midwife, and other tangible images. Through these works, the reader gains a sense of the varied identities of pastoral care professionals, their struggles for recognition in this often controversial field, and insight into the history of the disciple.

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Robert C. Dykstra is the Charlotte W. Newcombe Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he earned both the M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees. A native of Minnesota, he is a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and an ordained Presbyterian minister. He served for a number of years as a minister, youth minister, hospital chaplain, and pastoral counselor. His academic interests include pastoral care and counseling, contemporary psychoanalytic theory and developmental psychology, pastoral preaching, and the integration of biblical and theological precepts with contemporary research in the human sciences.

Reviews

[Walt Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

The anthology, Images of Pastoral Care by Robert Dykstra is a well researched and fully annotated, scholarly text (21pp of notes and bibliography). It is well organized and is at once thorough and concise. It impresses me as an essential text for every CPE student or practicing chaplain. This book traces the history of pastoral care, beginning with Anton Boisen, and lays a firm foundation for the development of this field of ministry. It features essays and references capturing the classic archetypes of pastoral care as they evolved throughout the middle and late twentieth century — notable among them The Shepherd, both solicitous and courageous. With each new image, Dykstra’s editing is sharp, focused and succinct. He weaves writings from almost twenty pastoral care professionals — chaplains, theologians, psychologists, and clergy with biblical references and examples from classical literature and modern media to present the most compelling models of care for the reader to consider and reflect upon.

Dykstra follows his Classical images with those he calls Paradoxical: the Wounded Healer, the Wise Fool and the Intimate Stranger. These are images that despite their natures and societal expectations, offer uniquely effective opportunities to discover truth, wholeness and redemption. The final section of this book covers images he calls Contemporary and Contextual in nature. They are the Indigenous Storyteller, the Agent of Hope, the Midwife and the Gardener. With each image Dykstra ensures the metaphor it embodies is well grounded conceptually and theologically, then he extends it to the pastoral care setting and discusses its merits, strengths and shortcomings.

This book is not lengthy (227pp), but it is dense. Do not expect to skim through it during a weekend. It is the kind of material that deserves to be read, reflected upon and reread — again and again. Not every image will resonate with every reader, but if one is a serious practitioner of pastoral care, this book will provide images and insights that will be priceless for that ministerial work. I have discovered the images that fit my practice and I expect to reacquaint myself with them from time to time as my ministry unfolds and I need to refresh and reorient myself. This is a wonderful resource that should remain at every chaplain’s fingertips