Pastoral Care in Practice – an introduction and guide, by Michael Hopkins

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AVAILABLE FROM 1 OCTOBER

For anyone seeking an accessible introduction to Christian pastoral care, this short guide offers a practical introduction to caring for congregations and communities. It includes: – A brief exploration of the Biblical and theological background of pastoral care. – Self-care: assessing your abilities and sources of support. – Keeping everyone safe: the principles behind all safeguarding policies. – How best to care for LGBTQI+ and BAME people, and asylum seekers. – The place of prayer in pastoral care, including pitfalls to be aware of. – Conducting pastoral visits at home, in a coffee shop or online. – Caring for families and children. – Caring for sick people. – Caring in difficult situations.

URC Minister the Revd Dr Michael Hopkins has 20 years’ experience of ministry in the URC and ecumenically. He studied at Durham, Oxford, Birmingham, and Chester, and earned a PhD through the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Examination in Theology.

He has tutored students training for ministry at Sarum College, Westminster College Cambridge, and the URC Lay Preachers’ course. He is Clerk of the URC General Assembly until 2024 and in September 2023 was appointed as the next Moderator of the URC Wessex Synod.