The Seelsorgers

Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:2-3 ESV)

I received the latest issue of CTQ (Concordia Theological Quarterly), published by the Lutheran seminary I'll be on my way to later this year, the day before yesterday and this title caught my eye: Pastoral Care and Sex. This article deals with what may be the number one contemporary issue confounding not only high school teachers like me, but pastors for sure. If you'd like to read it, click on the link; it wasn't the topic that prompted this post, but the use of the word Seelsorgers in this excerpt:

Clearly, pastors are not primarily ethicists, nor are they moral policemen or sexual traffic cops. They remain always pastors, that is, shepherds of souls for whom Jesus died―souls that are embodied as male or female human creatures, made in the image and likeness of God. My approach in this essay, therefore, will be pastoral instead of ethical. As soon as you mention “pastoral,” many interpret that word as inherently compromising and conciliatory―as in “who am I to judge?” As Lutheran pastors we know better. We are not interested in compromise. Our concern is genuine healing. We are Seelsorgers, approaching each situation as spiritual physicians working from diagnosis to treatment.

I don't know how many non-German-speaking Lutheran layfolks are familiar with this word, but I had to go to my friend teaching German next door for a definition. She said "counselor," but it translates mechanically as "pastor." In my quest to learn more, I tripped over the perfect definition of the word in another article (Whatever Happened to Seelsorge?) found in the Winter 2001 issue of Word & World (published by Seattle University School of Theology and Ministry): Simply put, "the care or cure of souls." Here's an excerpt of this article (linked above), which sheds even more light on the role of today's Seelsorger:

Pastoral care, as practiced today, has a long and rich history in the Christian tradition. The goals and modes of the care or cure of souls have varied according to the demands of the culture or the needs of the time, but the aim has been the same: to respond to human pain with compassion and to human guilt with forgiveness and grace. Early church practice of pastoral care was called cura animarum, the cure of anima which was the Latin word for the Hebrew nephesh and the Greek psyche. For Luther, Seelsorge was a necessary pastoral alternative to the obligatory confessional. It was a probing conversation with a penitent on troubling religious matters. Perhaps the most distinctive Lutheran contribution to the modern development of Seelsorge is the mutual cure of souls of Christians for one another. Poimenics¸ another word for pastoral care, emphasized shepherding (poimen is a shepherd) or tending the flock. This practice of mutual guidance and consolation rests on the conviction that “all Christians are functioning members of one living body, exercising toward one another a spiritual or priestly office."

Back to the topic of the first article-- I agree with the author about the "utter confusion that reigns supreme in our culture regarding sexuality and marriage" in our world today (stemming from sin, of course, but in particular from gender identity and confusion issues). "Pastors [are] shepherds of souls for whom Jesus died―souls that are embodied as male or female human creatures, made in the image and likeness of God." Again, I couldn't agree more... Another good excerpt (you ought to read the whole thing, really):

Who could have foretold a decade ago, when advocates for gay rights were just beginning to let their presence be known, that we would now be sitting post-Obergefell with same-sex marriage declared a constitutional right by the Supreme Court of the United States of America? Who would have anticipated the winner of an Olympic men’s decathlon getting the courage award for excellence in sports performance, not for sports performance, but for his public transition to faux womanhood? As we speak, legal aid societies are trying to determine how to protect business owners from being sued out of existence because of their refusal to compromise their religious convictions regarding the definition of marriage. Meanwhile, gender identification is gaining steam as the deciding factor over
against biological sex, and some states have already enacted legislation opening public school restrooms to children who wish to “identify” as a person of the opposite sex without regard to their external genitalia.

A teacher note about that last sentence. In my district, a decision was made about who can use which restroom-- the final verdict rests in a birth certificate, which must be proffered should the question come up... But, seriously, who's going to ask? And who's going to tell a student of any affiliation that they better carry a birth certificate with them when nature calls?

I realize the need for this Seelsorger vocation from the vantage point of a teacher of teenagers; it's a daunting calling, really. I have been asked if I know just what I'm getting into, pursuing the pastorate. I think I have a pretty good idea, but I believe God has been preparing me my entire life for this type of work, to become a Seelsorger in this type of world.

What a great word, Seelsorge!

P.S. С Рождеством Хрыстовым! (In the off chance you're a Russian-speaker celebrating Orthodox Christmas today!)