The terms pastoral care, spiritual direction, pastoral counseling, and spirituality all have particular meanings that overlap yet are distinctive. Some contend that all pastoral care is grounded in spirituality, while others say that pastoral care is the all-inclusive category for all modes of care, including spiritual direction.

Each starting point has its merits. Clearly a loving, caring God undergirds all pastoral care; and spiritual direction is one type of pastoral care.

Sorting out the terms deepens our appreciation of pastoral care and supports our willingness to view spiritual direction as a vital ministry.

In mainline Protestant traditions “pastoral care” has been viewed as the broad term used to encompass any caring action performed by pastors or other recognized religious leaders who minister by virtue of their ordination or office on behalf of a community of faith. The Latin term for pastoral care, cura animarum, means “care of souls” and “cure of souls.” Thus, in the word itself we find the trajectories of growth and healing. Pastoral care can be distinguished from its relatives in the secular helping professions by its insistence that care be offered in the context of life’s ultimate meaning, the horizon of God’s justice and compassion.

Pastoral care has historically been viewed as serving four purposes: healing, reconciling, guiding and sustaining. As pastoral theologians have responded to the justice concerns raised by liberationist voices in the post- colonial, postmodern world, pastoral care has grown to address systemic evils perpetrated by racist, sexist, economic and homophobic systems of oppression. The shift in metaphors for the focus of pastoral care from Anton Boison’s “living human document” to Bonnie Miller- McLemore’s “living human web” reflects this growth. Pastoral care is located within specific social contexts responding to the variety of injustices and wounds identified within ever widening systemic circles.

Pastoral counseling developed as a specific type of pastoral conversation used for the cure of souls. The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling defines it as “a specialized type of pastoral care offered in response to individuals, couples, or families who are experiencing and able to articulate the pain in their lives and willing to seek pastoral help in order to deal with it.”

This form of pastoral conversation if it extends beyond three to five sessions assumes advanced training. CAPPE/ACPEP serves religious professionals who minister in a variety of specialized settings. The paternalistic metaphor of the shepherd aiding the lost sheep has according to Archie Smith given way to understanding the pastoral counseling process as an exploration of a “deep river” where the pastoral counselor facilitates the journey into life’s deeper meaning.

Spirituality has over the last thirty years become a topic of increasing interest in mainline Protestant faith communities. Spirituality is focused on “the lived experience of faith,” the community which shapes this “lived experience,” the practices which sustain it, and the moral life when embodies it. Spirituality as a lens can be focused on the “lived experience” of a community, denomination, or person. Spiritual direction, on the other hand, is a pastoral practice that has taken a variety of forms in Protestant communities. Sally Hicks defines spiritual direction as “an opportunity to reflect intentionally on one’s relationship with God in the presence of another who listens with compassion.” Gerald May says it is “companionship with another person or group through which the Holy One shines with wisdom, encouragement, and discernment.”

Spiritual direction looks for and nurtures the presence of the Holy in everyday life events, whether the focus be the life of an individual, group, system or the cosmos. Spiritual direction involves noticing the Holy and aligning oneself with its movements–toward justice, compassion, faithfulness, and wholeness–not merely in the intra-psychic and interpersonal aspects of life, but also as participants in a variety of systems and as citizens of the cosmos. Although spiritual direction is done with varying amounts of training and accountability, it frequently occurs between someone who is trained to “tend the Spirit” and a directee whose narrative is the focus of the sharing. The director is assumed to have a knowledge of a variety of spiritual practices-- including various methods of prayer and contemplative listening–and an of awareness of psychological dynamics essential for spiritual freedom and when indicated for making referrals. Spiritual directors are normally in spiritual direction themselves and also participate in peer supervision.

Spiritual direction may also occur in small groups with peers who may call themselves “spiritual friends” or “spiritual companions.” In Protestant communities spiritual direction is often done in time limited small group gatherings frequently with a facilitator.

In sum, pastoral care is the broad category that encompasses a variety of pastoral practices. It is undergirded by the work of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual direction tends to focus on growth while pastoral counseling tends to focus on healing wounds. Counseling typically involves weekly sessions while direction occurs at three to six week intervals. Pastoral counseling continues until the issues of concern reach some state of resolution whereas spiritual direction may continue indefinitely as a person explores the ongoing movement of God in their lives.