Pastoral care as a resource for development in the global healthcare context: Implications for Africa’s healthcare delivery system

Abstract

Development is concerned with the transformation of people to foster their health, wholeness and growth. The link between health and development points to religion as potential social capital for development. There is an ongoing debate about the role of pastoral care as a religious resource in global healthcare contexts. This is unfortunately not the case in Africa, as pastoral care has not received sufficient attention for its role in healthcare and development in development discourses. The limited research on pastoral care in healthcare contexts in Africa has implications for African healthcare systems, pastoral care and the delivery of an effective, holistic and quality healthcare service. Taking as its point of departure a thesis about the potential of religion as a social capital resource for development, the article argues for pastoral care as a viable religious resource for healthcare and development. Osmer’s theological task of good practice is employed as an interdisciplinary engagement in dialogue with selective perspectives in the disciplines of development and health and social sciences for appropriate analysis.

Development and the role of the church: Exploring public pastoral care positioning within congregational ministry

“…While there might be a number of reasons, Agbiji and Agbiji (2016:2) postulated that the scant attention could be related to the narrow conception of pastoral care, which only focuses its practices to the ecclesial context (Dreyer 2004:919-920;Magezi 2019b:133). Magezi (2019a:5) agrees with Agbiji and Agbiji (2016:2) when he said that pastoral care should be shifted to public pastoral care, which includes developing practical ways of healing aimed at the public space (Magezi 2019a:5;Leslie 2008:21). According to Magezi (2019a:5), currently the church and academic pastoral discussion is happening; however, the focus on the society is very little.…”

Understanding Islamic law in the context of vaccination: Reducing the doubt cast on COVID-19 vaccines

“…The issue of health related to religion has always been a topic of discussion among researchers around the world. Agbiji and Agbiji (2016) said that countries in Europe, North America and Australia are using one of the spirituality resources for nursing in their organisations. Religious belief contributes to maintaining the welfare and health of the community (Modell & Kardia 2020).…”

Transformational diaconia as educative praxis in care within the present poverty-stricken South African context

“…The Church in South Africa, like others elsewhere, ought to pay attention to how its Christian message affects public life -a public theology. Agbiji and Agbiji (2016:2) observed that, pastoral care as a professional discipline and practice has not received sufficient attention in development discourse. Perhaps this scant attention could be related to the narrow conception of pastoral care, limiting its practices to the ecclesial context.…”