Overview

Every Christian is called to and gifted for ministry. The church can - and must - engage all of its members if it is to flourish fully. Far too often, persons with intellectual disabilities are excluded. While members with disability are often recipients of the church's ministry, they are seldom given the opportunity to reciprocate: persons with disability are not always fully empowered to minister. In Pastoral Care and Intellectual Disability, Anna Katherine Shurley asserts the church's need for mutuality in pastoral care. While the shape of each person's vocation is unique, all members of the body of Christ are created for ministry with one another as partners in spiritual care. In a quest for pastoral care that is fundamentally collaborative and fully inclusive, Shurley turns to the psychology of D. W. Winnicott and to Karl Barth's theology of Christian vocation. From this combination, she crafts person-centered pastoral care for the body of Christ and all its members, with or without intellectual disabilities. Person-centered pastoral care recognizes that people with intellectual disabilities can and must participate as partners in the church. Faith communities, Shurley suggests, can foster collaborative ministry by nurturing pastoral friendships among its membership. These sacred friendships are spaces in which people share their lives with one another as a truly collaborative practice of care. Through these pastoral friendships mediated by the presence of the Holy Spirit, all of God's children can live their particular vocations. By engaging person-centered practices of pastoral care, the church strengthens its witness and truly becomes a place of belonging for all people.

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9781481301695

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Reviews

This book is a good introductory text for pastoral caregivers and could be an entry into larger discussions regarding disability and care. Her person-centered approach is a simple, cogent framework and would be useful for any kind of caregiving. Shurley is well-grounded in her theological principles and committed to the empowerment and flourishing of individuals with intellectual disabilities. --Sonia Waters Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

...it is an inspiration for all professionals who are engaging in a religious or theological context to see disability, intelligence, and the human being as such in a different light. --Annette Haussmann Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling ...this book would be especially beneficial for those who are directly involved in the pastoral care of people with disabilities in a faith setting, particularly those who share Shurley's confessional perspective, and might inspire new models of care. --Wen-Pin Leow Journal of Disability and Religion The work is without a doubt thought-provoking, and much common ground is apparent between scholars and activists who talk about ableism and oppression and people of faith who talk about valuing individuals, community and inclusion. --Nicola Martin Disability and Society This book is a good introductory text for pastoral caregivers and could be an entry into larger discussions regarding disability and care. Her person-centered approach is a simple, cogent framework and would be useful for any kind of caregiving. Shurley is well-grounded in her theological principles and committed to the empowerment and flourishing of individuals with intellectual disabilities. --Sonia Waters Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology

...it is an inspiration for all professionals who are engaging in a religious or theological context to see disability, intelligence, and the human being as such in a different light. --Annette Haußmann ""Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling"" ...this book would be especially beneficial for those who are directly involved in the pastoral care of people with disabilities in a faith setting, particularly those who share Shurley's confessional perspective, and might inspire new models of care. --Wen-Pin Leow ""Journal of Disability and Religion"" The work is without a doubt thought-provoking, and much common ground is apparent between scholars and activists who talk about ableism and oppression and people of faith who talk about valuing individuals, community and inclusion. --Nicola Martin ""Disability and Society"" This book is a good introductory text for pastoral caregivers and could be an entry into larger discussions regarding disability and care. Her person-centered approach is a simple, cogent framework and would be useful for any kind of caregiving. Shurley is well-grounded in her theological principles and committed to the empowerment and flourishing of individuals with intellectual disabilities. --Sonia Waters ""Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology""

"...it is an inspiration for all professionals who are engaging in a religious or theological context to see disability, intelligence, and the human being as such in a different light. --Annette Haußmann ""Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling"" ...this book would be especially beneficial for those who are directly involved in the pastoral care of people with disabilities in a faith setting, particularly those who share Shurley's confessional perspective, and might inspire new models of care. --Wen-Pin Leow ""Journal of Disability and Religion"" The work is without a doubt thought-provoking, and much common ground is apparent between scholars and activists who talk about ableism and oppression and people of faith who talk about valuing individuals, community and inclusion. --Nicola Martin ""Disability and Society"" This book is a good introductory text for pastoral caregivers and could be an entry into larger discussions regarding disability and care. Her person-centered approach is a simple, cogent framework and would be useful for any kind of caregiving. Shurley is well-grounded in her theological principles and committed to the empowerment and flourishing of individuals with intellectual disabilities. --Sonia Waters ""Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology"""

Author Information

Anna Katherine Shurley is a Baptist minister who has served as a chaplain for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She lives with her family in Gulfport, Mississippi, where she currently serves as Director of Youth and Family Ministries at Westminster Presbyterian Church.

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