Contributed by David Rusher, Student Pastor at Alaska Bible College
“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” - James 5:14
The heart of this scripture passage is the presence aspect of any pastoral ministry. This timeless truth has lost its significance with the modern American church. This is a lofty accusation, but let us look at society today in the light of social media. Social media has caused a society to be antisocial or impersonal. Our relationships are defined through social media, and although we may have good intentions, our relational experiences get diluted down to Facebook statuses.
The modern American church is not immune to this growing problem, and it has affected our church leadership. This isn’t to say that social media is a bad thing in the church. On the contrary, it can be useful to get the news out for events or for pastors to stay “connected” with their congregation. This is beneficial especially here in Alaska where our congregants may be more spread out in some of our rural churches. However, where we as pastors are guilty though, is that we get caught up in social media so much as a ministry that we fail to make those personal face to face connections with our congregation.
James 5:14 serves as our reminder to restore a precious aspect of our pastoral ministries - the presence of a pastor in times of crisis. It’s not about the oil or praying for the sick, although it is important and biblical. It is about being there for the flock and sharing in those moments of grief. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:2 to bear one another’s burdens. This requires a personal involvement in the lives of those placed in our care.
There is an old saying, “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Being involved in those times of crisis helps us as pastors or spiritual leaders to earn the right to minister into their lives. Being present and sharing in those times of sufferings and grief, we are provided rare opportunities to share biblical truths that in other contexts would not be well received. Let us carry with us into a modern impersonal society, the value of being there.
