![]() If we listen closely enough, eventually we will be offended. How can the work of Christ for you–bringing you into the presence of the Father–encourage you to be appropriately available as a listener? Overcome this barrier by training other potential listeners in your church. Of course, pastors must always prioritize their limited resources-like time and attention! Yet be reminded that if Christ has made a way for all persons to come into the presence of the Father, then he has certainly made a way for people into the pastor’s office. I must make time for that family, but that other one isn’t a priority. In his sermon “On Visiting the Sick,” John Wesley pointed out a painful and humbling reality: “One…reason why the rich, in general, have so little sympathy for the poor, is, because they so seldom visit them.” How easy it is to be ready to listen to some, but not to any to hold an attitude that resembles a kind of value-matrix: I can listen to him but not to her. Don’t schedule meetings without margin between avoid squeezing in necessary but complex conversations-especially in the name of productivity! (Remember: People aren’t products!) When do you find yourself hurrying? How does hurry limit your presence and hinder your listening? Ask for the person to make an appointment so that you can give them your full attention. Overcome this barrier by admitting that you can’t listen in a hurry. It is tempting to rush our listening, especially when we are asked to listen at inconvenient moments like just before the worship service starts. Just as we rip Band-Aids off in a hurry, so we hustle through the wounds of life to avoid the pain and the reminders of mortality. Do your practices of spiritual formation help you to handle another person’s unresolved tension or ambiguous experiences as you listen to them? While order and structure might not be discernible, keep faith that God is bringing a point and a plot to the experience and that they might even be clarifying as you listen. His death is a divine mystery revealed and prophecies fulfilled. On the cross, Christ brings meaning to meaninglessness. Overcome this barrier by remembering that Christ faced chaos on the cross. But speakers often seek out the listening pastor because the experience hasn’t resolved or because they can’t discern a plot. We are linear beings: we want the story to unfold and the tensions to resolve. Listening is challenging when the speaker doesn’t have a point or plot. of Pastoral Theology and Leadership at Wesley Seminary. Below are five barriers to listening and ways to overcome them from Kairos Care: A Process for Pastoral Counseling in the Office and in Everyday Encounters, written by Aaron Perry, PhD, Associate Prof. ![]() Listening is hard work! It tests the mind, the heart, the will, and the body. Have you noticed how many people want not just to be told they’ve been heard, but actually to feel listened to? To have their concerns understood and appreciated? To have their story be the focus of attention? For their voice to rise above the noise? If you have sensed this desire in people, you may also have felt how difficult it can be to listen. Through all the efforts to provide care and counsel in the face of lockdowns, mandates, regulations, and congregational division, listener posture and listening practice have remained a priority for the pastor.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |