However, in belonging to this Kingdom we receive more than we could ever wish. We live joyfully in the Kingdom because Jesus Christ has opened for us the way to the Father whose pleasure it is to grant all good things to his sons and daughters. It is within this context that our care for one another comes to practical expression. Pastoral prayer Prayer and pastoral care are inextricably bound together. Doug Miller in Ordained to the Ministry of the Word emphasises the role of the ordained minister in caring for people by praying for them.
Pastoral prayer is therefore a question of the ministers obedience.
In sharing oversight of the congregation with the minister, Elders also have a significant responsibility for the grounding of pastoral care in the prayers of the church. While pastoral care is offered to specific persons in particular circumstances, so prayer is also specific and particular. Offering of names and situations in this context is not, however, the same as gossipping or revealing confidential details. Pastoral prayer is of course empty without practical pastoral service. To know and to experience silence is to enter the mystery of Gods absence from us.