Pastoral care to migrants as care at the ‘in-between’ and ‘liminal’ home away from home : towards public pastoral care to migrants

• Published in: Verbum et ecclesia Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 1 - 8
• Main Author: Magezi, Vhumani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pretoria AOSIS 2019; African Online Scientific Information Systems (Pty) Ltd t/a AOSIS; AOSIS (Pty) Ltd
• Subjects: Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Care and treatment; Christianity; Councils; Emotions; Exegesis & hermeneutics; Human rights; Human web; Immigrants; International relations; Life in-between; Metaphor; Methods; Migrants care; Migrants ministry; Migrants pastoral care; Migration; Pastoral care; Phenomenology; Public pastoral care; Religious aspects; Religious organizations; Spirituality; Theology; South Africa; Grand Rapids Michigan; United States > US; Europe; Nashville Tennessee
• ISSN: 1609-9982; 2074-7705
• DOI: 10.4102/ve.v40i1.1990

Migration is one of the greatest challenges in recent times. Churches, like other sectors of society, are expected to contribute. Pastoral care as a frontline ministry that forms a link with society is expected to develop strategies for effective pastoral caregiving. Understanding the challenges of migrants to appropriately intervene requires a relevant diagnostic and assessment framework. This article proposes the notion of ‘life in-between’ as an assessment and guiding pastoral care intervention framework. The article argues that pastoral care to migrants should assume a public pastoral care approach to address their holistic needs and address the public dimension of care. Within this context, life at the ‘in-between’ is conceived physically, metaphorically, spiritually, emotionally and theoretically. The pastoral care provided to migrants as people at the ‘in-between’ is enriched by the notion of the human web as opposed to only focusing on the human document within the complexities of migrant care.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The study focuses on practical theology, but with a specific focus on the sub-discipline of pastoral care. It examines the phenomenon of migration and how it can be responded to. It focuses on designing a model for assessment and intervention in migrant care.