Contents
Pastoral Vision and Risks: A Christological Foundation
Categories of risks to pastoral vision
Introduction
Last week’s post argued that pastoral vision is indispensable to pastoral fruitfulness. Today’s post examines the risks of pastoral vision that may undermine pastoral fruitfulness if left unmitigated.
Pastoral Vision and Risks: A Christological Foundation
One states from the outset that a pastoral vision in itself does not pose a risk, because the lack of a vision already poses a risk to achieving the Church’s mission.
However, there may be risks associated with a plan that the pastor must assess during its development. As Jesus remains the model for his mystical body, the Church, examining Jesus and his attitude to risk is opportune.
First, from a human perspective, the Incarnation involved vulnerability and exposure to rejection, suffering, and death. Yet Christ freely embraced these dangers in carrying out the Father’s salvific mission. One recalls that the devil tempted Christ to abandon his mission (Matt 4:1-10) and that Christ experienced genuine human anguish before his passion, yet remained faithful to the Father’s salvific plan (Luke 22:42-44; John 12:27).
Second, Jesus took pastoral risks to ensure he saved people.
For instance, Jewish law discouraged touching lepers because they were considered unclean and, therefore, outcasts (Leviticus 5:3). However, in a bid to offer physical and psychological healing to lepers, Jesus touched them to heal them rather than simply giving a command (Matt 8:1-5; Luke 5:12-16). Although priests were allowed to touch lepers and perform rituals for their healing (Leviticus 13), and Jesus was the eternal high priest, the Jews did not recognise Jesus as a priest. Thus, touching lepers exposed Jesus to criticism from those who interpreted purity laws rigidly.
While healing the Roman centurion’s servant, Jesus was ready to visit the centurion’s house. This was a significant risk because the Jews sought liberation from the Romans, who dominated them. Eventually, Jesus did not visit because the centurion discouraged him from coming (Matt 8:5-11).
Third, Jesus also taught the importance of assessing risks before starting a project. An example is the pair of parables about a man who wants to build a tower and a king who wants to wage war. The one who wants to build a tower weighs the financial risks of starting without sufficient money to complete the project. In the same way, the king going to war assesses his chances of defeating another king with twice as many soldiers. After evaluating the possibility of victory, he sends a delegation to call off the war and seek peace (Luke 14: 28-33).
Categories of risks to pastoral vision
There are two broad categories of risks to pastoral vision: internal and external.
Internal Risks
The first internal risk is having a vision detached from reality. In other words, a vision may be inspiring but unrealistic because it fails to consider the available finances, personnel, cultural conditions and pastoral challenges.
Second, the personalisation of a vision, in which a vision is identified with a particular pastor rather than with the mission of the Church. The risk here is that when leadership changes, the vision may collapse because the community did not sufficiently share it. Included here is the possible conflict of interest between the goal of the holistic salvation of souls and the pastor’s personal desires.
The third is excessive activism, where a strong emphasis on goals and outcomes can emphasise productivity over spiritual fruitfulness. The risk here is that the Church may be preoccupied with activities, projects, and statistical data while neglecting prayer and spiritual growth. This may even include a focus on secondary goals while drifting away from the Church’s core mission.
Fourth, there is a lack of participation stemming from imposing a vision from above without adequate consultation with the clergy and laity through the various canonical and synodal institutions and processes. The risk is that when the faithful feel excluded, it can lead to resistance, poor commitment, and weak implementation. The fifth is rigidity and inflexibility. Here, a pastor continues to pursue outdated goals even as circumstances change, and a vision cannot be adapted to overcome that obstacle or to meet new pastoral realities.
The sixth is unrealistic expectations, wherein a vision often generates enthusiasm. However, the risk is that when the promised results do not materialise quickly, discouragement can follow, weakening confidence in leadership and future pastoral planning. Finally, the neglect of discernment, in which prayer is ignored in pastoral vision, thereby making the vision a human strategy rather than a response to God’s call.
External risks
External risks include political, economic, social, and religious risks. Political risk refers to the political situation of the polity, which can completely thwart a pastoral vision due to political tensions and insecurity. Hence, in planning a pastoral vision, the pastor must consider potential political tensions and insecurity and make plans to accommodate them through adjustments to the vision or other measures to mitigate the situation.
Economic risk concerns the funding required to plan and execute a pastoral vision. Therefore, a pastor must evaluate the diocese or parish’s income, its sources, and the stability and sustainability of those sources before embarking on any project.
Social risk refers to challenges arising from the Church’s relationship with society and the communities she serves. These risks may stem from demographic changes, migration, urbanisation, social media influence, ethnic or community tensions, and negative public perception of the Church. Given that pastoral vision seeks to respond to people’s concrete needs, significant social changes can render a pastoral plan less effective if they are not adequately considered.
For instance, negative public perception of social media backlash can undermine support for pastoral initiatives and weaken participation. Therefore, a pastor must carefully analyse the social context and anticipate emerging social trends when developing and implementing a pastoral vision.
Finally, religious risk entails the risk of losing one’s faith. Granted that the Church continues to carry out Christ’s holistic salvation of all and is always reforming (Ecclesia semper reformanda), people remain reticent about reform and innovation. For instance, a pastoral vision of inculturation might provoke strong disapproval from the faithful, who consider it a threat to the faith. Therefore, a pastor must ensure that any reform or innovation remains fully compatible with the Gospel and communion with the universal Church (Redemptoris Missio, 54).
Mitigation of risks
Mitigating risks is indispensable to the success of any vision. Risk mitigation entails anticipating current and potential risks that may undermine the vision. It requires factoring in contingency plans when planning and executing the vision. Regarding pastoral vision, every risk assessment and mitigation must be considered in light of the mission of Christ and the Church.
One categorises the mitigation actions into three. The first category is spiritual safeguards, which include prayer, discernment, and fidelity to the mission. The second is institutional safeguards, which focus on collaboration and co-responsibility among Church members and workers, the incorporation of canonical norms, the use of ecclesiastical structures, professionals, or knowledgeable individuals, and documentation.
Finally, there are operational safeguards, which include regular review of the plan and updates, emotional intelligence among planners and executors to enable them to manage the volatility of human emotions and unpredictability of risks, provisions to ensure transparency and honesty, reading early warning signs of danger, back-up plans, insurance services, and balance in Church-State relations.
Conclusion
Risks should not discourage pastors from developing pastoral visions. Rather, awareness of risks enables pastors to exercise prudence, discernment, and responsible leadership. Just as Christ embraced the challenges of his mission while remaining faithful to the Father’s will, so too must pastors pursue pastoral fruitfulness with courage, wisdom, and trust in God.
May God continue to help us🙏🏾
K’ọdị🙋🏾♂️
