USING THE PASTORAL CYCLE TO MOBILISE CHRISTIANS 10 th Annual Conference Bradford 12 th April 2013

Outline of workshop Biblical reflection on the pastoral cycle Overview of the pastoral cycle Application of the See-Judge-Act method to housing justice Group discussion

Biblical reflection Nehemiah 1 Reflect on the following elements of Nehemiah’s movement from information to action:  Social location  Social analysis  Spiritual/faith response  Risk analysis and action

What is the Pastoral Cycle? A flexible framework that can be been used for pastoral, academic or community action purposes. Known variously as the pastoral circle, pastoral cycle or pastoral spiral. The moments are known as: experience or contact; social analysis or simply analysis (including ecclesial); theological reflection or reflection; and pastoral planning or response. Not a closed circle: action leads to a new reality/ experience to the examined.

Four Questions What does it mean? How shall we respond? Why is it happening? What is happening? ExperienceAnalysis Theological Reflection Response

Holistic engagement This method is holistic, engaging our heads, hearts and hands. It touches on the cognitive or intellect, as well as affectivity and the effective or deliberative. Experience and analysis help us to achieve better understanding – using our heads Immersion or contact in the experience moment can also help us get in touch with feelings – using our hearts Theological reflection helps us to get in touch with deeper values – aligning our heads and our hearts with the will of God Planning for improved responses to issues and situations – using our hands

© Sandie Cornish, Australian Jesuits, January 2007, revised October Experience  Start with the data of human experience.  Describe the problem: ◦ What is the lived experience? ◦ What is happening to people?  Are we listening to the people most directly affected?  Can we / do we share their experience? Do we need to undertake exposure / immersion? Theological reflection Response Experience Analysis New Experience … Evaluation

© Sandie Cornish, Australian Jesuits, January 2007, revised October Analysis  Investigate the reality in a systematic and analytical way: What are the causes of the issue or situation? (These may be historical; political; economic; social or cultural) What are the consequences? How are these elements linked? Who are the key actors? (subjects; duty bearers; agents of influence; decision makers) Theological reflection Response Experience Analysis New Experience … Evaluation

© Sandie Cornish, Australian Jesuits, January 2007, revised October Response Draw on reason, human knowledge and tradition: What should individuals, parishes, groups & agencies, the diocese/broader Church do? Does our action include: -Service of the poor or marginalized -Education or awareness raising -Advocacy & transformation of causes -Faith formation? Theological reflection Response Experience Analysis New Experience … Evaluation

© Sandie Cornish, Australian Jesuits, January 2007, revised October Theological Reflection Reflect on the situation or issue in the light of the Gospel and Church teaching: Are Gospel values being upheld or denied? How do the Scriptures speak to this issue or situation?  How do the principles of our social justice teaching speak to this issue or situation?  What does our theological tradition have to say about it?  Can the experience of the Christian community through time help us to discern this situation or issue? Theological reflection Response Experience Analysis New Experience … Evaluation

Getting started We can start with whatever information is available to us. Making modest responses based on what we do know and understand can help us to avoid ‘analysis paralysis’. Our responses can continue to deepen as we evaluate our actions, gather more knowledge & experience, and analyse and reflect upon it.

Reflection leading to renewed action Our response will never be perfect or complete. We need to evaluate our action and critically examine our methods. Has our action led to some change in the situation, ourselves, or our understanding of the situation? What is happening now?

About Housing Justice National Christian organisation: Christian voice on housing and homelessness Helping churches help homeless people Raising awareness of issues & solutions Encouraging partnership & speaking up for church action Membership organisation – please join us!

Words from the Holy Father “A house is much more than a simple roof over one’s head. The place where a person creates and lives out his or her life, also serves to found, in some way, that person’s deepest identity and his or her relations with others.” John Paul II Introduction to What Have You Done To Your Homeless Brother? 1988

Homelessness: who is without a home? 2,300 – 7,500 Rough sleepers 53,000 + Households in Temporary Accommodation 400,000+ Hidden homeless people 1.84m Households on Local Authority waiting lists 655,000 Overcrowded households Migrants, asylum seekers & refugees Travellers

Headline causes of homelessness  financial problems  thrown out  relationship breakdown (involving domestic abuse)  end of shorthold tenancy  Alienation, mental distress, drugs, alcohol  Institutions e.g. care, prison, armed forces  Migration  Lack of affordable housing – and getting worse

Street lifestyle? Complex needs Relationships Expression of non-conformity Rejection of society, materialistic values People find solidarity in shared adversity But.. no one starts off in life with the ambition to be homeless!

Judging from Scripture Leviticus 25:35 If your brother becomes impoverished and cannot support himself in the community, you will assist him as you would a stranger or guest, so that he can go on living with you. Deuteronomy 15:11 Of course there will never cease to be poor people in the country, and that is why I am giving you this command: always be open handed with your brother, and with anyone in your country who is in need and poor. Isaiah 58:6-12 Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me: sharing your food with the hungry and sheltering the homeless poor; Matthew 25:31-46 As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Matthew 22:1-14 He saw there was a man who had no wedding garment... and the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness...” For many are called, but few are chosen

Tensions.. Church mission vs. local authority strategy Ending rough sleeping Funding and Commissioning outcomes Tougher enforcement Undocumented, No Recourse to Public Funds, asylum seekers and refugees Homeless new CEE citizens e.g. Polish Reconnections

Critique of church action.. (from some local authorities and larger homelessness agencies) 1. Uncoordinated action is ineffective, counter productive. Soup runs 2. Collusion in unhealthy and anti-social lifestyles e.g. drugs/alcohol 3. Limited capacity to address real needs e.g. mental health, addiction, trauma 4. Limited awareness of other services.

Time for action? Challenge (and be challenged by) the concepts of deserving and undeserving; cooperative and uncooperative; vulnerability & boundaries Be informed Ease the pain Increase housing supply Pray

We’re here to help... Support, advice & consultancy to churches and others involved in action on housing and homelessness Newsletters, Events, *Free e-news* Forums for Night Shelters, Soup Runs & Christian practitioners Training for volunteers & project coordinators Toolkits to help you set up a Night Shelter, a Mentoring & Befriending project or develop housing Fundraising through Poverty & Homelessness Action Week Brokering relationships with Local Authorities

How do you currently go about your work for social justice? Does your way of working touch on the main elements of the Pastoral Cycle? What are the critical elements in determining Christian action as part of our whole life discipleship in our communities? For reflection and discussion

Alison Gelder Director Housing Justice Contact