The Essence of Quaker Pastoral Care
Thursday 3 September - Thursday 24 September 2026
The live Zoom sessions are at 18:30-20:30 (UK time) every Thursday.
Eileen Aird
,
Elize Sakamoto
Pastoral care lies at the heart of Quaker community life. This course explores the essential aspects of serving as a Pastoral Care Friend, a role which can be surprisingly complex as well as joyful.
Together, we will consider both the spiritual grounding and the practical realities of the role.
Whether your responsibilities are combined with eldership or focused solely on pastoral care, this is an opportunity to deepen your knowledge, strengthen your skills and grow in confidence as you serve your meeting in this role.
Together we will explore questions such as:
- How do we maintain healthy boundaries while remaining compassionate and attentive?
- What is the extent of an individual Friend’s responsibility, and where does the Meeting’s duty of care begin and end?
- How do we respond when someone looks to one person rather than to the Meeting as a whole
- How do we share pastoral responsibilities when certain tasks feel difficult or uncomfortable
- What distinguishes safeguarding practice within a Quaker Meeting from safeguarding in other settings?
Through worshipful reflection, shared experience and practical exploration, participants will have space to bring their own questions arising from service. The course is facilitated by a Friend with longstanding involvement in pastoral care and other areas of Quaker service.
This course will involve:
Discussion, Speaker, Zoom Session
Accessibility info:
On the booking form, there is a chance for you to let us know about any accessibility or communication adjustments that will enable you to participate more fully in the course. Automated Zoom closed captions are available for all live sessions but if you feel you require more accurate closed captioning please email us directly in addition to booking.
See more courses in this category: Quaker Service & Roles
