From Alastair Campbell in Paid to Care?:
Creativity in pastoral care requires more than merely being a back-up or ancillary service to the ‘real’ professionals. It entails offering something new, something which may be sparked by the friction which a theological understanding of human nature offers.
And that’s why an immersion in theology is the best preparation that I know for leadership in the church. Sure, you need to develop your people skills, your preaching needs honing and you need to grow the hide of a rhinoceros. But, in essence, nothing can give you the edge of creativity that is awakened by a theological understanding of God and humanity.
