Engaging the Sacred: Relational Spirituality as Pastoral Care

When Kate Anderson began her pastoral care work in a long-term care facility for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities, she found that the standard pastoral assessment tools didn’t meet the unique needs or take into account the lived experiences of the very people they were meant to support.In response, Anderson and her colleagues turned to Relational Spirituality, an approach to the study of the soul that integrates psychology and theology. Together they created a new pastoral care framework, which focuses on the Divine Investment in each person, on their soul identities and life stories, to create meaningful engagement. Through academic discussion and personal stories, Engaging the Sacred explores not just Anderson’s framework, but also the evidence of its success.

Kate Anderson is a Baptist minister in Louisville, Kentucky. She holds a master of divinity degree in pastoral care and counseling from Baptist Seminary of Kentucky and a doctorate in Christian spirituality from McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University. She has been a chaplain and advocate alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as part of various support agencies, denominational initiatives with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, and national collaborations with the Board American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.