CREATING PASTORAL CARE STRATEGIES FOR CHURCHES IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE ORGANIC PROCESS OF DEVELOPING THE PASTORAL CARE PLAN FOR ST PAUL'S SYMONDS STREET, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND

St Paul's Symonds Street, Auckland was faced with a unique challenge in 2008. A number of church parishioners were complaining about the lack of pastoral care that they were receiving and as a result they were grumbling about the church leaders and/or leaving the church. While this criticism and its consequences may not be uncommon in many churches today, the reasons behind it in St Paul's case were. The church had mushroomed from a congregation of around 30 persons in 2004 to approximately 1200 parishioners in 2008. In the light of this exponential growth, the existing church staff—gifted as they were—had understandably struggled to keep up with the care expectations and requirements of the church parishioners.