Introduction

It is the Church's ministry and mission to communicate the Good

News of salvation and God's love to his creatures. She is to continue the
• communication within the Holy Trinity, God's communicating Revelation
and Incarnation into the here and now of daily life through the centuries.
This is done in the threefold way of proclaiming (Kerygma), a living
community (Koinonia) and caring service (Di�konia). Pastoral
• Communication in the broad sense is concerned about all this under the
perspective of communicating God's care for his people.
Communication Theology sees the whole of Theology under the
perspective of communication. Thus 'Communication' becomes a
theological principle under which all theology is seen: Systematic
Theology is the study of the content and forms of God's communication
in and through the Church. Biblical Theology traces the ways, meaning
and content of God's communicating in scriptures. Fundamental Theology
is the study of God�s communication in creation and the history of
humankind. Pastoral Theology is the study of the ways and means of
communicating in the care of God's people. Mission Theology studies
the means and ways of God's communicating to those who are not yet
members of the Church. Liturgy is the communicative expression of prayer
and community with and in God. Homiletics studies and practices the
Eilers, Franz-Josef. "Introduction." Communicating in ways of proclaiming within the Church. In a special way one has to derive
Ministry and Mission: An Introduction to Pastoral and from all this, the ministry of Pastoral Communication of the Church in
taking care of her members.
Evangelizing Communication, Divine Word Publications,
2003.
Pastoral Communication
Pastoral Communication is related to Pastoral Theology. Gerald 0
Collins (2001) sees the purpose and aim of Pastoral Theology as:
• passage to Preaching and Catechetics from the study of scripture
and systematic theology
• practice of Liturgy and sacramental life
• moral and spiritual counseling
• care of people facing special problems
• struggles for justice and peace
• care of people in different ages and life situations

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12 Communicati.aJ la Ml.nutty aad Ml•lion Introduction 13

He sees Pastoral Theology as a Practical Theology and critical would more clearly express the concern of the council fathers beyond
reflection on the Church's manifold mission in the world. mass media or media of diffusion. The expression which was adapted
Seen in this perspective Pastoral Communication is the generally for church use refers to all human communication activities in
communicating for pastoral care, •shepherding', building up, maintaining society. It is concerned about the "communicative relations of the members
and deepening of faith. It is more specifically and in a strict sense, the of a social system, their means, structures and processes." It includes
communicatio intra Ecclesiam, the inner ecclesiastical communication "all communicative acts of human beings which have direct or indirect
for the members of the Church or those in preparation to become members. relation to a respective human society" (cf for a more detailed
presentation see: Franz-Josef Eilers: Communicating in Community.
Pastoral Communication derives from the 'Pastor,' the 'shepherd' Third enlarged edition, Manila 2002 pp. 311-318, here p. 313).
and is everything related to the communication means, methods, and
contents, which a shepherd needs in order to communicate with and In a more strict sense, however, Pastoral Communication is first
maintain his flock. Christ as the good shepherd sets the example (cf. Jn and foremost concerned about the members of the Church in their
10). communicative needs. It is the communication dimension of all the
ministries of the Church, the communication means, ways, structures,
He himself sets and describes the standards and attitudes needed needs and possibilities for the ministry of -
for such a pastoral communicator:
- Church ministers like bishops and priests
• A good shepherd knows bis sheep, which in communication terms - the lay ministers directly involved in ecclesiastical work
means he knows his audience, his constituency, those entrusted - every Christian who, as a member of the Church, has the
to his care. The more he knows them not only by name and face obligation to communicate his/her belief in words and deeds
but also in their attitudes, expectations and needs the more he directly or indirectly to everybody around him/her
can communicate with them...
• The sheep know their shepherd which in communication terms There is a ministerial and comm�icative dimension in being
again means that he is visible, transparent, approachable and Christian and living this calling. It demands to 'incarnate' ('en-flesh')
available to open his doors and heart for the people entrusted to Christ and discover his incarnation in others, their cultures and religions.
his care and they do the same to him since he has their full trust
and confidence. Pastoral Communication means to:
• The shepherd gives his life for his sheep since he is concerned • be present when others need us most
about their real needs, their faith, their lives and their relation • witness to the values of Jesus in relating with people
and openness to the Lord. His first concerns are not his own • bring people into the communion and community for being a
personal needs, which might block or taint his communication leaven to society
with those entrusted to him (cf. Ez 34,1-16). With an open and • give life to others in love and selfless service ('diakonia')caring
communicative attitude he gives "himself in love" as Communio for them
et Progessio (No.11) defines communication in its deepest • helping people to find answers to their search for -
understanding. meaning in life
right directions
Thus, Pastoral Communication in the broad sense can be seen in all making the right choices
communicative activities of the Church and her members. It is the pastoral - living their convictions and faith
dimension of Vatican Il's social communication as the communication in finding their way to God and the Lord
and of human society, The preparatory commission for the Vatican decree • be companions in communicating with people.
Inter Mirifica proposed the expression social communication since it
14 Communic:atbag in Mlnutiy aad Mlaloa larroductioa IS

Evangelizing Communication
- communicatio ad intra as Pastoral Communication, and
- communicatio ad extra as Kerygmatic/Proclaiming/Evangelizin1
Seeing Pastoral Communication in a broader sense, one could Communication.
also see 'pastoral care' to be extended to those who do not belong to
the flock� those to be invited. But like missiology is separated from Since both are two different aspects and parts of the same reality
Pastoral Theology also in communication the missionary, the there are also elements and perspectives which are common to both which
evangelizing dimension, the missio ad gentes, as Pope John Paul II have to be considered before one goes into the specifics for a single area
calls it in his encyclical letter on Mission Redemptoris Missio (1990), of concern. Some of these common groundings and conditions for a
has to be seen as a separate field of concern, study and practice. The communicating Church are:
Church is tasked and bound to proclaim, to evangelize which is • a Communication Theology
different from the intem�l care for its members; it needs also a • a communicative Spirituality
different communication approach. The missio ad intra is one side • the corporate communication of the Church as reflected in her
of the Church whereas the other one is the missio ad extra, the mission
mission and vision and the Public Communications/Relations of
beyond the Church herself which one could also call the Kerygmatic, the Church
Proclaiming, Evangelizing communication. This is different from • the general approaches of the Church to communication,
Pastoral Communication in the strict sense. Pastoral Communication especially the mass media and multimedia
is more directed to the internal life of the Church (ad intra) whereas • the Church's basic documents and structures
Evangelizing Communication is directed to the life and obligation of
• the general contribution of the church to the communication in
Christians and the Church to the 'outside' (ad exJra). society which is e.g. expressed in areas like communication ethics
Evangelizing Communication is concerned about communicating and media education.
the Kingdom beyond the narrow Church boundaries. It is the
communication of love to those 'outside' which starts most of the times On the basis of these common perspectives and realities, Pastoral
with the witness of life. "See how they love each other" was the comment and Kerygmatic/Evangelizing Communication have to be considered in
of the people on the first Christians and became very often the key for more detail to understand their special ways, needs, possibilities and
entering into Christ's Kingdom. challenges.
Missionary communication goes thus far beyond but also
includes very much the use of mass media in the mission work of the
Church. Francesco Ingoli, the first secretary of the Propaganda
Congregation in Rome (created 1622) already recommended and
defended the need for the use of printing and the press which was at
that time the modem means of communication, for the mission work
of the Church. After all, he said, books could reach further than the
missionaries themselves ... Proclaiming, evangelizing, kerygmatic
communication does not exclude these modern technical means but
goes far beyond and embraces all ways and means o{ communicating
in human society (social Communication!).
Both, Pastoral and Evangelizing Communication are essential parts
of a Church called to communicate. They are like two sides of the same
coin. In a somehow simplified way one could say that there is the -