Ongoning formation: Pastoral Supervision

Supporting Healthy and Sustainable Ministry.

One of the initiatives of the Ongoing Formation Commission is the potential creation of a professional training course in Pastoral Supervision. Guided by Commission members Tony Nolan MSC and Wendy Bignell, this project aims to develop a culturally suitable supervision framework aligned with the charism of the Heart. It combines professional development, psychological insights, and contemporary thinking within the broader helping professions.

Tony and Wendy hope this course will attract members of the Chevalier Family involved in various forms of pastoral ministry, especially those aiming to enhance their skills in this vital area of ministry support and accountability.

At its core, pastoral supervision is a structured and reflective space where individuals—supported by a trained supervisor—can explore the more challenging aspects of ministry today. Supervision fosters the systemic well-being of practitioners, those they care for, and the wider community they serve. When ministers are supported, grounded, and resilient, their communities experience safer, more compassionate, and more sustainable pastoral care.

What Happens in Supervision?
Supervision is more than just a conversation. It is a deeply reflective process that provides support, insight, and opportunities for transformational learning. The focus of the discussion is on the supervisee, their ministry context, and their daily tasks. Through this process, practitioners can gain greater self-awareness, recognise patterns in their ministry, clarify boundaries, enhance professional skills, and explore new ways of responding to complex situations.

Supervision is more than just reflecting on one’s work. It also offers an essential support system and a key safeguard against potential burnout. It is different from both therapy and spiritual direction. While those disciplines aim at personal healing or spiritual discernment, supervision concentrates on ministry practice, professional growth, and the development of the practitioner as a pastoral minister.

Supervision is therefore not about micromanagement, nor is it an avenue for counselling. Instead, it is a welcoming space where ministers can step back, explore the challenges they face, and find innovative ways to approach their work with renewed energy and clarity.

Why Supervision Matters Today
The world of ministry has become far more complex than in past generations. Those engaged in pastoral work often encounter unfamiliar challenges, ethical complexities, and heightened expectations. These pressures can create significant stress for those already feeling stretched thin. While supervision cannot remove these challenges, it can provide a reflective space to explore new responses, reduce stress, and protect against burnout. It supports positive mental health by offering a trusted relationship with someone who wants the supervisee to flourish—someone attentive to both skills development and personal well-being.

We warmly encourage all those engaged in pastoral ministry to consider how supervision might sustain and enrich their work.

For further information, please visit the Pastoral Supervision page on the Ongoing Formation website: https://ongoing-formation.msc-chevalier.org/pastoral-supervision/

Or contact Wendy Bignell: bignell.in.essence@gmail.com

If you are already a supervisor, we would love to hear from you. Consider adding your details to the Ongoing Formation Commission’s supervisor database to help strengthen our growing network of skilled support: https://ongoing-formation.msc-chevalier.org/pastoral-supervision/

Wendy Bignel (Australia)

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