Guidelines for Ministers of Healing

Hawley Todd TSSF, Episcopal Healing Ministries

General Principles

All that is done is to be motivated by love for God and for those seeking healing. Everyone is to be treated with respect and dignity. Each person is a precious extension of the body of Christ. Whatever we do to the least of these, we are doing to Christ.

Everyone who serves in ministries of healing must make every effort to maintain the highest levels of ethical and pastoral standards. Ongoing training and maintaining a healthy spiritual life are normative.

Healing team members minister under the authority and supervision of the church in the locality in which they serve. One does not operate under one’s own “authority” or by being answerable only to God. Confidentiality is essential. Any information gained in a prayer session remains in that prayer session unless Federal or State law would require otherwise.

The healing ministry is practiced in accord with the canons, teachings, and worship of the Episcopal Church.

Ministries of healing are means by which God enables people to become whole. The focus is on providing opportunities for grace so that people can become the persons God created them to be!

Prior to the Prayer Session

Listen. Listen. Listen.

Ask clarifying questions only when needed. Make sure that those receiving prayer have given informed consent.

Give permission for those seeking prayer to be in whatever position is most comfortable. For instance, some may prefer to stand rather than kneel. Others may prefer to sit. Be sensitive to the wishes of those seeking healing as to whether the laying-on-ofhands is desired; and if so, what would be most appropriate.

The Prayer Session

Healing team members are to be a loving and welcoming presence. Their focus is on God and those seeking healing. Healing team members are representing Jesus Christ to those seeking prayer. In the mystery of intercession, it is easy for those seeking prayer to confuse who the healer is. God is the healer.

Content of Prayer

Pray out loud only for what has been named explicitly by the person seeking prayer. Pray out loud in a language edifying to the person seeking prayer. While at times praying in the spirit may be how one feels led to pray, one can do that quietly and in one’s spirit. Periods of silence during a prayer session are often appropriate.

Never speak for God or make promises in the name of God.

Never diagnose or give advice. Let God led the person into the truth that person “needs” to hear. It is not the job of the healing team member to fix or cure a problem. Never escalate a named problem. For instance, if someone has asked for prayers for a stomach ache, do not pray for healing of stomach cancer.

Never introduce the demonic into a prayer session. Please consult the Book of Occasional Services (2003 edition, p. 174) for specific guidelines on Episcopal Church Policy. Exorcism is a ministry under the direct supervision of the Bishop.

Never condemn or be judgmental in one’s prayers.

Trust that God knows what is needed and will do it.

After the Prayer Session

Maintain confidentiality. The person who sought prayer may initiate conversation about the session but not the caregiver. Unless required by law, never share information about the content of the prayer session without the express consent of the person for whom prayer was offered.

Only licensed professionals may give any form of counseling or medical advice. This is to be initiated at the request of the person who sought prayer.

Continue to pray as led by God.

Other Considerations

Prior to a prayer session and/or a public service of healing, explanations should be given so that all participants will have a clear expectation of what will happen. Written materials explaining the purpose and process of healing ministries should be available to all participants.

Christian modalities of healing are to be done in conjunction with medical science. Resources for referrals and follow-up should be planned in advance of sessions.

Contingency plans for medical and/or pastoral emergencies should be in place and known by those “working’ in the ministries of healing. Anointing with holy oil is one of the oldest modalities of Christian healing. Many Dioceses allow trained lay healing team members to anoint.

© Hawley Todd TSSF, Episcopal Healing Ministries

About Episcopal Healing Ministries

“The healing ministry is for all who seek a closer relationship with God; for all who seek to grow in grace and knowledge of Him. Christ is a healing Savior who heals all brokenness in every area of our lives.”

The Rev. Emily Gardiner Neal

Why were we founded?

Episcopal Healing Ministries was established in 1987 as a 501 C 3 charitable organization to implement the threefold healing ministry of Jesus Christ - to proclaim the kingdom of God, to teach, and to heal.

What is our mission?

The mission of Episcopal Healing Ministries is to proclaim by word and example the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by being obedient to his imperatives of teaching and healing. Episcopal Healing Ministries is devoted to training, instructing and preparing both clergy and laity to the highest professional standards of practice in ministries of healing. The staff of Episcopal Healing Ministries is available to lead ministries of healing through missions, retreats, liturgical services, and intercessory prayer.

What is our vision of healing?

All healing proceeds from God. Healing prayer is a sacramental activity. The best metaphor for prayers of healing is the epiclesis in the Holy Eucharist.

Who is Hawley Todd?

Hawley Todd TSSF is the Foundation Director and the Formation Director for Episcopal Healing Ministries. Having been mentored by the Rev. Emily Gardiner Neal from 1982 until her death in 1989, Hawley has 27 years of experience in the healing ministry. He was trained in the Anglican tradition at Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary, taught World Religions at McMaster University and has been an Education for Ministry mentor with the University of the South since 1996. He has been an Assistant Formation Director for the Third Order of the Society of St. Francis and was the Director of Christian Formation at St. Thomas Episcopal Church from 1990 - 2006. Also a trained spiritual director, Hawley has led retreats and missions in the United States and Canada.

Contact Information

Hawley Todd TSSF
Foundation Director & Formation Director
Episcopal Healing Ministries
Christ Church Cathedral
318 East Fourth St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Phone: 513-967-6581

Email: todd@episcopalhealing.org
web: www.episcopalhealing.org

Care-givers and Healing Prayer

Hawley Todd TSSF, Episcopal Healing Ministries

Relationships are intrinsic to human existence. They are woven into the very fabric of who we are. At the core of all interactions, there is a mutuality of giving and receiving, of caring for one another. There is a continuum of how giving and receiving is balanced. At times the dynamics embody a relationship wherein one person becomes primarily a care-giver and the other becomes the care-receiver. The purpose of this tract is to offer insights for care-givers on how they might invite God’s presence into their human relationships, especially ones with care-receivers. It is critical to note that whenever God is invited into a situation there is a triad of relationships: God & the care-giver, God & the care-receiver, and the care-giver and the care-receiver. Whatever happens in any one of these relationships may impact the other ones.

Jesus told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Rightly, care-givers often focus on loving others and pouring themselves out in their love and service. Yet too frequently a critical aspect of what Jesus told us is overlooked. We often fail to love and care for ourselves. Self-care is the most critical need facing care-givers today. Consider the metaphor of a teapot. We often think of ourselves as whole and perfect teapots with an inexhaustible supply of tea. The reality is that we are all cracked and chipped teapots with only a limited capacity.

Healing prayer is an integral aspect of self care, of mending the broken teapots of our lives, and filling us with the life-giving presence of God. Healing prayer works in conjunction with medical science and care receivers should be encouraged to seek every means of healing that is available.

Self-Care

As we begin to consider the implications of healing prayer for self-care, it is essential to know that God created each one of us to be whole in body, mind, emotions, and spirit. We are created in God's image and are good. Healing is restoring every aspect of our being to balance and harmony and helping us to be the person God created us to be.

How do we begin the process of self-care? My first suggestion would be a simple prayer asking God to fill your heart and mind with the Holy Spirit and inwardly incline your dispositions to wholeness and healthy choices. Perhaps a first step might be getting enough sleep each night so that you are rested. Diet and exercise are also good places to begin. Basic common sense in applying life's lessons and actually doing those things that we all know promote health and wholeness are essential.

What about spiritual self-care? How do we take care of the spiritual aspects of our being? By caring for our body, mind, and emotions, we are already caring for our spirit. Health and healing in any one area promotes wholeness in the other areas.

Having been a spiritual director for almost a quarter century, my observation is that most people are not aware of where God is and has been moving in their lives. Many of us simply do not notice God's activity and presence even though it is all around us. The easiest way to to start the process of becoming aware of God is to contemplate the following questions and one's responses.

1. What gives me life?
2. Where do I experience love?
3. When do I experience joy, peace, and/or fulfillment?
4. What brings a smile to my face or lightness to my heart?

There will be an extremely high level of correspondence with the answers to these questions and where a person is most apt to experience God's healing presence.

For spiritual self-care, we all need to note our answers to these questions. Then we need to develop a plan of action to create the time and space to honor those special opportunities for grace. This needs to be intentional and is not optional. The degree to which we care for ourselves frequently determines the degree to which we can care for others. When Jesus said to love our neighbors as ourselves, he meant just that. Love and care for yourself and let that same love flow out to others.

Praying for Care-Receivers

As stated before, healing prayer for others always has a triad of relationships. The care-giver’s relationship with God typically includes thanksgiving, petition, and intercession for the care-receiver. Thanksgiving and adoration are keys to a healthy relationship with God. They help to manifest an atmosphere of love, trust, and expectation. Petition for guidance and discernment is essential. As we pray for others, we want our prayers to have the heart and mind of Jesus. Our goal is to harmonize our prayer with God's prayer for the care-receiver. It is as important to know what to avoid in providing spiritual care as it is to know what to verbalize and do.

Please note, healing prayers for a care-receiver can be silent. The effectiveness of a prayer does not rely in any way on its being said out loud or being heard by anyone other than God. God hears our innermost thoughts, feelings, and prayers whether we speak them out loud or say them in the quiet depths of our hearts. What we say, do, and pray out loud may have profound impact on the care-receiver! It will not control or determine what God does, but our prayers can influence a care-receiver's relationship with God. What is the image of God that your prayers are portraying? It is important to be extremely mindful of what we are conveying when we represent God to a care-receiver. A good guideline for healing prayer is simply to ask God to come and be present with the care-receiver and do whatever that person most needs to be made whole. If the care-receiver has vocalized a particular need or desire, offer it up to God for God’s love and grace to enter that request. Never escalate an issue or request, nor offer advice or counsel, or make a diagnosis in your prayers! At all times, let compassion and mercy be your guides. However, be very careful to avoid making any promises or pronouncements in God’s name. Only God knows the outcome of the prayers. As a care-giver, you are asking God to be present and helping to facilitate the relationship of God and the care-receiver. For more detailed instructions on how to pray for others, please consult Guidelines for Healing Ministers.

God and the Care-Receiver

Care-givers may at times wonder if their prayers for healing are effective. Healing prayers are always beneficial because in healing prayer the care-giver is inviting God to be present with and in the care-receiver. And that is an intercession that God always fulfills! God's desire for each and every one of us is wholeness and salvation. The mystery is how that will be accomplished best in the one for whom we pray. How God will respond in any given circumstance depends on a multitude of variables of which we will never know the full extent. Yet God does respond and will do for the care-receiver more than we can ever hope or imagine. At times, God's response may seem immediate, profound, and miraculous. At other times, it may be so subtle we hardly notice any impact at all. The critical factor to remember is that the results of our prayers to God do not depend upon how we prayed. Our training and expertise in praying for others is focused on how we may give honor, dignity, and respect to the care-receiver. May God bless those for whom you pray and restore them to the fullness of God's image.

© Hawley Todd TSSF, Episcopal Healing Ministries, www.episcopalhealing.org

About Episcopal Healing Ministries

Episcopal Healing Ministries was established in 1987 as a 501 C 3 charitable organization to implement the threefold healing ministry of Jesus Christ--to proclaim the kingdom of God, to teach, and to heal. What is our mission?

The mission of EHM is to proclaim by word and example the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by being obedient to his imperatives of teaching and healing. The EHMF is devoted to training, instructing and preparing both clergy and laity to the highest professional standards of practice in ministries of healing. The staff of EHM is available to lead ministries of healing through missions, retreats, liturgical services, and intercessory prayer.

What is our vision of healing? All healing proceeds from God. Healing prayer is a sacramental activity. The best metaphor for prayers of healing is the epiclesis in the Holy Eucharist.

Contact Information

Episcopal Healing Ministries
Christ Church Cathedral
318 East Fourth St.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202

Email: info@episcopalhealing.org
web: www.episcopalhealing.org

Hawley Todd TSSF
513-967-6581
Email: todd@episcopalhealing.org