I would like to ask for your ideas, suggestions, descriptions of what you think makes a good Pastoral Care team within a Church.
Some changes are being made in our church, and it would be most interesting to learn from your experiences as to what works...and what doesn't.
You may be from a tiny village church or from a big city. It doesn't matter.
You may be from a tiny village church or from a big city. It doesn't matter.
Do you have a pastoral care team?
Where is their focus?
Is it with housebound, sick and lonely, or maybe with young mothers, youth?
Do they take meals to the lonely?
Do they sit and chat, arrange some shopping, pick up for a service, take a baby for a walk while mother sleeps?
Do they visit in hospital or afterwards?
Will they pray for and with people?
I would love to hear your experiences, and
I hope you don't mind my asking this wide Community.
Do they take meals to the lonely?
Do they sit and chat, arrange some shopping, pick up for a service, take a baby for a walk while mother sleeps?
Do they visit in hospital or afterwards?
Will they pray for and with people?
I would love to hear your experiences, and
I hope you don't mind my asking this wide Community.
10 comments:
This is an interesting question. We don't have a pastoral care team in our church. Instead, we have small groups that meet in homes, and the groups care for one another. Because our church is relatively large (800) this model works for us.
Someone from the pastoral staff makes hospital visits and prays with and for people when needed, but the visiting, the meals, the shopping, etc., take place within the small groups.
Our son (the pastor) wrote a great paper on how all people can contribute and care for others even if they don't feel like they have strong gifts. Do you want me to email it to you?
We have a group that resembles what you have shared. They bring food to the needy, visit the sick at home or hospital and help in time of need. I have been the recipient of this wonderful ministry :o)
As you know I am not with this church any longer but they had a strong pastoral care team. It was successful because each member was assigned a certain number of the congregation to call/check on and regard as their responsibility, bringing their needs to the group and also being a personal buddy/mentor to those individuals (they would usually also be in the same housegroup). The 'meals on wheels' was vital (for anyone ill or going through a difficult time done on a rota) and transport also vital as so many people don't like to ask but if someone was aware of their possible needs were offered help and it was gratefully received (trip to hospital, church, shopping). Hope this helps. I benefitted years ago with a morning once a week when my youngest was a baby, they cared for him so I could go to the library as I had no family to ask for a bit of quiet time (adhd!) The simplest needs can be overlooked. Betty
Very helpful, thank you Betty.
I don't know that we have an actual pastor team but we do have members who do certain things. We have a hospital visitation team that visits members in the hospital. We have a lady who arranges for food to be brought in to the home when the patient comes home. We also have a bereavement ministry that helps arrange whatever the bereaved want after the service - a reception or something in the home. Good luck. I think that ministries in the church like this are so very important.
We are a very small church (about 50-60) and we don't have a pastoral care team. I do think because we are small and intimately acquainted that it just comes naturally. My husband, as the pastor, does visit people who need it on a regular basis. But there have been many times when he has visited someone in the hospital and 2 or 3 other members stop by to visit too. So that's a healthy sign. We have deaconesses and one of their roles is to provide meals and such that people may need after having a baby or coming home from the hospital. Dan & I have worked hard at trying to get people to cultivate relationships outside of the walls of the church so that needs can be met as they arise.
That sounds excellent Terri, thank you.
I don't know much about it, having moved around so much. However, one thing that a church we attended did made an impression on me. That pastors secretary stood at the entrance to the sanctuary every Sunday and, though it wasn't obvious, she must have been "taking attendance". If we missed a week she would call to ask if everything was ok. To some that might sound intrusive, but I found it very thoughtful. While we attended that church I went through an extremely difficult pregnancy and my son was in ICU for 3 weeks. We were well cared for by that congregation.
In our previous church I was a member of the pastoral team. We met monthly to share pastoral needs within the church. Each house group had immediate responsibility for members and also for a few others near them. They cared where they could and passed on news to the pastor and his team. It is similar here but not as well structured (yet!) old sick and young all need support at times x
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