Several years ago, we made a pretty significant move. Our church had grown to the point where caring for the needs of those attending had become more than a full-time ministry. Hospital visits, counseling needs, weddings, prayer requests, etc., were demanding more and more of our staff. And, coordinating “care requests” demanded a “point person.” You know what they say, “If everyone owns it, nobody owns it.”
Our response was to appoint a “Pastor of Pastoral Care.” Since that time, our “care infrastructure” has improved significantly. Check out this position’s job description HERE.
The Pastor of Pastoral Care serves alongside the Senior Pastor to handle all care requests from the congregation. Phone calls, e-mails, walk-ins, etc., are all brought to the attention of the Pastor of Pastoral Care, who continues to build teams of volunteers that serve in different care areas.
Our Pastor of Pastoral Care is responsible for:
- Prayer Team – A team of volunteers who are available to pray with people immediately following each of our 2 Sunday morning services.
- Care And Recovery – AA Meetings, Other Addiction Care Groups, Celebrate Recovery, Etc.
- Counseling – Needs Assessment And Professional Counseling Coordination
- Other Care Requests – Coordination Of Weddings, Funerals, Hospital Visits, Etc.
To keep track of everyone and where they are from a pastoral care perspective, our Pastor of Pastoral Care, again, uses Church Community Builder (CCB). “People processes” have been implemented that make it possible to track the status and progress of hundreds of people.
To keep the rest of the staff informed and involved in pastoral care, the Pastor of Pastoral Care generates a report each week (with data from CCB) that includes prayer requests; lists of first, second, and third-time guests from the previous week; scheduled weddings and funerals; births and other significant life events; and hospitalizations or significant health-related issues in the church.
The Pastoral Care Report keeps the staff up-to-date on the “care” goings-on in the church.