Any pastor knows that in order to accomplish ministry work within the church, volunteers are needed. However, how often do you find yourself either searching for those volunteers or finding that the same people are volunteering for everything (and are quickly becoming burnt out)? Below, I’ll share two ways that pastors unknowingly undermine volunteer recruitment as well as … [Read more...]
Building relationships with families touched by chronic illness and disability
The numbers have grown too big to ignore. More than 65 million people, 29 percent of the US population, provide care for a chronically ill, disabled, or aged family member—a child with special needs, a spouse with cancer, a parent with dementia, a family member with schizophrenia. So how will our churches serve these families—through all ages and phases of care? And it’s not … [Read more...]
How we organize congregational care
We aren’t a model church by any means, but one of the things we’ve worked on a lot over the past five years is how we do congregational care and oversight. Even though we have a lot to learn, I thought a glimpse at how we do things might help other churches. Obviously, I’m not encouraging you to copy everything we do (though feel free). But maybe some of our trellis work can … [Read more...]
How I care for everyone—when I can’t be everywhere
The Lord has called me to plant churches, starting with the Bridge Church in Brooklyn, NY, in April of 2014. Part of the mission of Bridge Church is to plant churches all over New York City. We have grown tremendously in the last two years. In care ministry, though, especially as the church grows, I can’t be in all places at all times. Because of this reality, it’s … [Read more...]
Why your deacons should be involved in care ministry
No pastoral care model can do without deacons. Their primary calling is not administration and maintenance of a church’s facilities. They, too, are to focus on people. First Timothy 3 and Acts 6 are important passages that confirm this commitment to people. In 1 Timothy 3:8, the deacon is to be wise with finances, “not pursuing dishonest gain.” He is to be faithful with … [Read more...]