The heart of our Care Ministry Network can best be described by the acronym C-A-R-E. These four areas described by this acronym are what a Care Pastor does and also tell us what this ministry is all about. C-A-R-E describes the functions required by each member of the entire care team — not just the Care Pastors. All of what we envision to encompass in our care ministry flows from these four qualities. C-A-R-E can aptly also be described as the job description of the Care Pastors.
If these four commitments are performed effectively, quality care will be the result in every church. If we take “care” out of the equation, labor is all that is left. We want the C.A.R.E culture to become so evident that our church will become known as The Caring Place!
The Application of C-A-R-E
Let’s start off by clarifying each of these segments with a one- line description. It always makes it easier to comprehend, and more importantly, to remember.
C—Contact each family on a regular basis
A—Availability – be available to your flock
R—Reach out in prayer on behalf of each family consistently
E—Exemplify a Christian lifestyle – be an example
Step One – Contact
The fundamental expectation is for Care Pastors to make a minimum of one personal contact per month with each family who is under their care. They can do this by means of a personal visit to people’s home, if acceptable, or at minimum, a meaningful phone call with purpose. Your role is to be pastoral, which means displaying care and concern, creating acceptance, and showing love.
RELATED: The Care Revolution
When Care Pastors make their first contact with their families, however, the meeting should be a one-on-one, eye-to-eye visit. You should not make this particular contact by means of a phone call, email, text, or whatever other way. The main purpose of the first contact is to get acquainted, explain the ministry and clarify expectations of the relationship. Thereafter the “Five Points of Contact” should be followed.
It’s incredibly difficult to build a relationship with anyone without having first made a personal contact. You can never develop a relationship from a distance. You can only do so up close. Your entire ministry effort becomes very easy once you meet the people you are going to serve, not only now, but also in the future. We start our ministry involvement with contact and then continue with contact.
Note: In this module discussion we are only dealing with the fact that we have to develop contacts, but later in Chapter Six, we will describe how contacts should be made and how contact should be maintained.
Step Two – Availability
If building relationships is what community is all about, then availability seems to be the obvious requirement for Care Pastors. Being available also means being accessible. You should be available to your flock members when they have personal concerns they would like to share with you, or when they simply want to talk. Be very visible especially on Sundays and other times of church gatherings — before, during, and after each service. This means that you should come to church early, and stay late, rather than come late and leave early.
Being available also requires Care Pastors to provide their flock members with their contact information, including telephone numbers, email address, etc. Integrity will demand that Care Pastors receive and/ or return calls. I have, at times, heard the reluctance of Care Pastors to provide their phone numbers to their flocks. Remember, you are not handing out your information to everybody and his brother. You are giving it to your trusted friends. So, share your contact information and stay available.
Many churches provide their Care Pastors with pre-printed cards that have the church’s name, address, and contact information on it, plus the name and contact information of the Care Pastor. This is not only helpful to hand to flock members, but a helpful tool for hospital visitation and other occasions.
Care Pastors should be willing to assist their people in any way possible. If you cannot provide the help they need, make every attempt to connect them with someone who can and be sure to follow through. Or, find the answer and pass it along to the inquirer. Being a helpful channel in this way only helps to strengthen relationships.
