Save Time in Pastoral Care
Today’s tip on how to save time in Pastoral Care, or Congregational Care is not original with me, but with ministry veteran, Stan Toler.
So many Pastors and staff people who love people and want to minister to them in a time of need confess a real silent frustration with the time that Pastoral Care takes away from other equally important ministries. Pastors want to be at the hospital before a surgery, they want to bless those who have extended illnesses, and they really want to encourage the people around them. Time is the big limiting factor. Stan gave me this tip many years ago and I have used it regularly since.
How to care for seven people in an hour and a half:
1 hour
- Intentionally spend one hour with one person
- Encourage and praise them.
- Do not conduct church business.
15 minutes
- Make 3 five-minute phone calls to three people.
- Encourage and praise them.
- Tell them you simply called to tell them you were thinking about them.
15 minutes
- Write three short notes to three people.
Use the Four “S’s” of Note Writing.
- They are sincere.
- They are short.
- They are specific.
- They are spontaneous.
- Encourage and praise them.
- Handwritten, just two or three sentences telling them what you appreciate about them.
Never underestimate the power of a brief, genuine note of praise and encouragement.
Thanks Stan. This has been a lifesaver many times.
Feel Free to Leave a Comment below in the “Comment Box” and share a tip of your own on this subject or another.
