Product Details
Care programs are a natural way to serve church and community. Understanding capacity and goals helps you decide how to advertise each program and set them all up for success!
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Introduction: Churches can care for their local community through care ministries. Today’s program helps you implement programs that also accomplish an outreach function.
Summary:
Types of programs (ministries that serve on a relational level; distinguished from a short-term service project):
- Cancer support
- Prayer shawl ministry
- Comfort dog
- Enrichment retreats for men and women
- Couples ministry
- Military support
- Employment ministry
- GriefShare group
- Stephen Ministries
- Visitation group
- DivorceCare
- Prayer ministry
We believe God will provide the people to lead these ministries. If we don’t have people available, then we pause on that program until we have someone.
Oversight means the following:
- Making sure each ministry has available the things the group will need
- Announcing the groups available for people to serve in, especially when a new group starts
- Equipping people to do his business
- Training leaders of groups in leadership means they will be able to
- put together a message;
- communicate information regarding the group; and
- take care of web presence for that group.
When deciding what will be advertised only in the church or outside, as well, think about the specific ministry and what it can do.
Be open to the Spirit’s guidance when thinking about starting a ministry. Listen to the ideas people bring to you and talk about them.
Thought Starters:
- Looking at our church’s current ministries, where can I better train the leaders of those groups?
- Is there a group in the list above that would be a good match for our church?
Resources:
- Comfort Dog Ministry (lutheranchurchcharities.org; click on “K-9 Ministries”)
- GriefShare (griefshare.org)
- Stephen Ministries (stephenministries.org)
- DivorceCare (divorcecare.org)
