How to Organize a Church Visitation Ministry

One of the most fundamental ministries that the church performs is visitation.  A church, no matter how big or small, will have people who are sick, in the hospital, shut-in and in need of a visit.  As a result, pastors spend a significant amount of time visiting people from their church and community.   As the church grows the amount of visitation required can bury a pastor unless structures and systems are put in place to spread the load of visitation out.  Developing systems ensure that the pastor does not burn out, but at the same time ensure people receive the care that they need.  There are no doubt a variety of ways that a church could set up a visitation system but here is how one church takes on this need:

shutterstock_410997181

Visitation & On-Call Pastors - Every day there is one pastor that is assigned to do all the hospital visitation for that day. If the church is aware going into the day that someone is in the hospital, and in need of a visit, then this is the pastor that goes.  Additionally, there is another pastor that is on-call each day.  This pastor handles any pastoral care that cannot be planned ahead.  This would include anyone who is rushed to the hospital or anyone who calls or walks in wanting to talk with a pastor.

Hospital Visitation Frequency - A pastor from the church does hospital visitation every day of the week, except Sunday.  This means that someone who is in the hospital for multiple days will get a visit from a pastor every day unless they are in over an entire weekend.

Visitation Frequency for Rehab & Long Hosptial Stays – If someone leaves the hospital for rehab, or is in the hospital over a weeks time but is not in critical condition, then the parishioner will receive visits only three days per week from the pastoral staff.  If they stay in rehab for an extended period of time, then the visits may be reduced to only two visits per week.

Shut-Ins Visitation Frequency – Shut-ins, those who are physically unable to come out to church, are visited by one member of the pastoral staff monthly.  They also receive a weekly DVD of the church service so they can watch the service from their home, and if the shut-in doesn’t have a DVD player the church will purchase one for them.

Pastors Who Visit - Every single pastor of the pastoral team is a part of the visitation ministry.  The associates pastors, even the associate pastor of youth or kids, is assigned one day per week to do visitation ministry.  The senior pastor also participates in pastoral visitation but their visits are in addition to the schedule mentioned above.

Others Who Visit - The pastoral visitation team is just one layer of the visitation ministry of the church.   In addition to the pastors, there are also ministries in place that visit shut-ins, another ministry that writes cards to shut-ins, a nursing home ministry that performs services in nursing homes where some parishioners live, and more.  There are also trained lay leaders in the church that visit people when they are in the hospital, including one lady whose ministry is to walk with people as they are facing life-threatening illnesses or those who have been brought into hospice care.   There are lay/retired pastors, board members, interns and others who all participate in the visitation ministry of the church.  Finally, there is the church family.  People from small groups throughout the church visit one another when they are in need of care.

It All Works Together - All of this visitation works together to provide the love of Christ to each member of the church family throughout their time of need.  Take shut-ins for an example  Although it probably doesn’t happen this perfectly often, it is possible that a shut-in will receive a visit from an associate pastor one week of the month, another visit from the visitation ministry another, perhaps a visit from a friend in the church another and then from the senior pastor another.  In one month, even though they can’t get out to church, the church will get to them every week.  Additionally, they receive a copy of the service each week on DVD, and even receive the church’s weekly newsletter.   They could receive contact from their church three times a week, every week of the month, even though they can’t leave their home.  Whether shut-in like this, or in the hospital, this visitation ministry ensures that no one is forgotten.

It Scales – Some might argue that a church with multiple staff can do visitation like this, as they have multiple pastors for multiple days.  However, this church did visitation like this even when it was much smaller and didn’t have the staff that it does today.  When the church was smaller, there were fewer people who were in the hospital, thus requiring fewer visits and time per week.  As the church grew, no doubt because of the level of care and attention people were receiving, they were able to add staff and volunteers to keep up with the increasing demands of pastoral care.

This is how one church structures their visitation ministry, how have your seen other churches handle this vital minsitry of the church?

Posted on
Categories: Church Life, Staffing

Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.

Leave a Reply to Sell crypto for cash Buenos Aires Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

34,267 thoughts on “How to Organize a Church Visitation Ministry”

  2. This design is steller! You obviously know how to keep a reader
    entertained. Between your wit and your videos, I was
    almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Fantastic job.
    I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it.
    Too cool!

    Reply

  7. Superb website you have here but I was curious about if you knew of any forums that cover the same topics
    talked about in this article? I’d really like to
    be a part of online community where I can get advice from other knowledgeable people that share the same interest.
    If you have any suggestions, please let me know.

    Thanks!

    Reply

  13. Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem along with your site in web
    explorer, could check this? IE nonetheless is the market
    leader and a huge component of other people will
    miss your excellent writing because of this problem.

    Reply

  14. Greetings! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering if you knew where I could find a captcha plugin for my
    comment form? I’m using the same blog platform as yours and
    I’m having difficulty finding one? Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  20. If you’re a foodie looking for a place to indulge
    your palate, then you’ll be happy to know that Bellagio has some
    of the best restaurants in town. When it comes to Las
    Vegas, one of the most iconic hotels and casinos is the Bellagio.

    Which one is right? I’ll discuss in the section “Multiple Inheritance” what it
    means to list more than one direct superclass in direct-superclass-names.

    Note how this list satisfies both rules: every class appears before all
    its superclasses, and checking-account and savings-account appear in the order specified
    in DEFCLASS. The bulk of a DEFCLASS form consists of
    the list of slot specifiers. Common Lisp resolves these situations by merging all the specifiers with the same name from the new class
    and all its superclasses to create a single specifier for
    each unique slot name. Then a method specializing its single argument on the new class and returning the value of the
    slot is added to the generic function. They live in their own section of the class hierarchy, arranged into appropriate sub- and superclass
    relationships, and are manipulated by the functions I’ve been discussing for much of the book up until now.
    But the classes it creates are fairly limited compared to DEFCLASSed classes.

    Reply

  26. This can happen either because a subclass includes a slot specifier with the same name as a slot specified in a
    superclass or because multiple superclasses specify slots with the same name.

    Multiple inheritance doesn’t dramatically change any of the mechanisms of inheritance I’ve discussed so far–every user-defined class
    already has multiple superclasses since they all extend STANDARD-OBJECT, which
    extends T, and so have at least two superclasses.
    Thus, methods specialized on different classes could end up manipulating the same slot when applied to a class that extends those classes.
    London firefighters battled a spectacular blaze in a farm field in the
    city’s southeast end after flames erupted from a tractor.
    Find the best places within London. In the freezer aisle at scores of grocery stores
    across Canada, shoppers can find golden croquettes stuffed with pulled pork or
    chicken – a twist on Brazil’s most iconic street food.
    It’s time to learn a new recipe with Jill Wilcox; find
    the best local craft beers with Wayne Newton; and remember
    to create some great memories with your friends and family.
    Four 2025 Stratford Festival productions are being extended, pushing the season into
    mid-December for the first time in company history.

    Reply

  28. Добро пожаловать в Клубника Казино, где каждый игрок найдет для себя
    идеальные условия для выигрыша и наслаждения игрой.

    В Клубника Казино представлены самые популярные
    игровые автоматы, настольные игры и множество интересных live-игр с
    реальными дилерами. Каждая игра в
    нашем казино – это шанс выиграть, а
    безопасность и честность всегда на
    первом месте.

    Почему Клубника промокод –
    лучший выбор для азартных игроков?
    В нашем казино каждый игрок может рассчитывать на щедрые бонусы,
    бесплатные спины и эксклюзивные
    предложения. В Клубника Казино мы ценим ваше
    время и гарантируем быстрые выплаты, а
    наша служба поддержки всегда готова
    помочь в любой ситуации.

    Когда стоит начать играть в Клубника
    Казино? Зарегистрируйтесь в Клубника Казино и получите бонусы,
    которые сразу увеличат ваши шансы на победу.
    Вот что вас ждет:

    Воспользуйтесь щедрыми бонусами и бесплатными спинами, чтобы начать игру
    с преимуществом.
    Промо-акции и турниры с крупными призами.

    Каждый месяц мы обновляем наш ассортимент игр, добавляя новые
    интересные слоты и настольные игры.

    Клубника Казино – это идеальное место для тех, кто хочет играть и выигрывать.

    Reply

  31. Доброго времени суток, уважаемые форумчане!
    Сейчас хочу поднять тему, которая давно
    меня захватывает — путеводитель по
    городам Испании. Эта страна славится своим многообразием,
    и я захотел поделиться своими наблюдениями, чтобы вместе разобраться,
    какие города заслуживают особого внимания
    туристов.

    Испания удивляет своим многообразием:
    от исторического великолепия Барселоны до особой атмосферы
    Севильи. Одним из ключевых аспектов является [b]архитектурное наследие[/b], которое видно во многих городах благодаря крепостям,
    соборам и улочкам с особым шармом.
    Также нельзя не отметить [b]традиции и гастрономию[/b],
    ведь каждый регион предлагает неповторимые вкусы и фестивали,
    погружающие в аутентичную атмосферу страны.

    Подводя итог, можно сказать, что
    путешествие по испанским городам — это уникальная возможность познакомиться
    с насыщенной историей и живыми традициями.
    А как вы считаете? Какие города Испании произвели на вас самое сильное впечатление?
    Будет любопытно услышать ваше мнение и поделиться личным опытом!!

    hotelsspain.ru

    Reply

  32. Добро пожаловать в Vodka Casino, где каждый найдет что-то для себя!
    Здесь вас ждут великолепные предложения,
    интересные игры и невероятные возможности для выигрыша.
    Vodka casino сайт.

    Почему стоит выбрать Vodka Casino?

    Простой в использовании
    сайт для всех игроков.
    Возможности для крупных побед с
    каждой ставкой.
    Частые бонусы для новичков и постоянных игроков.
    Удобные методы депозита и вывода средств.

    Начните играть в Vodka Casino и выиграйте прямо сейчас!

    Reply

  35. Hey there! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers?

    My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months
    of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any solutions to prevent hackers?

    Reply

  37. Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea
    shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed.
    There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear.
    She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is totally off topic but I had to tell someone!

    Reply

  38. Добро пожаловать в Клубника Казино – место,
    где азарт и возможности для выигрыша сливаются в одну
    захватывающую игру. В Клубника Казино собрано множество
    развлечений: слоты, рулетки, покер и уникальные игры с живыми
    дилерами. Каждая игра в нашем казино – это шанс на успех, а наша приверженность безопасности гарантирует вам комфортный и безопасный игровой процесс.

    Почему Clubnika бонус на депозит – это лучший
    выбор? Мы предлагаем выгодные бонусы для
    новых игроков, фриспины и регулярные акции, которые помогут вам увеличить шансы на победу.
    В Клубника Казино вы всегда можете
    рассчитывать на быстрые выплаты
    и качественную поддержку в любое время суток.

    Когда лучше всего начинать играть в Клубника Казино?
    Не упустите шанс начать с бонусами и бесплатными спинами, которые помогут вам ускоренно погрузиться в мир
    выигрышей. Вот что ждет вас в Клубника Казино:

    Выгодные бонусы и бесплатные спины для новичков.

    Участие в турнирах и акциях с крупными призами.

    Новые игры и обновления каждый месяц.

    Присоединяйтесь к Клубника Казино, наслаждайтесь играми и выигрывайте большие призы!.

    Reply

  42. Greate pieces. Keep posting such kind of information on your
    page. Im really impressed by your blog.
    Hey there, You have done a fantastic job. I’ll certainly digg it and personally suggest
    to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this site.

    Reply

  44. خلاصه کتاب کمدی الهی دوزخ اثر دانته
    آلیگیری، شاهکاری ادبی و فلسفی است که سفر خیالی شاعر را به دوزخ روایت می کند.

    این اثر سترگ، بخشی از کمدی الهی، به عنوان یکی از بزرگ ترین آثار ادبیات جهان شناخته می شود
    و نمادی از سلوک روحانی انسان در مواجهه با گناه
    و مجازات است. دانته آلیگیری
    در این سفر، با همراهی ویرژیل، راهنمای خود، از طبقات مختلف دوزخ عبور کرده و گناهکاران
    و مجازات هایشان را مشاهده می کند، که هر یک درس هایی عمیق
    درباره اخلاقیات و عدالت الهی ارائه می
    دهند.
    https://econbiz.ir/

    Reply