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 what are some crypto coins that can go 30x Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.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

34,942 thoughts on “How to Organize a Church Visitation Ministry”

  4. I’m really enjoying the design and layout of your
    website. It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here and visit
    more often. Did you hire out a developer to
    create your theme? Fantastic work!

    Reply

  6. Привет всем!
    Долго ломал голову как поднять сайт и свои проекты и нарастить CF cituation flow и узнал от успещных seo,
    крутых ребят, именно они разработали недорогой и главное буст прогон Хрумером – https://www.bing.com/search?q=bullet+%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%BD
    Увеличение ссылочной массы быстро возможно только с автоматизацией. Ручная работа занимает слишком много времени. Xrumer помогает справиться с этим за несколько часов. Чем больше линков, тем выше позиции. Увеличение ссылочной массы быстро – ключ к успеху.
    продвижение сайта европе, сайты сео компаний, линкбилдинг это что
    линкбилдинг статьи, раскрутка сайтов за проценты, как писать seo текста
    !!Удачи и роста в топах!!

    Reply

  42. Visual һelp in OMT’s curriculum mаke abstract ideas tangible,
    fostering a deep appreciation fοr mathematics аnd inspiration to
    overcome examinations.

    Established іn 2013 by Mг. Justin Tan, OMT Math Tuition һas helped countless trainees ace examinations
    ⅼike PSLE, O-Levels, and A-Levels wіth tested analytical techniques.

    Ꮃith math integrated perfectly іnto Singapore’s class settings tⲟ benefit botһ instructors аnd
    students, dedicated math tuition magnifies tһese gains by offering tailored support fⲟr continual achievement.

    Ϝor PSLE success, tuition ρrovides tailored assistance tօ
    weak arеas, liқe ratio and portion prоblems, preventing common risks ԁuring the examination.

    Secondary math tuition conquers tһе limitations of
    big class dimensions, offering focused focus tһat improves understanding fоr O Level prep ԝork.

    Junior college math tuition іs important foг Α Degrees as it strengthens understanding օf
    innovative cslculus subjects ⅼike assimilation techniques аnd differential equations,
    ԝhich aｒe central tߋ the test syllabus.

    OMT’ѕ customized math curriculum stands оut ƅy bridging MOE
    material ᴡith innovative theoretical ⅼinks, helping pupils connect ideas tһroughout vаrious math topics.

    Tape-recorded sessions іn OMT’s systｅm let y᧐u rewind and replay lah, ensuring ｙou
    comprehend every principle foг excellent exam resultѕ.

    Tuition in math assists Singapore pupils establish speed ɑnd precision, essential fοr
    completing tests witһin timе restrictions.

    Feel free tо visit my site – math tutors singapore

    Reply

  43. It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this fantastic blog!
    I guess for now i’ll settle for book-marking and adding
    your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will talk about
    this site with my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    Reply

  50. I don’t even know how I finished up right here, however I assumed this put up was once great.
    I do not recognize who you’re but certainly you are going to
    a well-known blogger should you are not already.
    Cheers!

    Reply