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

Your email address will not be published.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

35,145 thoughts on “How to Organize a Church Visitation Ministry”

  5. When I originally commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added”
    checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get
    three e-mails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove
    people from that service? Cheers!

    Reply

  10. I have been browsing on-line greater than 3 hours lately,
    but I by no means found any fascinating article like yours.
    It is lovely worth sufficient for me. In my opinion,
    if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you probably did,
    the internet will be a lot more helpful than ever before.

    Reply

  11. I do not even know how I ended up right here, however I believed this
    post used to be good. I do not recognise who you’re but certainly you’re going to
    a famous blogger when you are not already.
    Cheers!

    Reply

  16. I was suggested this website by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such
    detailed about my trouble. You are incredible! Thanks!

    Reply

  23. I think this is one of the most important information for me.
    And i’m glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The website style is ideal, the articles is really
    nice : D. Good job, cheers

    Reply

  26. Phalo Boost Supplement looks like a promising formula for boosting energy and overall vitality.
    I like that it focuses on natural support instead of relying on harsh stimulants.
    Definitely seems worth checking out for anyone wanting a daily performance lift

    Reply

  28. Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage?

    My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would
    definitely benefit from a lot of the information you provide
    here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Many thanks!

    Reply

  29. Native Path Creatine looks like a great choice for anyone serious about boosting strength, endurance, and muscle recovery.

    I really like that it’s clean, simple, and focused on quality
    without unnecessary fillers. Definitely a solid supplement
    for athletes or anyone wanting to improve performance
    naturally

    Reply

  31. Witһ unrestricted accessibility tо exercise worksheets, OMT encourages trainees t᧐ understand mathematics ԝith repeating,
    building affection fⲟr thе subject and exam ѕelf-confidence.

    Founded іn 2013 by Ꮇr. Justin Tan, OMT Math Tuition has helped
    numerous trainees ace exams ⅼike PSLE, Ⲟ-Levels,
    and A-Levels witһ proven probⅼem-solving strategies.

    Ꭺs mathematics underpins Singapore’ѕ credibility for excellence in international standards ⅼike PISA, math tuition іs crucial
    to opening a kid’s potential аnd securing scholastic advantages іn thіs core topic.

    Enrolling іn primary school school ath tuition еarly fosters confidence, minimizing stress ɑnd anxiety f᧐r PSLE takers who fаce high-stakes concerns oon speed, range, ɑnd time.

    Building confidence with regular tuition support іѕ crucial, as O Levels ϲan be difficult,
    and positive students perform mսch better undｅr pressure.

    Gеtting ready foг tһe unpredictability of A
    Level concerns, tuition develops adaptive ρroblem-solving strategies for real-tіme test scenarios.

    OMT sticks ⲟut witһ its proprietary mathematics educational program, diligently developed tο
    complement tһe Singapore MOE syllabus by filling ᧐ut conceptual voids tһat standard school lessons ⅽould forget.

    Endless retries ⲟn quizzes sia, ideal foг understanding topics аnd achieving those А qualities in mathematics.

    On the internet math tuition gіves versatility fօr hectiic Singapore pupils, allowing anytime accessibility
    tⲟ resources fоr better exsam prep work.

    Also visit mʏ web-site – o level e math tuition

    Reply

  32. Greetings! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give
    a quick shout out and say I really enjoy reading your posts.
    Can you recommend any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects?
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  35. I blog often and I seriously thank you for your information. Your article
    has really peaked my interest. I’m going to book mark your blog
    and keep checking for new details about once a week.

    I opted in for your Feed too.

    Reply

  37. It’s the best time to make a few plans for the longer
    term and it is time to be happy. I’ve learn this publish
    and if I may I desire to suggest you few attention-grabbing
    things or suggestions. Maybe you could write subsequent articles relating
    to this article. I wish to learn even more issues about it!

    Reply

  38. Right here is the perfect webpage for anyone who wants to understand this topic.

    You know a whole lot its almost tough to
    argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa).
    You certainly put a fresh spin on a subject that’s
    been written about for a long time. Wonderful stuff, just great!

    my page :: adult site collection

    Reply

  40. Приветствую всех любителей высоких технологий! Хочу поделиться интересными мыслями о развитии виртуальной реальности и ее применении в бизнесе и развлечениях. Недавно задумался о потенциале VR-аркад и квест-комнат в стиле Sandbox VR. Мне кажется, это одно из самых перспективных направлений сейчас.
    Виртуальная реальность открывает совершенно новые горизонты для создания уникального пользовательского опыта. В отличие от традиционных развлечений, VR позволяет полностью погрузиться в другой мир, ощутить непередаваемые эмоции и испытать то, что невозможно в реальной жизни. Это особенно привлекательно для молодого поколения, которое ищет новых впечатлений и готово к экспериментам.
    Создание собственной виртуальной вселенной – это, безусловно, сложная задача, требующая глубоких знаний и опыта. Однако, при грамотном подходе и правильных инвестициях, такая VR-площадка может стать настоящим хитом и приносить стабильный доход. Важно не только предложить качественный контент, но и обеспечить высокий уровень сервиса и комфорта для посетителей.
    Лично я вижу большой потенциал в интеграции VR с другими технологиями, такими как искусственный интеллект и блокчейн. Это может открыть новые возможности для создания интерактивных и персонализированных VR-пространств.
    А что вы думаете о перспективах виртуальной реальности в сфере развлечений? Какие направления VR-бизнеса кажутся вам наиболее перспективными? Делитесь своими мыслями и опытом о – vr комнате

    Reply

  46. Hey there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a
    quick shout out and say I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts.
    Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover the same subjects?
    Thanks a lot!

    Reply

  47. Hello! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and say I truly enjoy reading through your blog posts.
    Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that cover
    the same topics? Thanks a ton!

    Reply