Recently, during an exchange, I heard an introduction to the practical experiences of a church that formed a pastoral care system through visitations. This system includes nurturing through target visitations, refining management through visitations, and promoting evangelism through visitations.
Located in the old town center of a coastal city in East China, Church C hosts a thousand believers during its gatherings, being the only church in the city. They establish five visitation teams in five pastoral areas, which cover the entire city. Pastoral care, cultivation, weddings, and funerals are carried out in each pastoral area.
Senior Pastor L introduces that each group, comprising one pastor and one staff worker, has several smaller visitation groups, each with three to four volunteer believers.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the church organizes visitation programs. All volunteers form teams according to their leaders' arrangements, visiting each believer or making return visits. When encountering believers who are ill or facing challenges during their visits, volunteers first report to the leader of their pastoral area, who later quickly visits the believer's home for support, comfort, and assistance. After an assessment, if it is believed that some people need pastoral intervention for support and care, the pastor responsible for the visitation group must personally visit for counseling and encouragement.
"If any believer specifically requests the senior pastor to visit, whether or not it is the district I oversee, I will definitely go," Pastor L added.
"Now the church has more than a thousand volunteers participating in visitation ministry, with an average of two to three hundred in each group. So there's no need to worry about a lack of volunteers; sometimes we have to consider how to get the most out of volunteers."
"Visitations are not just about conversations and prayers. During each visit, regardless of the size of the visiting group, we must praise, pray, and comfort visitees," the pastor said. This way, when facing believers of different situations and spiritual levels, the visitation team can provide comprehensive care for body, mind, and spirit. "If believers do not fully understand the truth or have important life events such as weddings or funerals, our pastors also lead the team to conduct services at their homes."
Additionally, every Monday morning, the church organizes a Bible study for the group leaders and key members. Receiving spiritual food, they also discuss difficult situations occurring during visitations. The pastors answer questions and share pastoral experiences with the core members, who then pass them down to the grassroots volunteers.
"Through visitations and Bible studies, our internal communication can be carried out for better management. Our pastors can also promptly understand believers’ status and develop appropriate pastoral strategies at different stages," said the pastor.
In recent years, besides caring for registered members, they have also begun visiting migrant Christians in need. Additionally, the pastor leads teams into hospitals and nursing homes to provide pastoral care for believers, as well as non-believers sharing the same hospital ward or even the same floor.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
笔者近日在一次教会交流中听到了颇有特色的实践经验介绍，一所教会形成了用探访落实牧养，为探访定向栽培，以探访细化管理，借探访助力福传的牧养体系。
C教堂位于华东某沿海地市的老城中心，是城区仅有的教堂，如今在此聚会的信徒可达数千人。教会将整个城区按照方位划分为五大片区，其中每个片区负责牧养、栽培、关怀、婚丧等服侍。每个片区设立探访组。
C教堂的主任牧师L牧师向笔者介绍，在五个探访组中，每组带领同工都分别由中心堂的五位牧者与五位同工配搭担任。每组又带领着若干个人数三至四人、均由信徒义工组成的探访小组。
每逢周一、周三、周五，是C教堂统一固定的探访圣工日。所有参与探访服侍的义工会在组长的安排下结成小组，以地毯式走访及回访的方式到每位信徒家中探访。而当在探访中遇到信徒患病或家庭遭遇特殊情况后，探访义工们会先向所在片区的组长进行反馈；组长会尽快前往该信徒家里进行关怀安慰与帮扶，并同时进行情况评估。若是经评估认定，一些信徒确实有必要让牧者介入提供帮扶关怀，那么该探访组的负责牧者就一定需要亲自前往，进行辅导与劝勉。
“要是有信徒特别提出希望主任牧师去的话，那么不管是不是我的区域，我也一定会去。”L牧师补充道。
“现在全教会参与探访服侍的义工人数有一千多位，平均每个探访组至少都有两三百位活跃的义工骨干。所以根本不用担心探访缺人的问题，有时候还得考虑怎么把义工们协调开呢！”
“探访一定不是只有简单的谈话和祷告，在我们的探访小组里不管人数多少，一定会有赞美、祷告以及安慰三大职能的同工。”牧师说这样，面对不同处境、不同灵命层次的信徒时，探访同工都能从身心灵层面提供全面的关怀。“如果信徒对真理不太明白的，或是家中有婚丧嫁娶等重要事情，我们牧者也会带队，在他们家里举行家庭礼拜。”
另外，每周一早上，教会都会组织探访组长及骨干举行查经学习会，在属灵栽培的同时相互沟通探访中遇到的难以处置的情况。牧者也会为大家的问题进行解答，并借由这些骨干将牧养关怀的经验传达到基层义工之中。
“借着探访开展和同工栽培，我们内部的信息传达和管理也能够很有效率地开展；我们牧者也能够及时了解到基层信徒的信仰状况，并以此在不同阶段制定适合的牧养策略，"该牧师说。
近年来，除了本堂登记信徒之外，他们一方面开始面向对于外来务工的有需要信徒提供上门的探访关怀。另一方面，牧师也会带领同工们深入医院与养老院，为患病信徒所在的同病房病人乃至同楼层的非信徒病人进行探访关怀。
华东某教会探访牧养实践小记
Recently, during an exchange, I heard an introduction to the practical experiences of a church that formed a pastoral care system through visitations. This system includes nurturing through target visitations, refining management through visitations, and promoting evangelism through visitations.
Located in the old town center of a coastal city in East China, Church C hosts a thousand believers during its gatherings, being the only church in the city. They establish five visitation teams in five pastoral areas, which cover the entire city. Pastoral care, cultivation, weddings, and funerals are carried out in each pastoral area.
Senior Pastor L introduces that each group, comprising one pastor and one staff worker, has several smaller visitation groups, each with three to four volunteer believers.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the church organizes visitation programs. All volunteers form teams according to their leaders' arrangements, visiting each believer or making return visits. When encountering believers who are ill or facing challenges during their visits, volunteers first report to the leader of their pastoral area, who later quickly visits the believer's home for support, comfort, and assistance. After an assessment, if it is believed that some people need pastoral intervention for support and care, the pastor responsible for the visitation group must personally visit for counseling and encouragement.
"If any believer specifically requests the senior pastor to visit, whether or not it is the district I oversee, I will definitely go," Pastor L added.
"Now the church has more than a thousand volunteers participating in visitation ministry, with an average of two to three hundred in each group. So there's no need to worry about a lack of volunteers; sometimes we have to consider how to get the most out of volunteers."
"Visitations are not just about conversations and prayers. During each visit, regardless of the size of the visiting group, we must praise, pray, and comfort visitees," the pastor said. This way, when facing believers of different situations and spiritual levels, the visitation team can provide comprehensive care for body, mind, and spirit. "If believers do not fully understand the truth or have important life events such as weddings or funerals, our pastors also lead the team to conduct services at their homes."
Additionally, every Monday morning, the church organizes a Bible study for the group leaders and key members. Receiving spiritual food, they also discuss difficult situations occurring during visitations. The pastors answer questions and share pastoral experiences with the core members, who then pass them down to the grassroots volunteers.
"Through visitations and Bible studies, our internal communication can be carried out for better management. Our pastors can also promptly understand believers’ status and develop appropriate pastoral strategies at different stages," said the pastor.
In recent years, besides caring for registered members, they have also begun visiting migrant Christians in need. Additionally, the pastor leads teams into hospitals and nursing homes to provide pastoral care for believers, as well as non-believers sharing the same hospital ward or even the same floor.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Pastoral Visitation in Full Swing at Fujian Church
