What’s the care structure in your church?

‘Do I have the right pastoral care structures in my church?’ It’s a question I get asked a great deal. It’s a question to which there is no easy answer, because different churches will need different structures.

What’s appropriate will be dependent on the age of the church (church plants and established churches will work in very different ways); the size of the church; the culture of the area; the gifts of the leaders and congregation members; and the theological convictions on matters such as authority, governance and pastoral roles. But there are some questions churches can ask themselves to begin to tease out if their pastoral structure is apt, and here are a few:

Is the structure understood?

Whatever the structure, it only has a chance of helping people well if people know what it is. Where can people go when in distress? After they’ve made that first approach, what will happen next? Will others be told? Will that group operate some kind of corporate confidentiality? Is everyone with a role or responsibility clear on what that role and responsibility is? Not every pastoral situation has to take the same path but knowing there are clear paths will help people access care with confidence. Sometimes it’s a good idea to ask four members of the congregation to sketch out how they think pastoral care works within the church. Once you’ve compared their answers, you’ll know if people understand the structure or not.

Is the structure rooted in Christ?

Meals, lifts, and all forms of practical care are wonderful, but pastoral care is designed to be centred on Christ. God’s word is powerful in all situations – it is transformational as people see the hope, comfort, strength, grace and call that it contains – and the Spirit is always active. Are the people involved in care quick to listen, eager to pray and confident in Scripture? Not in the sense that they think a quick prayer and a Bible verse will make things better, but is there an attitude of deep dependence on the Lord as people talk about hard things? A dependence that makes prayer and scouring Scripture the most normal thing for brothers and sisters to do together when life is hard.

Does the structure value wisely the gifts of many people?

Pastoral care is the role of everyone in the church, not just a few. People will have different gifts, different levels of maturity and different capacities – all those things are significant – but everyone can do something. Does the structure in operation in your church allow for many people to be involved in caring for others? And does it do so in a way that is co-ordinated, so everyone is supported, and everyone knows there is no scope for being a lone ranger and no merit in trying to care in ways which exceed their capabilities.

Does the structure have an ethos of journeying with people?

Life is busy; few of us feel as if we have the capacity to add lots of extra meetings in our diary. But it’s rare that any person can be helped well in a one-off meeting. Pastoral care – the Christian life – is long term and relational. It’s undergirded by love. Is the built-in expectation that church leaders and members will walk alongside one another through the ups and downs of life rather than just dive into each other’s lives when things are particularly rough?

Is there training?

All of us need help to grow in our care of others. It’s not easy to listen, to understand someone’s heart, to apply Scripture, to remember safeguarding, to liaise well with others – including those in the secular world at times. Most of us lack facility and confidence. What training is offered in your church?

The exact structure may vary widely from church to church, but if you can answer these questions well, there’s a good chance the structure is helping those around. If such questions bring gaps to light, please know you are not alone, but growing towards a gospel-centred and effective structure can be a wonderful call.