Re-member Care

Pat Hood, Senior Pastor of LifePoint Church, shared on Ongoing Support (Re-member Care) for our seventh round of discussion during the Sending Church Roundtable.

We want to care before they get there. It helps us send out healthier people.

Some things the senior pastor cannot delegate. This is true of caring for team leaders on a regular basis. I go to each of our spots at least twice a year.

We also send short-term teams and individuals to go and be with these people. It is best for us to go in smaller groups. We have business persons traveling and families vacationing to spend time with and bless our teams.

I don’t go with our mission teams to these locations because I will meet with each family unit and other leaders in town that they want me to meet with.

These things have to be driven by the senior pastor. He has to drive it from the pulpit or it won’t get done. I try to keep mentioning our teams to our congregation.

Our small groups adopt a team or a family. We have a point person for each initiative. This person helps keep these guys in front of our people.

When our people return home, we provide mission housing and help in every way we possibly can. Also, we provide professional marriage counseling as needed, provide an annual retreat, etc.

Larry McCrary on member care for the sending church

This is the story of Epaphroditus. He is the church’s messenger, the minister to his needs.

You may need to outsource some of this. There is professional counseling available for those that need it.

Great to hear from the church “what are your needs?” It is hard for a missionary to feel like they are asking for something.

Snail mail packages are meaningful. They show that someone really cares.