Putting Some Meat on Them Bones

If you've been keeping up with my posts, you might agree with the statement that I've established a need for prayer quite well, thank you! So let's "put some meat on them bones" of prayer and move into the practical.

In a previous post, Anatomy of a Care Ministry: The Heart of the Matter, I promised to discuss how we currently minister to people while in the organizational stages of a care ministry. My experience in training seminary students for ministry is that many do not know their options when people are in crisis or struggling with trauma of the past and childhood wounds. For example, the last time I taught a Pastoral Care and Counseling class, I asked the students why they signed up for this particular course. For some, it was a requirement. But several of the students were graduating soon and were concerned with their lack of training for pastoral care ministry. They wanted to "get this course in" before they were done with formal seminary education. I'm always impressed at their sincerity and deep desire to love people with the love of Jesus and bring good biblical counsel to their future flocks. But I sometimes find a disconnect between their passion and their understanding of how to proceed.

The following is a conversation I've had over the years with many prospective pastors in my seminary Pastoral Care and Counseling 101 classes. It illustrates how some students think about care and counseling in the local church.

Me: "What will you do when people come to you with personal problems? Perhaps they are depressed, have marriage problems, or suffer from a mid-life crisis?

Student #1: "I will find out what their problem is and refer them to someone who is a specialist. After all, I'm not qualified to treat depression and haven't taken the advanced marital counseling class."

Me: "Yes, knowing your limits is a good thing. It is unethical and possibly hurtful to counsel someone that needs a professional or a specialist in their area of need. Finding out the problem is good so you know to whom to refer. What else will you do?"

Student #2: "I will pray during the session and ask them if I can put them on the prayer chain."

Me: "Yes, prayer is always a priority when we meet with people. What else?"

Student #3: "I will meet with them three times, explaining up front that I'm not a counselor, but will try to help in any way I can and then refer."

Me: "Yes, it is good to know your boundaries regarding your schedule and giftedness. What else, class?"

Student #4: "I will counsel them once a week for a period of six months. I love to counsel and that is one of my gifts."

Me: "You are wise in that problems often take a long time and hurting people may need a lot of attention. What else will you do?"

Blank stares from the class.

Hmmm... All of these students have excellent answers. None of the answers are off base. They understand the importance of making a good referral and taking care of their congregation members.

I do believe there are three central action plans that are missing in the above conversation. We can take action now, even before a well-developed care ministry is intact.

Here are three areas of focus you can initiate today with hurting people:

1. Connection to the body of Christ

2. Provision for core longings

3. Implementation of a team ministry concept


Referral to professionals is an important element of care for those who need that level of expertise. But, here's the good news!  There are specific things we can do within the local church body to make a difference in people's lives. 

I will develop each of these action plans above in future posts. In the meantime, I challenge you to consider the question regarding the provision of  care to our congregations.

What else can you do  "in the now" for people that need spiritual and emotional healing?

(comments welcome!)

Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Bare Bones Prayer

I did not anticipate such a prayer soaked summer, but I did ask for it. Perhaps that rather contradictory statement needs an explanation. With several life changes on the horizon, I knew I needed to spend a season of time praying for discernment, praying God would show me his plan, and praying I would be in tune with him and follow his lead. Well, here I am, soaking in this season of prayer. But I don't particularly want to stay here. Well, I do and I don't. (More contradictions.) It truly is a blessing to take time to pray, but my doing nature prods me to move along. Get going! Make plans! Organize! But God continues to slow me down to pray.

Here are a list of reasons I have not escaped a "prayer drenching" thus far this summer:

1. I attended a prayer event called "The Infilling." This was not just a soft summer rain, but a downpour! We prayed for others with boldness and the authority of Christ. And others prayed for me with boldness and authority. For four days I participated and received an overflow of the Holy Spirit through worship and prayer.
2. I directed an event called the "Summer Intensive" at the Formational Prayer Seminar at Ashland Seminary. Intensive is the operative word here. While my role was primarily leadership and administrative, God kept positioning me to pray for people. He also woke me up several times in the middle of the night to pray.
3. God keeps stretching my children and growing them which always motivates Mom to pray, pray, pray.
4. My husband ended up in the emergency room with what could have been life debilitating symptoms. He was finally diagnosed with a viral infection after numerous tests.
5. In a year, I will have more free time and I don't know how God wants me to spend it.

So, you might wonder, what does all this have to do with my subject line, Anatomy of a Care Ministry: Bare Bones Prayer? Quite frankly, I am not sure exactly. But here is what I do know. We are commanded to pray. I want to be like Jesus and follow his examples of prayer that I read about in the Gospels. In between preaching and healing, Jesus went to the wilderness to pray as he continued to only do what he saw the Father doing. I want to live out the lessons we are learning through our church sermon series about  Nehemiah and pray before I do any building of my own at church. I want to follow Nehemiah's lead of returning to prayer as he walked out his holy calling as a spiritual leader.

In the meantime, prayer opportunities keep surfacing. I will help lead a group of intercessors to pray for the activities and speakers at the Brethren National Conference in July. I will join with other intercessors at Park Street Church next month to pray for direction of our care ministry. I will pray with my spiritual formation group this Thursday.

What is on the horizon for your ministry?

Are you making prayer the bare bones of your planning time?