The Caring Congregation Ministry Implementation Guide
The Caring Congregation Ministry Implementation Guide

Author: Karen Lampe

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2021-05-04

Total Pages: 155

ISBN-13: 1791013392

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Pastors and church leaders genuinely want to care for people in their congregations and communities. But pastors cannot care for an entire church, and most laypersons don't have the training to do it. The Caring Congregation Ministry is a model for person-to-person care that's been proven to work in small and large churches across the U.S. It is a laity-centered ministry, where laypersons receive rigorous training and then are commissioned to serve as Congregational Care Ministers, caring for others in their own congregation and their extended community. This remarkable approach to congregational care was first developed by author Karen Lampe and her team at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, in Kansas City. It has been tested, refined, and strengthened, and is now being adapted in all sorts of congregational settings. One early adapter was co-author Melissa Gepford, who launched a Caring Congregation Ministry in her own rural church. Together, they have created this immensely practical guide for any pastor or leader seeking to create a congregational care ministry. This Implementation Guide is the main book for getting started. It introduces the ministry model and explains the Five Essentials which form the ministry's foundation. It is extremely practical, full of checklists and other tools to help pastors and other leaders understand (and explain) this way of providing congregational care. The Implementation Guide also includes a section focused on the crucial component of this ministry–the Congregational Care Minister, or CCM. This section fully describes the characteristics of CCM's, how to recruit people to this ministry, how to discern if candidates are a good fit, and how to conduct the CCM training over a multi-week period. It details the critical information CCM's must know, and the behaviors and habits they must practice in order to be effective. Note that the companion book, The Caring Congregation Ministry: Care Minister's Manual, is required for the CCM training. It serves as a training workbook, which then becomes the CCM's personal reference manual.

The Caring Congregation Ministry
The Caring Congregation Ministry

Author: Karen Lampe

Publisher:

Published: 2021-02-16

Total Pages: 112

ISBN-13: 9781791013400

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The Care Minister's Manual is the personal training workbook and reference guide for Congregational Care Ministers (CCM's), who serve a central role in the Caring Congregation Ministry. CCM's receive in-depth training, where they learn the theological foundations of congregational care, plus the behaviors, habits, and practices they will need to follow in order to serve others well. Each CCM-in-training should have a copy of this Manual. It serves as their training workbook, which then becomes the CCM's personal reference guide. The Caring Congregation Ministry is a model for congregational care that's been proven to work in small and large churches across the U.S. It is a laity-centered ministry, where laypersons receive training and then are commissioned to serve as Congregational Care Ministers or CCM's, caring for the people in their congregation and community. The Caring Congregation Ministry: Implementation Guide is the main book for pastors and other leaders seeking to build, launch, and sustain a Caring Congregation Ministry in their church.

Lay Pastoral Care Giving
Lay Pastoral Care Giving

Author: Timothy M. Farabaugh

Publisher: Upper Room Books

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780881775549

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A distinguished historian, academic and occasional evangelist I know was hushed by his stunned wife after he said to a friend he was visiting in the hospital, "I hope you don't die." A sentiment delivered sincerely but oh-so-awkwardly. Expressing care to someone in need--whether within the community of faith or beyond--may seem the most natural thing in the world. For some, it is; for others, it's less so. All can improve. Learn to reach out with God's love and care for others as outlined in this practical book. Farabaugh offers a systemic path for pastoral care using the gifts of the laity in the church. "At a district Council on Ministries' meeting, our conversation focused on the realization that most of the clergy had no assistance in the area of pastoral care and felt overwhelmed by their many, sometimes conflicting, responsibilities," writes Farabaugh. "Most of the churches did not train anyone in caring ministries. Today it is time for clergy and laity to partner in caring for one another." Unique to this course is the ongoing training and accountability meetings outlined for those in this invaluable ministry. During the monthly meetings, participants report on what they have learned and also study aspects of caring for situations and conditions of life, such as illness, suffering, grief and loss. Leader's Guide: Leading in Lay Pastoral Care

Eldercare as Art and Ministry
Eldercare as Art and Ministry

Author: Irene V. Jackson-Brown

Publisher: Church Publishing, Inc.

Published: 2020-10-16

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 1640653082

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This book addresses the fact that, despite the inevitability of aging, the vast majority of us are ill-prepared for eldercare. Eldercare as Art and Ministry broadens and deepens an understanding of eldercare as an art and as a ministry. As art, eldercare requires creativity, imagination, and perseverance. Here, ministry is considered in its fullest meaning, to include guiding, administering, serving, waiting upon, or acting as a loved one's agent. Through stories, lessons, and poignant vignettes, Jackson-Brown calls each one of us—whether young or older, ordained or laity, fortunate or less fortunate, prepared or not—to serve and care for an aging loved one. For lay people and professionals, this book is a guide to navigate the challenges of eldercare and to find meaning in this important work.

Extending the Table
Extending the Table

Author: Mark W. Stamm

Publisher: Upper Room Books

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780881775532

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"Who is missing?" Mark Stamm says this is a quesion the church should ask every time its members gather around the Lord's Table. Participation in the Lord's Supper is not a ritual action we perform as isolated individuals, Stamm points out. Instead, we partake of the sacrament with the whole church in mind, even those who cannot attend. In Extending the Table Stamm discusses historical, theological, and pastoral questions about home Communion demonstrates the central role Communion has played in Christian life asserts that the church must seek ways to include its "unwillingly absent members" in the celebration of the Lord's Supper offers practical suggestions for inclusion of all people in receiving the sacrament This book is an excellent resource for clergy, laypersons, and scholars committed to deeper understanding and increased strengthening of the body of Christ.

When the One You Love Is Gone
When the One You Love Is Gone

Author: Rebekah Miles

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 131

ISBN-13: 1426745869

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When a loved one dies, you don't get over it, but you can move forward. The bad news is that we never fully "get over" the loss of those we hold most dear; we bear those scars to the grave. The good news is that God is at work in us turning our loss and pain into something beautiful. God can take the scars and the mess and the heartache of our lives-- yours and mine--­ and use it to give new life, new life to us and new life to others. God is not in the business of zapping our loved ones and stealing them away from us. But in a world where death waits for every person, God stands ready. God stands ready to receive our beloved dead as they cross over; and God stands ready to guide us through the saddest days, to walk with us through our grief, and to take us into places we never could have imagined places of hope and renewal. If God could take a cross and broken body and make of them redemption, God can take your pain and heartache and fashion them into new life. This book is composed of the reflections that point to broader lessons that will help those who find themselves passing through grief, as well as the pastors, counselors, and friends whose job is to accompany the traveler.

Why?
Why?

Author: Adam Hamilton

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2018-02-20

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 1501858297

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Where is God when tragedy and suffering strike? When the ground shakes, and a poor nation's economy is destroyed; when the waters rise, washing away a community's hopes and dreams; when a child suffers neglect and abuse; when violence tears apart nations; where is God; If God is all powerful, and if each one of us is a beloved child of God, then how can God allow tragedy and suffering to infest his creation? In Why?, best-selling author Adam Hamilton brings fresh insight to the age-old question of how to understand the will of God. Rejecting simplistic answers and unexamined assumptions, he lays out core ideas for comprehending God's plan for the world, including: God will not take away our free will, even when we use it to grieve him. God will never abandon us, especially in the midst of our suffering. While God is not the author of suffering, God will bring blessing out of tragedy.

The Art of Hospitality Companion Book Revised Edition
The Art of Hospitality Companion Book Revised Edition

Author: Debi Nixon

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Published: 2024-08-06

Total Pages: 62

ISBN-13: 1791033229

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Create a culture of radical hospitality that surprises and delights guests beyond their expectations. The Art of Hospitality guides you and your church to creating a ministry of radical hospitality. While the main book is intended for pastors and church leaders, this Companion Book is designed for the whole congregation, to equip and inspire everyone to embrace a ministry of welcome. Engaging worship and intentional follow-up processes are important, but what compels guests to return to our churches is the warmth of our welcome and hospitality that goes beyond their expectations. In The Art of Hospitality, Yvonne Gentile and Debi Nixon guide you and your church creating radical hospitality that infiltrates the heart and culture of the entire congregation. Choose The Art of Hospitality main book for pastors and other leaders in the church. Choose the Companion Book for everyone else in the congregation.

The Essential Guide to Family Ministry
The Essential Guide to Family Ministry

Author: Gail Adcock

Publisher:

Published: 2020-01-24

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9780857465788

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This book provides a comprehensive foundation for those working in the increasingly complex and diverse area of ministry with families. The Essential Guide to Family Ministrypresents an overview of contemporary family life, sets out the principles that underpin this work and offers strategic and practical approaches to working with families. An essential read for all who are involved in this field and passionate about seeing God's kingdom come in families, churches and communities. Never before has the church sought to invest so much in caring, supporting and sharing faith with those living on their doorstep. Across the land, families are being welcomed in churches to an exciting array of groups, activities and worship services. This offers an impetus to be better equipped and informed for ministry that successfully meets the needs of people of all ages and stages in life. Growing our understanding of families in the 21st century is paramount if we're going to effectively minister to them.