Friends,
To the writing of books (and blogs) there is no end (Ecc.12:12). Nevertheless, not all writings are equally created, nor are they equally distributed as it pertains to the ministerial life. Whether you find yourself in seminary, seminars or simply reading, one aspect of pastoral life seems terrible undervalued and overlooked. I call it the "pastoral visit."
A pastor typically makes five types of visits. You have the "evangelistic visit" in which you seek to get to know and share the gospel with an unbeliever. You have the "counseling visit" which, as the name applies, is a visit designed strictly to give counsel on an issue a church member is facing. You have the "tragedy visit" which is a ministry of presence in times of loss, death or destruction. You have the "sick visit," which is visiting the sick in their time of distress and need. Then you have the "pastoral visit," which is a visit with a church member for the purpose of fellowshipping, learning of their needs, gathering specific ways to pray for their lives and to gauge the level of discipleship and growth their walk with Christ is producing. At heart, the "pastoral visit" is part and parcel of a pastor’s shepherding ministry (Acts 20:28). A great deal of Jesus’ ministry involved the "pastoral visit."
Yet, the "pastoral visit" seems to be a dying venture for pastors. I am not exactly for sure why this is the case, though I would surmise it is a result of pastoral laziness, pastoral ignorance and pastoral pride. Also, the pastoral visit may be dying out because research seems to be pointing to the observation that pastors of growing churches do not do as many pastoral visits as others. I think the rationale behind this observation is obvious. Most pastors seem to be very good at either evangelistic visitation or pastoral visitation- it is a rare pastor who can do both excellently. In either case, especially if one ministers in a rural area, the pastoral visit will become a standard portion of ministry and probably should be for churches urban as well.
I am not quite willing to give the pastoral visit up just yet. I believe, and my experience has verified, that fewer things lead to the fulfillment of the shepherding ministry of the pastor. I also believe that pastoral visits facilitate a relationship between the pastor and the church member wherein spiritual matters and needs are easily mined, thus expanding the ministry of the Word and the gospel. Furthermore, pastoral visitation sets an example to the flock of care and concern that the flock will hopefully emulate.
So, how do you do a pastoral visitation?
First, develop a pastoral visitation strategy. Minimally, every family in the church should be visited at least once a year. That number can and probably should increase for smaller congregations.
Secondly, learn to be lead of the Spirit and visit members who have been laid on your conscience. I cannot tell you how many times the Lord has laid someone on my heart and upon going to see them they say, "I was just now hoping you would stop in." Normally, they are facing some trouble in life, and so the pastoral visitation turns into a counseling visitation (and that’s O.K.).
Thirdly, learn to become an astute observer and listener of everything. When I make a pastoral visit, I become very conscious of everything I see and hear. This can include the artwork present on walls, the placement of the furniture and television, the orderliness of the home, magazines or books placed in common view, the willingness or unwillingness of the person to turn their television off, etc. And, speaking of books, if a Bible is out this offers a chance to view its creases and so forth for "usage" or lack thereof. All of these things help inform me as to how the person is actually living, the priorities they have in life and so forth. Also, do note those things you hear- especially things you repeatedly hear. It is worth noticing if your member constantly brings us a life issue or spiritual question or theological doctrine. Developing an excellent habit of listening will serve this end well.
Fourthly, learn to field spiritual questions, but do not use the normal spiritual language. Be common in your conversation because people who have been in church a long time know how to use religious cookie-cutter responses that can be absolutely meaningless to their true spiritual condition. For example, instead of directly asking, "how are you doing in the disciplines of the Christian life," discuss the temptations and struggles to maintain private devotions and prayer from your own perspective. When a person realizes you are not out to give them the Christian equivalent of a CIA interrogation but are among them as one who also struggles, they will open up and ask questions as to how to better overcome these elements in their lives.
Fifthly, mentally catalogue all necessary points of your consideration and share prayer with them. As noted above, the question, "is there anything I can pray for you about," will probably be answered with, "no, I’m alright." The reason being is that they have probably just shared a plethora of things you can pray for them about, but they would have trouble detailing exactly what those requests could be. For example, I once made pastoral visits to a dear brother in Christ who was always worried about money (even though he was an aged man and had plenty of it). He was especially vexed in his heart about his money as it related to his divorce with his wife, which occurred over thirty years ago at the time. It became clear that this brother needed comfort for God to meet his needs as well as needing to learn forgiveness. Quite literally, he had not been able to get on in life and finally he went to Heaven with decades, maybe a lifetime, of these pains in tow. Nevertheless, if I were to ask him directly, "what can I pray for you about," I would not have received the response "for God to comfort my heart and lead me to forgive others."
Other considerations:
Be careful to respect time and schedules. Life is always happening and a pastor should not create additional burdens. Having said that, some pastors prefer to call to arrange a visitation. I do not personally do this but rather just simply "drop in." My reasoning for not calling is that part of the pastoral visitation ministry is to remind members not only that Christ is among them through the body, but that he could return any moment. And, in the event that a member has an "on site" issue occurring, I can throw myself right into the work and help them out.
Be careful to avoid all appearances of evil. Meeting with women can be an especial problem. I personally meet with elderly women by myself, but for women younger in age, another person, especially your wife, should accompany the visit. Some pastors prefer to take deacons along with them. The only drawback to anyone coming with a pastor is that sometimes people may not open up in the same way they would if they were speaking with the pastor alone. On the other hand, especially if one’s wife accompanies the visit, much more may be shared than could have otherwise.
Be careful to not visit the same person on the same day of the week at the same time. They will come to expect it and it will create additional burdens on yourself if you did not show when they thought you would.
Be careful to guard the time you have with the person. I enjoy discussing all matters of life and believe such discussion can be used for the purpose at hand. But do not get too far into triviality, for some rabbit trails lead to rabbit holes and can be hard to get out of.
Be careful to not allow a pastoral visit to turn into a time of gossip or back-biting against other church members. Some members feel that when they have the pastor’s ear they need to get everything they hold against others off their chests. Pray and counsel accordingly when this occurs. Along these same lines, be careful when handling criticism of yourself. Sometimes during pastoral visits, members sense the freedom to share their problems against you, with you. Always remember that some criticism is valid and opens up an opportunity for greater ministry. Conversely, ill-formed criticism can’t be dealt with directly as well. In either case, seek to be an example and use the opportunity for service (1 Timothy 4:2). And be grateful the person actually spoke to you about it instead of every last other person in the church besides you.
Be careful to take time wisely. I’ve never really counted the minutes in any of my pastoral visitations, but I would venture to say that anything less than 15 minutes is too short and anything longer than an hour is too long. Always remember that there can and should be more visits. The pastoral visitation ministry is very much a marathon to help others spiritually, not a sprint.
Be careful to truly recall any useful knowledge received. If you cannot mentally store that knowledge, keep a notebook in your truck and record your thoughts when you leave the house. You can also take a tape recorder to record your interaction after leaving the visit (of course, never tape the visit itself). This will help you to guide your prayers for your brothers and sisters.
Be careful to not bring any distractions to the meeting. Turn cell phones off; better yet, leave them in your truck or car.
Be careful to never do a visit out of obligation’s sake alone. There are simply some times of life that one cannot adequately and rightly perform a visit. As noted earlier, pastoral visitation take an enormous amount of spiritual energy. If one is low on that energy, so to speak, you can rest assured the visit will have little fruit- it may even be harmful.
Be careful to not let pastoral visitation consume your visitation work. One must perform all ministries of visitation and one must still maintain the necessary time in prayer for the flock as well as the preaching of God’s Word (Acts 6:4).
Be sure to keep in your truck a note to leave on the door in the event you missed the person being at home. These are just small reminders that they are thought about, loved and prayed for. Some church members will have never received a pastoral visit from any pastor and even a small note saying we were there can be just as meaningful to them as a face to face visit.
Finally, very few actions a pastor can take more directly benefit his credit with the congregation as well as offer much insight to his preaching to the congregation than pastoral visitation. Also, apart from the benefit received to the church member, the pastor can use the time in a pastoral visitation to cast vision for the church, get input for effective ministry and engage members in works of service to the glory of God’s name.
And do remember, my brothers, since Christ is risen none of our work will be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58).
May God Bless You In It,
TJ
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13 comments:
Friends,
I just had a thought as soon as I posted this blog. I remember talking with my good friend, Pastor Josh LaGrange, time about pastoral visitation. He informed me that some people he knew were personally offended if a pastor "just dropped in." The country folks I've normally ministered to would find it just plain weird that I would need to call them. Either way, evaluate your congregations climate to this issue.
To call or not to call, that is the question...
Blessings,
TJ
I appreciate this post a great deal. I like making visits, but there is always room for improvement when it comes to actualy making a pastoral visit.
If I may, I would like to throw in a couple of ideas. First, Richard Baxter in The Reformed Pastor devotes a lenghty section to this ministry. He further adds that the pastoral visit should be primarily to catechize the members. . .using two full days each week to accomplish it! Which leads to my second point: the necessity of a plurality of elders. In a booklet given to me a couple of years ago simply entitled "Shepherding the Flock", the author (whose last name is DeYoung) argues for pastoral visitation through the eldership. As a church grows, it will be nigh unto impossible for the pastor to see to the spiritual needs of his members. In 2 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul tells Timothy, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
The pastoral visitation ministry in many of our churches comes through the deacons. Even our deacons at New Bethel have a book that they use entitled "The Deacon Family Ministry Workbook". Biblically, again and again, the family ministry of a church belongs to the elders, not the deacons. This has been practiced even in Baptist churches up until the twentieth century (see Mark Dever's "Polity" for some excellent examples). The elders are entrusted with some families to check up on spiritually. They then discuss what is happening with their families as part of their regular elders' meetings.
Thank you for your post as it reminds of the supreme honor it is to serve the flocks entrusted to us. . .as it also humbles us as we realize our immense responsibility for which we must answer to God someday. Let US be found faithful!
Brother Ben,
Thanks for you response and input. I appreciate your exhortation for us to be found faithful in this ministry. I have not always been, but it is my goal.
Anyone who has read the Reformed Pastor no doubt instantly recalls Baxter’s teachings on the subject of pastoral visitation. I personally believe that section is the best section of his entire book. I differ slightly with him in approach and scope. For example, I prefer catechism-ic usage to be ministered in families from families. But I agree wholeheartedly with his emphasis on using pastoral visitation to minister and gauge the spiritual health of the entire family.
I’m not quite certain we can use pastoral visitation as a proof, i.e. “necessity” for a plurality of elders in church governance. But I agree with you that biblically the pastoral visitation ministry is a pastor ministry, not a deacon ministry. As you alluded to, in the New Testament its pastors, not deacons, that must give an account for their teaching and handling of the flock, which will certainly extend past the pulpit (Hebrews 13:17). Also, as you alluded to, pastoral visitation is designed for spiritual needs whereas deacon ministry is designed for material needs (though there is certainly a spiritual element).
Give my regards to the wife and kids and may you all be richly blessed of our Lord in the New Year!
Blessings,
TJ
I agree with your assessment of the catechizing. . .this is the parent's role. I did not intend to support his view by my comments, only point out what his intentions were.
I knew as I hit the 'submit' button you would nail me for my use of the word 'necessity'! If I may clarify: due to the demand of the work, and perhaps the size of a congregation, it is wise if a pastor may be able to tap into the leaders God has placed in the body to help with the visitation task. It is my considered opinion, based on my study of Scripture, that elders, both vocational and lay, are God's design for this task. We have spoken with each other about this before, but this is what I see as primary when I consider elder leadership--pastoral ministry which includes this type of visitation. I hope this helps.
Happy New Year to you and your family as well!
Brother,
Thanks for clarifying your position on Baxter. I didn’t assume you were supporting his view so much as stating what he did. Nevertheless, the discussion of this point benefits us as I think we all needed to be reminded about the role of the family in such spiritual endeavors.
Your comment on a plurality of elders does help and I see where you were coming from. I think we simply have differences in the notion of a plurality of elders in church governance, some more apparent than others (such as, where exactly in Scripture do we find a “lay-elder”?). Nevertheless, I believe we hold overarching agreement to the pastoral ministry of the elder (single or plural) as it pertains to pastoral visitation. In either form of governance, it does lay within the pastor(s) of the congregation to perform this spiritual ministry to the flock. And as you stated earlier, we should strive to be found faithful in it. May Christ make it so.
Blessings,
TJ
Well, I might not be dogmatic about it, but the passage I mentioned in my first comment (2 Timothy 2:1-2) could be used to support lay elders. Peter spoke of the "elders which are among you". Could this include non-vocational elders? Perhaps. You are correct that biblical evidence for lay elders is scant. It is more of a practical out working within a local body. Perhaps a local body cannot afford several full-time staff members, but does that mean that there are no men among them who meet the qualifications in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 2. The local body is a great training ground for such men to prepare for vocational ministry. Or perhaps they wish to stay in their local church and teach and serve there, while staying in their vocation. I think this is allowable and even prudent in a local church setting.
Brother Ben,
I think you have outlined the real impetus for vocational or lay(?) plural elder ministry in saying “It is more of a practical out working within a local body.” Ultimately, all positions in favor of a plurality of elders roots itself upon the ability to minister within a local church more than any other factor. The Scripture’s alone are not enough to maintain the position any way that it goes.
I do appreciate the angle you use when considering the ministry of men called to the gospel ministry though not yet called to a church. I really believe we need to have much more practical, hands-on mentorship with pastors in training or pastors newly in the ministry. A ministry such as pastoral visitation cannot really be taught in seminary or in the reading of books. The benefit of a new minister joining an experienced minister in such visitation would certainly bring much benefit.
Blessings,
TJ
First, another note on Baxter. I was thinking today about our comments regarding his catechizing. He was not trying to catechize children, but the members. They, in turn, presumably would train their children accordingly.
Second, I will kindly disagree with your following comments: "Ultimately, all positions in favor of a plurality of elders roots itself upon the ability to minister within a local church more than any other factor. The Scripture’s alone are not enough to maintain the position any way that it goes."
I believe that Scripture supports a plural eldership. If I am not mistaken, every time elders are mentioned in the NT, it is plural and every church apparently had them. I think the question is whether these men were called to the work as a vocation or not. Now that I think about it, though, what is interesting about the NT references to elders is that they are mentioned in descriptive/narrative passages, and their qualifications are listed in prescriptive/didactic passages, but there is nothing presriptive/didactic about the necessity of a plural eldership. Is this because it was just understood to be a fact of the matter, or was it a cultural context matter?
Inquiring minds want to know . . .
Brother Hottel,
Thanks for the note on Baxter- undoubtedly his ministerial example is one for us all to examine, especially as it pertains to pastoral visitation. I think, regardless of form used, that both his style and my style of pastoral visitation seek the same end- his being by catechism and mine not. And, perhaps just as if not more meaningful, I think this discussion surrounding him has yielded a good reminder to us all that ministry in the family incorporates ministry from the family as well as from the church. This points us back to the very present need for practiced, purposeful pastoral visitation. As you’ve exhorted before, may we be found faithful.
I also appreciate your disagreement with my statement on eldership, though I am disappointed your reasons in favor of eldership are less than convincing. The idea that plural eldership is normative for all churches because elders were spoken of in the plural in every NT instance is a very common, but very assumptive conclusion to make. And, strictly speaking, it is a false one (1 Timothy 5:19, 1 Peter 5:1, 2 John 1:1, 3 John 1:1). So as not to drift too far from the issue at hand, I think a discussion such as this is better suited for another venue, perhaps a point/counterpoint blog you and I could do. Therefore, I’ll digress from further comment save to answer this one question you pose.
You state, “…but there is nothing prescriptive/didactic about the necessity of a plural eldership. Is this because it was just understood to be a fact of the matter, or was it a cultural context matter?”
My answer: I believe you have overlooked a third option as this being a “God’s will matter.” Truly there is nothing prescriptive or didactic or commanded about the plural eldership in the Bible. That is a huge concession I am glad to see you observe and make. It is never commanded, therefore, we should be careful to assume this is the normative (much less consider a "necessity") principle for churches, especially when our conclusions must be drawn from descriptive/narrative passages. It also gives us great insight as to such questions as whether or not the Bible supports an entirely new class of “non-vocational” elders (which is a contradiction in terms) even if Piper has them (sorry, brother, I couldn’t resist).
Seriously, though, and back to the topic at hand, Baptists typically refer to “non-vocational” ministers in terms of “the priesthood of the believer,” which actually can factor into pastoral ministry in useful and valuable ways. As every believer is a priest unto God, we are also priests unto one another and therefore some of the elements of pastoral visitation can and should be found in the ministry of the members at large. I am especially grateful that I have some women, for example, who make visits with other women to fellowship with them and pray with them, and the same is true for some men in my congregation. I wouldn’t (and of course, shouldn’t) expect the congregation to do the precise work of pastoral ministry to the local church at large, but when elements can be shared in the Body it is a thing that should be supported, a means of grace, and a blessing to all.
Blessings,
TJ- “The” Elder at Newtonville
First, I will concede that in this particular blog I have not laid out all of the details regarding a theology on elders. I have tried to keep the original post in mind. The original point I was striving to make was that the nature of the work you described, and found in Baxter, is a work perhaps beyond what one man can accomplish. Strive to do it we must. But on a practical side, how great it would be to have some other men who could share in this work together, thus benefitting all.
I would agree that every family should be visited anually. Our church has over 800 people on the roll. . .that would be between 150 and 300 families. This is an overwhelming task. How does one man go about it? And not neglect the Word and prayer. And not neglect his own family. And accomplish some reading. And get some sleep (perhaps this is overrated). This is not to be critical of your post, but again to point out the necessity of help in accomplishing the work.
Second, I agree in your view of the priesthood of all believers. Members of the church are to minister to one another. In fact, part of our job is to prepare them for these acts of service. But as you say, they are not to be entrusted with the pastoral visit.
I don't mind the Piper comment. . .a little levity goes a long way with me :) I don't necessarily wish to something because my favorite pastors are doing it. I do wish to be faithful to what I find in Scripture. I would also say that I am a little green regarding the elder issue. I have done some reading and listening on it and find the studies convincing. But I learn something new or a different angle with each exposure. Thank you for being more than gracious in our exchange of comments.
Brother Hottel,
I believe the most straightforward response I can give to the first two paragraphs of your last post can be summarized in two words-“Associate Pastor!”
HA! I thought you especially might get a kick out of that one!!
Seriously, though, there are some further implications, and what I am about to say is not to be critical of your response either. In fact, what I am about to say I say for my own ministry and church as well. I believe churches such as New Hope and New Bethel probably need to get real with our membership numbers. As best I can recall, New Bethel’s actual Sunday attendance does not even come close to approaching 800- nor does New Hope approach 300. The actual number of “in-fellowship” persons in both our churches, divided by family, will be shown to be totally doable from a pastoral ministry standpoint (single elder, that is). And if there actually is more than is doable from a pastoral ministry standpoint, then its time to plant a new church:)
Furthermore, I think by the numbers it is clear we have made two failures. The first, and less serious, is that we’ve gotten lazy with our records. The second, and more serious, is that we’ve not maintained a real belief in regenerate church membership. These are not popular things to state, especially in pioneer Baptist states such as Indiana, and are most assuredly material for a different blog in a different time.
Speaking of which, maybe we can proceed sometime with our idea of point/counterpoint blog relating to some of these issues.
Blessings,
TJ
Great post! I too think the pastoral visit has gone by the wayside in recent years, but might I suggest a differing perspective on it? TJ, you probably can do more visitation than I can simply because you are paid a full-time salary. I am bi-vocational and get paid next to nothing when it comes to getting all the bills paid. Most of my time during the day outside the church involves working a secular job so that I can provide for my family. Then when I get home at night, I have to prepare for sermons, prayer meetings and other events - and still spend time with family!
There are thousands upon thousands of other pastors out there in our state and nation that are in my situation. In fact, I've read somewhere (Les Puryear maybe?) that some 80% of SBC churches are bi-vocational. The time constraints alone make pastoral visitation almost impossible for me. I neglect it not because I don't want to do it - I really don't have time to do it!
Now with that said, I'm not sure about the full-time perspective. Not sure what excuse other than laziness some might come up with. I would love to be full-time and be able to visit my shut-ins and members more often in their homes.
I will also say this about the plurality of elders. While I think the forthcoming view from the seminary graduates is frankly unbiblical and unbaptist, I kinda like it. I could use a couple of other pastors along side of me to minister to Limestone rightly! But again, it's more practical that anything else and biblically Senior Pastor and Associate Pastor(s) seem to be the better idea than paid elder and lay elder. If a worker is worthy of his wages, shouldn't all elders be paid? Just a thought.
One final thought on visitatiion: could it also be failing because some pastors have their nose in too many books all the time? I'm all for academic study. I'm all for expositional preaching. Anyone who knows me well knows I love to study more than most anything else. But if we are reading more of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John (that is, John Calvin, John MacArthur, John Piper) than we are doing the WORK of ministry, that becomes a huge issue.
In Christ,
Pastor Michael Wilhite
www.michaelwilhite.net
Brother Michael,
Thanks for posting and offering your perspective. Pastors such as yourself undoubtedly find the bi-vocational ministry a strain on many aspects of pastoral life. For whatever its worth, I thank you for your dedication to the people of Christ and the many sacrifices you have to make. Rest assured, since Christ is raised, none of your work will be in vain.
Ultimately, the emphasis on pastoral visitation does not change between bi-vocational and full-time pastors, but the difference in burden certainly is noticeable. Since I myself have never been bi-vocational, I can only encourage you to speak with some seasoned bi-vocational ministers such as Tom Brown and James Harris to get their perspective on how they’ve accomplished this aspect of pastoral ministry in their visitation.
And do be sure I’ll be using the 1st, 2nd and 3rd John illustration regularly and gladly:)
Blessings,
TJ
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