Equipping & Caring

1. Equipping & Caring To equip the saints For the Ministry www.pisind.com Lay Pastors Ministry PACE Benefits of the Lay Pastors Ministry Seoul Korea Nagaland India

2. Benefits for PACER Accelerated spiritual growth 2. The joy of new friendships and ever-deepening relationships. 3. An inner sense of fulfillment which comes form using your gifts in significant ministry. 4. The caring person is cared for in the act of caring. 5. The future benefit: "the crown of glory." (I Pet. 5:4) Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

3. 10 benefits... for you and your church The Lay Pastors Ministry will; Provide authentic and effective pastoral care for every member of your church. 2. Release laypeople's ministering gifts and "love with skin on it" into your congregation. 3. Fulfill the desire of committed laypeople to participate fully in significant kingdom work. 4. Relieve pastors from the impossible expectation that they are the pastoral caregivers for every member of the church. 5. Permeate your church's culture with a spirit of love and care. 6. Fulfill the Biblical mandate to shepherd God's people. 7. Give a large church the small church feeling; give a small church or medium-size church the large church advantage. 8. Identify your church as people centered rather than program or organization centered. 9. Encourage all the church members to use their "giftabilities" in ministry by observing this model of "Partners in Ministry.“ 10. Complete the task of evangelism- "People worth winning are worth caring for." (George Hunter III in Church for Unchurched Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

4. Who Benefits from Lay Pastors Ministry? People Who Need Care . . . ◦Receive quality, Christ-centered, confidential care for their hurts and needs ◦Find hope, healing, and a new sense of self-worth through the support of a Lay Pastors ◦Know they are remembered and supported by their congregation in times of personal difficulty ◦Receive ongoing care for continuing needs long after the onset of a crisis, when many others have forgotten about them ◦Grow in a deeper relationship with their Lord as they experience God's unconditional love for them through their Lay Pastors Your Pastors . . . ◦No longer shoulder the entire burden of caring in the congregation, as if the pastor were the only one able, willing, or called to do this ministry ◦Receive support and care from the lay people who are part of the congregation's Lay Pastors Ministry team ◦Reach more members of the congregation with quality PACE ministry ◦Experience renewed joy and satisfaction as they equip others and so extend the reach of their own ministries ◦Have more time to focus on the ministries that only the pastor can do Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

5. -continued Your Lay People . . . ◦Discover, cultivate, and use the spiritual gifts they have been blessed with ◦See themselves as active partners in the mission and ministry of the church ◦Find all aspects of their lives enriched by the distinctively PACEingskills they learn and practice ◦Experience great joy as they see God working through them to bring hope and healing to a hurting person ◦Grow spiritually as they experience the Lord's loving presence in community with other Christian caregivers Your Entire Congregation . . . ◦Discovers that many members want to be involved in meaningful ministry and will respond to the call to become a Lay Pastor or LPM Leader ◦Becomes a more loving community that is more sensitive and responsive to people's needs for care ◦Is able to provide more quality Christian care, so that fewer people slip through the cracks ◦Is able to reach out to the unchurched who are hurting and introduce them to the healing love of Jesus in their time of need Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

6. How Lay Pastors Ministry Benefits Pastors How Lay Pastors Ministry Benefits Pastors. Here are 16 ways pastors have told us that LPM has helped them personally and professionally. 1. Shared Ministry Pastors no longer bear the sole responsibility of providing care to the entire congregation. They have a team of caregivers--well organized, well trained, highly motivated and committed, and well supervised--to assist with providing pastoral care. Says one pastor, "For the first time in 37 years I am surrounded by a team of people who are as committed to pastoral care of the congregation as I am.“ 2. Laity Functioning on a High Level Pastors can rely on well-trained lay people to carry out many of the day-to-day operations of Lay Pastors Ministry. The thorough training at the PACE allows lay people to function at a very high level so the main workload for this ministry doesn't end up on the pastor's shoulders. Lay people are well trained, well equipped (with extensive resources in their Leader's Manual as well as ongoing support from the Monograph, Dynamite Meeting, Essay, and from the consultation staff at LPM), empowered, and highly motivated for their role as Lay Pastors. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

7. -continued 3. Frees the Pastor to Focus on What Only the Pastor Can Do Lay Pastors Ministry will never replace the ordained clergy because there are certain tasks, duties, and responsibilities that an ordained clergy person is uniquely trained, qualified, and called to perform. But some areas of ministry can be delegated to lay people who have the necessary gifts, training, and commitment. Caregiving is one of those areas. Pastors who allow Lay pastors to help shoulder the caregiving workload find that they have more time to spend on the pastoral duties that they are uniquely equipped to perform. 4. Multiplies Ministry One LPM pastor at a small congregation reported that he kept careful records and found that for every hour of time he invested in Lay Pastors Ministry, seven hours of caregiving resulted. He considered his involvement in LPM to be one of the best and most highly leveraged uses of his time.." Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

8. -continued 5. Reassurance That People Are Receiving Quality Care Pastors know of many more people who need care than they can possibly care for by themselves. Sometimes pastors feel guilty that they aren't providing more care, or they burn themselves out trying to provide the care. Lay Pastors Ministry provides pastors the reassurance that people who need care are receiving it. As one LPM pastor put it, "Since we began Lay Pastors Ministry 15 years ago, I sleep better at night. Right now, for example, I know there are 23 people receiving care—very high-quality care--on a weekly basis from our Lay Pastors. As a pastor, I simply don't have another 23 hours a week to provide that care myself. So it's a joy and comfort to know that people in need are receiving that care from our Lay Pastors." 6. Moves Members beyond the "It's the Pastor's Job" Mindset Lay Pastors Ministry is a great way to help members recognize that God calls all his people--not just the ordained clergy--to be involved in ministry. One LPM pastor said, "Lay Pastors Ministry transforms a congregation from a consumer group that employs a pastor to a community mobilized for ministry." Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

9. -continued 7. Clergy Health When pastors are overworked and stretched too thin because of a huge load of pastoral care, their personal health suffers. They put in too many hours, they don't get adequate rest or recreation, and, their immune systems, undermined by the overload, are more susceptible to illness. Because congregation members expect and need pastoral care in a crisis and non-crisis, pastors find it hard to say "no" or reduce their hours of pastoral care. But when Lay Pastors join with pastors to provide pastoral care, pastors know that people are receiving high-quality Christian care. They can reduce the number of hours they need to spend in this area, focusing on people who truly need the pastor's care. Lay Pastors can help pastors balance their lives more successfully and take the necessary time to care for themselves and their own health. 8. The Joy of Equipping the Saints Lay pastors Ministry provides a wonderful means to help pastors "equip the saints for the work of ministry" (Ephesians 4:11-12). LPM pastors report that they find great joy in helping lay people recognize that God is calling them to ministry, helping them to identify and nurture their gifts, and then seeing them use those gifts in meaningful ministry. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

10. -continued 9. Care and Support for Pastors By being closely involved in caring ministry, lay pastors become keenly aware of the pressures and difficulties pastors face. As a result they become very supportive and protective of their pastors and their pastors' families. Many pastors have described how, when they or their spouses have been going through a difficult time, they have received the care of lay pastors in a formal PACE caring relationship. Even more commonly, pastors tell us how they and their families have benefited from the supportive care of their Lay Pastors in less formal ways. Lay Pastors become strong supporters, advocates, and defenders of their pastors. 10. Time-Saver Lay Pastors Ministry saves time for pastors because Lay Pastors are able to provide many of the caring visits that otherwise would fall on the pastors' shoulders. These time-savings go beyond simply the number of caregiving hours Lay Pastors provide, because many of the visits they make are house calls that would involve the pastor's commuting time to and from the hospital, home, or convalescent center where the care receiver is located. In larger urban areas, the commuting time can sometimes approach or even exceed the actual visitation time. So Lay Pastors free up time for pastors--the time for the caring visits and the travel time as well. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

11. -continued 11. Lay Leader Training Ground The purpose of LPM training is to equip lay people to serve as Lay Pastors. But LPM training also increases the involvement and commitment level of lay people. Says one LPM pastor, "We're in our tenth year of Lay Pastors Ministry and you'd be hard-pressed to find an elder or a deacon active in our body who has not been through our LPM training. You'd have a hard time finding a Sunday school teacher who has not been through LPM training. We've trained more than 100 Lay Pastors, and I like to think that all are 'actively serving' in some capacity--whether in Lay Pastors Ministry, as an elder, as a Sunday school teacher, or in another ministry. Our congregation recognizes that the people best prepared to serve anywhere are those who have received LPM training.“ 12. Spiritual Growth of Members One of the goals many pastors have is that each member of the congregation will grow spiritually. Lay pastors Ministry accomplishes spiritual growth for members through activities that draw the Lay Pastors closer to Christ. One such vital spiritual activity is prayer. A good Lay Pastor has to be a frequent prayer. As Lay Pastors observe God working in the lives of care receivers, they appreciate more deeply God's awesome power and incredible love for his people. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

12. -continued 13. Help in a non-Crisis and Crisis In the event of a tragedy or disaster in the local community, Lay Pastors provide pastors with a fully equipped army of trained caregivers who can be organized within hours to provide crisis care. Lay Pastors have played key roles in caring for those deeply affected by natural or human-caused disasters, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Columbine shootings, or the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When events of this magnitude occur, churches are overwhelmed with needs for care, and Lay Pastors multiply the reach of pastors. Numerous pastors have told us how helpful it has been to be able to quickly mobilize scores of Lay Pastors--currently active as well as retired--to assist them in providing much needed care in and around the congregation in the aftermath of a crisis. 14. More Care-Conscious Congregation Congregation members sometimes have the unrealistic expectation that the pastor will somehow automatically know (whether by telepathy or divine revelation) who in the congregation needs care. If a need goes on discovered, blame falls on the pastor. As Lay Pastors Ministry permeates a church, congregation members come to understand that they all share in the responsibility of recognizing who needs care and helping to connect them to the care they need. More and more people in the congregation begin to watch out for people who need care--and know how to respond. Fewer needs go unnoticed. Members of Lay Pastors Ministry congregations often talk about the warm and positive "caring climate" in their congregation. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example

13. -continued 15. Training Applicable to Other Ministries Many pastors who have attended LPM Training Course find that the LPM resources, organizational structure, and systematic approach adapt well to other ministries in the congregation. One pastor summed it up by saying, "The skills and tools I received at the LPM will impact my ministry far beyond just Lay Pastors Ministry. I wish I had attended the LPM training years ago!" Many pastors feel the same way about LPM training, which pastors often experience by serving as a member of the teaching team along with the other Lay Pastors in the congregation. Pastors frequently tell us that the practical, Christ-centered, psychologically sound training that Lay Pastors receive exceeds the caregiving training they received in seminary. 16. High Quality and Accountability Because they are ultimately responsible for the overall care in a congregation, pastors appreciate how the LPM system safeguards the quality of care people receive. Lay pastors are carefully selected and well trained. They receive their caregiving assignments from the pastor or another LPM Leader and participate in twice-month peer supervision. If a care receiver's needs exceed what is appropriate for Lay Pastors Ministry, the person is referred to a professional caregiver. Pastors can feel confident that their congregation's Lay Pastors will provide people with the right type of high quality care. Prayer-Available-Contact-Example