During our usher, pre-service huddle, David shared his prayer request, “Please pray for my spouse as she will have a long recovery at home…” We prayed and the ushers headed out to welcome people to our worship service. David’s prayer request was our opportunity to show love and care in a practical way and a good reminder that we shouldn’t let the tasks of ministry distract us from caring for the people the good Shepherd has placed under our care.
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them…” I Peter 5:2
Even though my heart is to care for every person in the flock, an all too common problem occurs. As our ministry grows, I cannot keep up with everyone’s family connections—like the names of their spouse and children. With David, the usher I was just praying for, I do remember having lunch with him a year ago. We had a great conversation about his wife and children, but I can’t recall if she is Marsha or Sandy. And I can’t recall if he said she’s involved in a woman’s group or not.
Is it just me? Or can you relate? In the church I attend, we have over 400 people serving in our ministry. Those who study church growth observe that most ministries plateau at 200 people. The reason? Most gifted ministry leaders can only keep 200 relational connections straight in their head. My relational ceiling is admittedly much lower that.
But I’ve learned a strategy that any church can take advantage of—how to use FellowshipOne’s 360 view of a household to help me better care for the flock. Let me show you what I mean with my encounter with David.
I go to FellowshipOne and see a 360⁰ view of David’s family! Ah—now it’s all coming back to me—now that I look at FellowshipOne that is! David’s spouse IS Marsha. I see that Marsha was involved in Sandy’s women’s group. Now Marsha co-leads a group with Sara. I’ll message David to let him know I’m praying for Marsha and that we’re lining up her friends from women’s group to bring over meals this week. I message Sandy & Sara to coordinate the meal train with their women’s groups. And while I’m at it, I easily put a pastoral care note on Marsha’s record, so our entire staff is aware of Marsha’s situation and how we are caring for her. Oh, and I notice that David and Marsha’s son Josh is in our Student ministry, so I shoot a message to our Students pastor so he’s in the know.
I’m so grateful that the F1 Champion Team at my church provides access to this 360⁰ view of individuals in FellowshipOne. It empowers our staff to confidently shepherd the people God entrusts to our care. It is natural for this to erode over time. Some small groups drift into using spreadsheets or some other one-trick software. But our F1 Champion Team vigilantly supports every ministry team so we have this complete view of our flock in FellowshipOne. Without it, I’d have no idea how to effectively care for David’s spouse.
Your church has a partner in FellowshipOne. We are passionate to listen to your ministry situation and help you maximize ministry. You have a dedicated Church Success Manager who is your advocate. We’ll help you take your ministry information to the next level, provide that 360⁰ view of individuals, invigorate your F1 Champion Team and so much more. Reach out and setup a time to connect with your Church Success Manager today at CSM@FellowshipOne.com.
