I try to pastorally visit all the families in my church regularly. With the growing scope of ministry it takes me about a year and a half to work my way through all the regular attenders once. At this week’s staff meeting I gave my personal assistant, Carrie, the next twenty or so names on my list. Between these pastoral check-ins, connecting with new people and then regular ministry board meetings, I get to do quite a bit of relationship building.I really love it!
The idea of prioritizing intentional visitation is new to our church. Before COVID we were busy building programs that people could come to, but we did not do much going out for deep personal connection. It’s not a criticism, just a different way of looking at ministry. I am enjoying this work of intentional relationship building. I believe it is what God has called our church to during this season.
Today one of our DLT (Doing Life Together) groups invited Pastor Amanda and me out to a luncheon to celebrate Pastor Appreciation Month. They wanted to have it back in November, but our schedules could not coordinate until this week.
I think there were about 20 of us there. The ladies made lasagna, meatballs, salad and appetizers and then for dessert we had strawberries with ice cream.
One of the ladies let me hold her puppy, Teddy.
In my follow up prayer time this afternoon (some of you would call it vespers) I started sensing that I need to be visiting all of our groups for intentional connection. I don’t always need to be fed, but just being present with the people and hearing what the Spirit is saying to each of these groups will be very powerful, I think.
Look like I have another “Next List” for Carrie.
Notes From the Vicarage 
I think what you are doing is very important. I am a Catholic and there is a long tradition of visitation in our church. When I was at university the chaplain went as part of his ministry everywhere the students went so he could be available to anyone, not just catholics, who needed to talk. He’s turn up in dining rooms, pubs, dances and hops. Smiling, friendly and there. No one minded and some people I think found him a very reassuring presence. He was very down to earth and matter of fact. He would also host large teas for new students and then visit us in our rooms etc if invited. He then went on to be a village parish priest and told me he did more or less the same but would never accept invitations to meals. The parishioners were mostly very poor and wo ul d always try to provide luxuries for the priest, so he couldn’t accept it from anyone, to be fair. He’s still working I believe though he must be at least 90
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He sounds like a wonderful man of faith. It is such men and women of God that I long to pattern my own ministry after. As an assistant pastor I had to follow the methodology my seniors adhered to. Here in America we were deeply influenced in the first few decades of ministry by the mega church philosophy which took pastoring to more of a programming directorship than a visitation model. I sense something is changing in the church these days. A new method for a new era.
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Absolutely. There are many valid paths
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