YOUR Ministry TeamS READY FOR THE BURDEN?

---

You are called to provide spiritual guidance to those who find themselves in the valley of life’s challenges. Occasionally, you may also experience the same struggles—navigating emotions, medical issues, financial burdens, DNA history, housing, and transportation decisions that can weigh heavily on you. The guidance of scripture illustrates the supportive role of a servant; however, does your team work cohesively and remain disciplined enough to help customers take their own steps forward in their grief support journey?

Building a tiny team or even a larger church support staff begins with a fundamental understanding of both the bonding process and the stages of grief that God instills within us. Unfortunately, many pastoral leaders receive only a brief overview of this information in seminary, while the elders and deacons who support the organizational effort often lack the necessary skills. This is not a spiritual critique but rather a call for an effectiveness tune-up for your team. Regardless of whether you hold the title of pastor, preacher, bishop, elder, trustee, deacon, or worship ministry leader, it’s crucial to enhance your pastoral care approach.

You: As part of a team that primarily consists of volunteers, you often experience high turnover, and many of your customers maintain a distance, only reaching out to the person at the front of the big room when their situations become dire. While the joyous emotions of celebration and victory uplift our spirits, we also shoulder the burdens alongside our customers. What are the triggers, and do they affect us too?

Your Team: Providing grief support during a difficult time can take a toll on the team members and the overall journey of the worshiping body. Are there guidelines in place to keep the team healthy, including protocols for when to refer individuals to counselors who share the same belief system? Is there onboarding and routine training that emphasizes the importance of discretion, or do team members simply replicate what their predecessors did? Is there a plan for team members to step back when the details become too close or overwhelming? How can we establish a grief support process that is easy to reset with new team members and scalable as the organization grows?

Your Customers: The internal reward of loving and caring for someone through a challenging journey is both satisfying and humbling in our individual faith journeys. Shepherds lead sheep from the front, while butchers push from the back. Do we overlook critical steps in the healing process that can inflict burdens upon ourselves? What constitutes the Ministry of Presence when there are no words to express? How can we balance the spiritual motivations between offering a handout versus providing a hand up? Does our organization inadvertently overwhelm the involved family instead of maintaining a balanced support system? What is survivor’s guilt, and who does it impact?

Next Steps: A 60-minute non-denominational advising session tailored for your organization can, and will, have an immediate positive impact on your team’s words and actions. We steer clear of marketing harassment tactics. When you’re ready to move forward, don't hesitate to reach out.