A Congregational Care Program Example Using RDS Advantage®

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” - 1 Peter 4:10

Romans 14:19

Systems to nurture and care for each other. . .

Following are applications and methods to identify and care for members of the congregation.

These basic services follow New Testament teaching about how we relate to one another.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35

Areas of Congregational Care Attendance follow-up Food service Funerals Intercessory prayer chain Notes: Thank you, condolences,

congratulatory, cards Receptions and recognitions Weddings Counseling Covenant careCovenant care is ongoing ministry to those who are

homebound, hospitalized, recovering, institutionalized

You may want to place responsibility for these ministries in one person who coordinates and supervises those who are a part of a care team.

“The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” – Luke 10:2

Attendance Follow-Up

Following-up with those who are absent is one of the church’s most

powerful tools for ministry

Poor attendance or sudden changes in patterns of attendance can be clues to declining interest in the church, personal problems involving family relationships, finances, addictions, work-related problems or a declining faith.

A system of tracking and following up with absentees enables the church to respond to those who need the ministry of the church.

Worship service attendance can be recorded using cards or pads placed in the pews. RDS provides a program to easily record attendance from these.

Sunday School and other ‘Activities’ can be tracked by scanning bar-coded attendance sheets or automatically by the Insta Check-In system.

Record attendance through the AC108 attendance program, for one.

Numerous reports can be printed about attendance and absence records.

Contact people using e-mail, VOIP voice messaging, personally addressed letters or postcards. A personal call or visit is the most effective.

Generate visitation cards – MC306.

Enter new contact information from the last contact – MC103.

Attendance Tracking Tools to track attendance

“Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:1-2

CounselingProfessional, private, discreet

A Notebook program is included to enter private counseling and personal information. Free-form text can be typed, and there can be an unlimited number of notes entered for each individual and/or couple.

Password protection makes it impossible for anyone to see the notes except the person who made the entries and assigned a password.

Covenant Care

Covenant care is the ongoing ministry to those who are homebound, hospitalized,

recovering, institutionalized or infirm

An effective way to conduct this ministry is by individuals who covenant to personally minister to one or more people who benefit from personalized care and concern.

A volunteer or staff person recruits, assigns and follows up with the contacts made by care persons.

The Contact Management program efficiently tracks these contacts and is used for communication and reporting.

Intercessory Prayer

A prayer chain is a group of people committed to pray daily for those identified as in special

need of the Lord’s healing grace.

The elements of this ministry include:•An identified group of volunteers•A method of acquiring requests for prayers •Communication of prayer requests to volunteer prayers •Record keeping of prayers•Absolute privacy when requested

People in a prayer group are enrolled in an Activity. Requests for prayers can be received from a request form provided by RDS on a website that sends the requests to the church. E-mail, VOIP and other communication tools notify prayer team members.

Data Processing for

Care MinistriesApplications in RDS Advantage to support care ministries include:

Activities track all the ways individuals are involved in the life and work of the church.

Contact Management tracks teams, Activities, contact notes, dates for next contacts, ministries, visitation cards and records, and communication and report options.

Attendance programs provide easy ways to track attendance and absences, and provides reports that make it easy to follow up with absences.

Communication capabilities include e-mail, text messaging, VOIP voice messaging, letters, postcards and mailing labels.

Here We Are, Lord

It is easy to take membership for granted. They joined the church, they are usually present, and often help with the ministries of the church. Isn’t that it?

NO!

Members need the constant loving care and concern Jesus describes through the scriptures. As the fellowship of Christ the church has the responsibility – the obligation, to be the loving presence in the life of each person.

RDS Advantage was founded upon the principal of the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20.

Through the years applications have been designed to support outreach and congregational care programs. For specific information about these programs contact RDS.

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Systems to Support Your Ministries