The manner and tone with which we relate and care for one another in church is, pardon the phrase, huge.
The spirit with which any church community holds itself accountable to itself is such a big part of ministering to one another that hardly any particular thing you do matters.
It can be said that almost no amount of social action events, beautifully constructed worship services, or excellent educational programming can make up for a community at odd with itself, or a community that does not care for one another.
Ministering professionally, and being an intentionally supportive church community, requires the balance and the ability to provide genuine tenderness and support to one another in an orderly or reliable way.
The needs come in only moderately predictable ways. Sometimes it’s a ride, sometimes it’s a phone call, sometimes it’s a good cry. Whether it comes in the form of cards or casseroles, the medium hardly matters. People come to church to be healed and to heal. The process and exchange is more interactive than we tend to think about it.
The best a church can hope for, and really the goal itself, is that everything the church does feels like an experience we might call “Pastoral Care.” I pray that it happens in experiences that help transform and/or and challenge us, as much as via the simple relationships we have with one another.
