By Mel Shetler

All of us leaders are making hospital visits or call on people in our church who are sick or facing crises of some sort. Most pastors struggle with effective consistent visitation. I have listened to countless stories over the years of members talking about some kind of situation in their family in which the pastor did not show.

I am sure if you ask some folks around here, they could tell you how they felt let down by me. I am aware however that it can’t always be me. But it does need to be someone. Here are some guidelines to help make effective pastoral calls.

Don’t scold people for not letting you know.
Numerous times I have heard pastors scold the person in the hospital bed for not telling them they were going in. That became the opening issue. If you didn’t find out, so you didn’t. Get over it. Don’t take it personally. Try to be an inviting person that welcomes people to call. Make sure you have a simple practical procedure in place so that people will feel comfortable to share with you. Our hospital chaplain tells me that many people don’t want their pastor called because they think he is busy and doesn’t seem to have time for them at other occasions, so why call him now.

It is one of the responsibilities you can share as a team.
It may be one of the pastor’s specific responsibilities to do the visitation. If you are that pastor be sure you represent the team in the calls you make. It is not that the other pastors don’t want to make the call; they are respecting your role. You are key in extending the team spirit on that visit. If they are upset because the other pastor didn’t come, you no doubt did not do a good job. Where you share the responsibility good communication is important so you can give the best pastoral care. In a time of crisis or when someone is near death, senior pastors need to be involved. The other pastors should not feel threatened or get hurt by this. People will find it hard to handle if the senior pastor does not get involved in those times. There may be times if the team is not too large for the pastors to share this responsibility together.

Know when to stay and when to leave.
To sit with a family while their loved one is in surgery can be very helpful. They will always remember how you took time for them. When someone is in pain and uncomfortable and they feel responsible to keep a conversation going with you, the quicker you leave the better. Pray that God will give you insight on how to be an extension of his grace and learn good visitation manners.

Bring cheer and hope to the bedside.
It’s not about you. It is not a time to recount when you or someone you knew had this same problem. It is a time to listen and learn. After you have listened bring an encouraging word from the Bible if the setting is appropriate. Don’t take a long time but something fitting for the situation. Always pray. You may be the only one in their care team that prays for them. If you don’t, no one will.

It is better to visit everyday for a short time rather than one long visit.
People look forward to that brief visit that encourages them. It’s like their devotional; you bring them to God, cheer them up and don’t over stay so they want you back. You have the great privilege to be part of God’s healing team.

Mel Shetler is senior and founding pastor at Maple City Chapel, Goshen, Ind. This article appeared in Brotherhood Beacon, December 2007. Reprinted with permission.