Step 1: Build Trust – Walk Your Talk
If you don’t remember anything else from this article, remember this: when speaking with a long-term family caregiver, expect them to be cautious. They are likely to distrust whatever you say and challenge whether you will deliver on what you offer.
Caregivers learn to distrust and challenge anyone who comes “bearing gifts.” When dealing with the medical world, healthcare professionals rarely provide detailed explanations about anything; complete promised follow-up within the required timeframe, or conduct research into complex patient problems if symptoms don’t respond to treatment protocols, unless the caregiver becomes pushy.
It’s not the healthcare professional’s fault – usually. Most of the time, the issue is related to bureaucracy, insurance, regulations, staffing shortages, and so on, rather than the individual provider; however, the outcome remains the same. The caregiver spends time they don’t have correcting mistakes made, completing research on unauthorized treatment options to override denials, and staying “on hold” for hours waiting to get help from someone who often drops the call or won’t do their job.
Therefore, IT IS CRITICAL that if the church says they are going to do something for a caregiver, they must do it exactly like they said they would. In Compassion Ministry, this first step applies to all the ministry groups because the majority are in “need” due to being hurt by someone they trusted, including if that person was themselves.
Step 2: Connect with the Caregiver
Connect church members with caregivers. Try to match people with shared interests. You want the connection between the church member and the caregiver to be ongoing and sustained. Every week or two, but no less than two weeks, the church member should call the caregiver to do a “check-in” to find out how they are and if they need anything. The caregiver should have the church member’s contact information to call in the interim if needed.
Step 3: Explain the Program
During that first meeting, explain that the church is launching a Compassion Ministry to support caregivers and others who might need help with all they have to do. Talk about the type of help the church can offer – rides, staying with the care receiver for short periods while they run some errands, bringing them their groceries or other orders, cutting grass, taking their car for an inspection, etc. The focus is on having the person think about essential tasks they struggle to accomplish because they lack an extra set of hands or are unsure of how to perform the job.
Step 4: Ask for Church Members to Volunteer Skills
Present a sermon on Mathew 25:37:40. Afterward, ask members to serve Jesus by volunteering their skills to serve those in need through the Compassion Ministry program. With those donations, you can establish a skills bank that lists which church members have donated specific skills. As a caregiver or someone from another ministry program needs a service, check the skills bank to see if someone has the skill. Deduct the number of hours they provide in service from the hours they offer for the skill. If the bank runs out of skills, ask for more donations.
When a church member arrives with a positive attitude, not seeking money but offering assistance, it provides the entire family with a testimony of God’s love. It’s a sermon they never forget, and it may lead someone to visit the church who might never have crossed the doorstep otherwise.
Not only does it bless the family, but it also blesses the church member. Jesus does not care about what we accomplish in life; He only cares about how we serve others. The programs of Compassion Ministry provide church members with the perfect opportunity to serve Jesus by meeting the needs of others.
Mathew 25:37-40
NIV (New International Version) Mathew 25:37-40 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
The Message Mathew 25:40: the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’)
