Why Caregiving is Fuel for 'Church Growth'

WHEN I TALK TO GROUPS of clergy and lay people, many of them are surprised to hear that expanding their caregiving ministries is in their own self interest. It's true!

Most often, I'm talking to Christian groups, where "church growth" is always a No. 1 concern. But, the principles I share with groups (and in my book) are effective in fueling "congregational growth" in general. So take today's column to heart, as well, if you are part of a synagogue, temple or mosque.

Here's a prime example:  On a recent Saturday morning, I helped to present a public forum drawing on my book, _ A Guide For Caregivers _. A United Methodist congregation hosted the event and promoted it to the interfaith community and the general public. Weary caregivers from all parts of the community gratefully attended—and kept the interchange going more than an hour longer than planned! Tears and laughter flooded the room as we all shared our different stories.

Gratitude to the United Methodist church for hosting this event was effusive. Members of that congregation told me that they were getting involved in this kind of outreach because they realized they have been under-serving the needs of caregivers in their own community. They resolved to seek new and creative ways to support caregivers and care receivers.

Convince your congregation to get involved

For this special column, I invited friends to help me make the case that caregiving is, indeed, fuel for congregational growth.

ReadTheSpirit Editor DAVID CRUMM , this week, was the emcee of an annual one-day conference in southeast Michigan for religious and health-care leaders to hear from experts about the importance of collaborating on health and caregiving. One of the first questions David got from religious leaders was: How can we convince people that this is central to our religious mission?

CLICK this thumbnail image to visit a United Methodist website, where a recent article reports on the widespread needs of American families caring for disabled veterans. The denomination's founder, John Wesley, taught that healthcare should be a high priority in congregational life.

David told the crowd ...

"Anyone who tells you that our congregations aren't in the business of health and wellness doesn't know much about the history of the great Abrahamic faiths. Judaism and Islam have ancient codes for health and wellness. For Christians, Jesus spent more time on health concerns than almost any other issue. There wouldn't be modern hospitals today without the mission of the Catholic church centuries ago. And United Methodists who hesitate to get involved? They should remember that their founder John Wesley (1703-1791) felt so strongly about meeting the health-care needs of parishioners that he wrote a medical handbook (published in 1747) to aid the countless families in his era who could not afford medical care."

MARTIN DAVIS , a contributor to this online magazine and head of SLC: Sacred Language Communications, consults with congregations and often hears the objection: "I don’t have time for one more program!"

Martin sent these thoughts to share with you ...

I hear that objection from overburdened church leaders, who are stressed and yet feel the pressure to add more ministries: feeding programs, energy programs, education programs, healthcare programs, music programs, outreach programs—and on and on. The problem comes when church leaders contemplate "programs" they must fund, support with volunteers and administer—rather than focusing on the core mission of their faith communities.

Health care is a prime example. The Parish Nursing movement is a good and powerful program that emerged in the 1970s that is today growing, especially among larger congregations with resources to hire parish nurses. But my message to congregations is: You don’t need to hire a parish nurse to provide care. Caregiving is as basic as “love your neighbor as yourself.” It's that simple.

CLICK this thumbnail image to visit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints website covering a wide range of disability concerns to help caregivers within the Mormon church. Within this website, individual pages look at common issues in various kinds of physical and mental health.

And, yes, energizing your congregation to take caregiving seriously also is complicated. That is ... if you want to provide effective care and really touch lives in your community.

Over the years, I have been impressed by the way the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) incorporates many levels of caregiving into daily life in Mormon congregations. They accomplish this through several smart policies: 1. They keep their congregations (called wards) small, so that people get to know one another. 2. They stress that we are God’s hands and feet on earth as much as they stress the life to come. 3. They embrace the practice of genuinely caring for one’s neighbors, from regular home visits to assistance with job placement and even emergency stocks of food.

If a family member loses a job, the community knows and rallies to support that person—and their family—to right the ship. And if illness strikes, the community is there to provide whatever support is required. _ And,  _they do this without professional clergy or paid staff. They do this out of a commitment to one another born of a deep faith in God.

As I write this, you should know: I’m not Mormon myself and I'm not suggesting the LDS church is better than all others. But, I am suggesting that their orientation is solid: Faith in God animates action in this life, because we are the feet and hands of God on this earth.

Is caregiving fuel for "church growth"? Just look at the statistics on growth in the LDS church!

Care to read more?

KEEP IN TOUCH WITH WE ARE CAREGIVERS:  Our online magazine regularly reports on caregiving issues, sharing ideas and inspiration from various authors and experts. Click on the link in the upper right corner for "updates by email" and be sure you are receiving our free email alerts to new stories. Among the past We Are Caregivers columns you'll find useful:

• Role Reversal:  Why caring for each other makes us all more compassionate.
• Foot Washing:  How an ancient Christian ritual can prepare couples for a life of caregiving.
• Caregiver tips for Fall and Winter:  Summer is a great time to organize your congregation's caregiving team for autumn outreach.

BEST-SELLING AUTHORS URGE CONGREGATIONS TO GET INVOLVED : While you're signing up for our email newsletters, be sure to get our weekly ReadTheSpirit newsletter, sent out each Monday afternoon. That way you won't miss our trademark author interviews, which often touch on caregiving. Among our most popular author interviews on this subject:

• Former President Jimmy Carter  talks about the crucial mission of caregiving.
• Dr. Bernie S. Siegel  talks about the many ways we all can contribute to The Art of Healing.
• Journalist Don Lattin  talks about the close religious ties to America's 12-step movements.

(Originally published at www.ReadTheSpirit.com, an on line magazine covering religion, spirituality, values and interfaith and cross-cultural issues.)