Six Purposes of Visitation in Pastoral Ministry
In most job descriptions for pastoral positions, at least for mid to small sized congregations, there will likely be some reference to visitation as a key role. But why do pastors “visit”?
Some pastors try to avoid visitation. They may see their role as being primarily about preaching/teaching, leadership, and outreach development. Visiting members of their congregation may be one of the lowest priorities.
The truth is that there are numerous reasons and goals for visitation. Here are some that I have encountered during my pastoral ministry.
- Simply because visitation is expected. Especially in older and more traditional churches, some people in the congregation expect to be visited by the pastor because that’s the way it is supposed to be. There is no real crisis or issue, they just need to have the pastor come and visit them in their home. By the way, as an associate pastor, I once did such a home visit and the member asked me near the end of the visit about when “the pastor” was going to visit.
- A person is in the hospital. This is very important. Being in the hospital can be very scary and patients do not always receive the clearest communication from medical professionals. A visit and prayer by the pastor can be very comforting. These are usually very short.
- Home visitation because of an issue. This is not because it is “just about time” for the pastor to visit. Something has come up, a problem or an illness or a crisis of some kind, and a visit from the pastor demonstrates that their experience matters.
- Getting to know people. This can be related to the first reason (except that reason never goes away). The pastor or the member may be new to the congregation and a visit can help develop the relationship.
- Investing in leadership potential. This does not have to be in a home, it could be in a coffee shop, a restaurant, or anything place else. Here, there is a bit more intent to the visit. You may see the possibility of a person stepping into more leadership roles. Taking time to invest in that will help make that much easier.
- Sermon preparation. This is one of the reasons why I don’t understand why some teaching pastors don’t visit. A sermon is not just about explaining the meaning of a Bible verse. It includes apply the meaning to the context of the audience. But how do you know that context if you don’t spend time with the people?
What other reasons can you think of for pastoral visitation?
