1. Find a Coordinator

Each church will nominate someone as a coordinator for The Church Cares ministry.
Typically, the coordinator has a mental health background or strong interpersonal abilities and spiritual maturity.
The Church Cares coordinator will be in charge of this ministry for your church. We will help equip your coordinator with training materials and consultation.

2. Select Your Helpers

There are many people in your church with God-given gifts to help others. Start a list of people you think would be good to invite for this ministry, or ask your leadership team to nominate them.
Characteristics of a good helper are those able to sit quietly with someone in need, unlikely to gossip, willing to help, and pray.
Your church will decide how to select helpers and determine their suitability for the role.
We offer a screening template as an option to assist in this task. Click here to download our screening template for helpers
This process helps to ensure that the most qualified and capable individuals are selected to serve as helpers for the church.

3. Identify the Help Seekers

Who in our community needs help? As a church you would decide who you are going to help with your ministry. We like to think of Acts 1:8 for this: How will you help those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth?
- Church members struggling with emotional difficulties, grief, unhealthy habits, marriage and family issues, teenagers in your youth ministry, or those with spiritual struggles.
- Affiliated ministries of your church may be a target such as a food pantry, fall festival attenders, or day care center parents.
- Your local community may need help. You could offer this ministry to your community.
- Online help. The 7cups app has a specific section for The Church Cares. Your church helpers could engage the people on this app to provide care for them.
- Worldwide. There maybe opportunities for mission trips, sister churches in other locations, or other ministries to provide help to others.

When new help-seekers are identified, we offer a tool for screening help-seekers to understand level of need.
- Click here to download the screening tool for help-seekers
New Help-seekers can sign up with The Church Cares ministry through their church. Contact the church coordinator about how to register at your church.
If your church doesn't have a Church Cares ministry, encourage them to start one. In the meantime, you can access the 7cups app for 24-7 peer support and assistance.

4. Equip Your Helpers

Orient your Helpers
- Helpers will complete the orientation training
- The Church Cares offers the training materials for your church. Sign up here, or email us request information to do the training yourself.
Helpers then practice on each other to get used to the role or on volunteers from your community who are not in high need (your choice)
Initial training is focused on being a great listener and the ability to support seekers as they create good goals in keeping with Christian community wisdom.
The church should create a referral list of church and community resources for helpers and help-seekers to access if there are urgent needs, or as resources for general needs.

You and helpers sign up for orientation training

5. Start Providing Care

The helper and seeker would meet four - six times for personal care and spiritual support.
The coordinator provides support for helpers in their ministry role
- Some churches do a monthly online meeting with the coordinator to support helpers while other churches create support groups for helpers to support each other.
- The Church Cares team has support for helpers.
The goal is to provide spiritual care, help the seeker create personal goals, find resources in the community, and engage with your church's ministry opportunities.

6. Engage Church Ministry

The church decides what longer-term support would fit that help-seeker to integrate into your church - such as
- natural existing ministry of the church (e.g., men's ministry or small group)
- church-based support groups for general mental well-being
- support groups for specific issues such as grief, substance abuse, or depression
- referral to community resources beyond your church such as medical, mental health, or economic resources.
Our team can provide resources for the church regarding these decisions and recommend programs for church-based support groups.

Sign Up to Learn More Here

Tell Me More

1. Find a Coordinator

Each church will nominate someone as a coordinator for The Church Cares ministry.

Typically, the coordinator has a mental health background or strong interpersonal abilities and spiritual maturity.

The Church Cares coordinator will be in charge of this ministry for your church. We will help equip your coordinator with training materials and consultation.

2. Select Your Helpers

There are many people in your church with God-given gifts to help others. Start a list of people you think would be good to invite for this ministry, or ask your leadership team to nominate them.

Characteristics of a good helper are those able to sit quietly with someone in need, unlikely to gossip, willing to help, and pray.

Your church will decide how to select helpers and determine their suitability for the role.

We offer a screening template as an option to assist in this task. Click here to download our screening template for helpers

This process helps to ensure that the most qualified and capable individuals are selected to serve as helpers for the church.​

3. Identify the Help Seekers

Who in our community needs help? As a church you would decide who you are going to help with your ministry. We like to think of Acts 1:8 for this: How will you help those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth?​​

Church members struggling with emotional difficulties, grief, unhealthy habits, marriage and family issues, teenagers in your youth ministry, or those with spiritual struggles.​

Affiliated ministries of your church may be a target such as a food pantry, fall festival attenders, or day care center parents.

Your local community may need help. You could offer this ministry to your community.

Online help. The 7cups app has a specific section for The Church Cares. Your church helpers could engage the people on this app to provide care for them.

Worldwide. There maybe opportunities for mission trips, sister churches in other locations, or other ministries to provide help to others.

​​

When new help-seekers are identified, we offer a tool for screening help-seekers to understand level of need.

Click here to download the screening tool for help-seekers ​

New Help-seekers can sign up with The Church Cares ministry through their church. Contact the church coordinator about how to register at your church.

If your church doesn't have a Church Cares ministry, encourage them to start one. In the meantime, you can access the 7cups app for 24-7 peer support and assistance.

4. Equip Your Helpers

The Church Cares offers the training materials for your church. Sign up here, or email us request information to do the training yourself.

Helpers then practice on each other to get used to the role or on volunteers from your community who are not in high need (your choice)

Initial training is focused on being a great listener and the ability to support seekers as they create good goals in keeping with Christian community wisdom.

The church should create a referral list of church and community resources for helpers and help-seekers to access if there are urgent needs, or as resources for general needs.

You and helpers sign up for orientation training

5. Start Providing Care

The helper and seeker would meet four - six times for personal care and spiritual support.

The coordinator provides support for helpers in their ministry role

Some churches do a monthly online meeting with the coordinator to support helpers while other churches create support groups ​for helpers to support each other.

The Church Cares team has support for helpers.

The goal is to provide spiritual care, help the seeker create personal goals, find resources in the community, and engage with your church's ministry opportunities.

6. Engage Church Ministry

The church decides what longer-term support would fit that help-seeker to integrate into your church - such as

natural existing ministry of the church (e.g., men's ministry or small group)

church-based support groups for general mental well-being

support groups for specific issues such as grief, substance abuse, or depression

referral to community resources beyond your church such as medical, mental health, or economic resources.

Our team can provide resources for the church regarding these decisions and recommend programs for church-based support groups.

Sign Up to Learn More Here

This process helps to ensure that the most qualified and capable individuals are selected to serve as helpers for the church.

Who in our community needs help? As a church you would decide who you are going to help with your ministry. We like to think of Acts 1:8 for this: How will you help those in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the end of the earth?

Church members struggling with emotional difficulties, grief, unhealthy habits, marriage and family issues, teenagers in your youth ministry, or those with spiritual struggles.

Click here to download the screening tool for help-seekers

Some churches do a monthly online meeting with the coordinator to support helpers while other churches create support groups for helpers to support each other.