Some Guidelines to Consider for Choosing Care Receivers

Jane Miller

All potential care receivers for men’s team ministry are unique and have unique needs. Some of those needs are more severe than others. Therefore, churches need guidelines for choosing which widows and single moms will receive a men’s team ministry team. Below are some suggestions:

Potential care receivers must have long term needs

Men’s team ministry is designed specifically for people with long term needs, such as the widowed, single parents and the disabled. These needs can extend over years and decades and are best served by establishing a relationship between a team and the care receiver.

Is there a financial need?

Many elderly people live on Social Security alone, which can make it difficult to maintain a home. Having a team of men can increase the ability of the care receiver to live in their home by many years.

Is there a physical need?

A disability can be a reason for a care receiver to have a team. Teams can do chores around the home that a care receiver cannot do.

Is there a social need?

Some potential care receivers are completely isolated. They may have no family nearby who are regularly involved in their lives. And they may be incapable of attending church on a regular basis. A person in this situation definitely needs a team. Note that a care receiver may be financially well off, but completely socially isolated. A person in this situation should not be ignored just because they are wealthy.

Church involvement

Scripture commands us to “do good to all” but to give preference to “those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). We don’t want to ignore the needs of their widowed and single parents outside the church, but we don’t want to meet their needs at the expense of those who are a part of the church.

They must want a team

While it would seem logical that all widowed and single parents would want a team of men showing up at their door one Saturday morning a month for two hours to do whatever needs to be done around their home, in actual practice, this is not the case. The reasons are often pride and/or fear. Some potential care receivers are too proud to accept help. Others are concerned about strangers coming into their home. Just because you have a list of potential care receivers who meet your guidelines, doesn’t mean they all want a team.

Err on the side of flexibility, compassion and generosity

These are not hard and fast rules, but guidelines. Your care receivers were not made for these guidelines. These guidelines were made for your care receivers.

And finally, be sure to work through your pastor and church leadership. They are the ones who know your congregation the best.

This post first appeared in NewCommandment.org.

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