Practicing Familial Care
Core Value | Embrace Family
The familial care of your HC, as a Shepherd, can seem at some times like the easiest part of shepherding (loving on the people you love) and yet at other times, like the most anxiety-filled, “I don’t know what to do”, part of what it means to lead a HC. When tragedy strikes, relational conflict is at a peak, or sin struggles are reaping serious consequences, we often can feel out of our element.
The resources below have been selected to hopefully make you feel a bit more equipped to press into these sorts of areas.
10 Things You Should Know about Grieving People
Nancy Guthrie offers ten practical points of wisdom for those walking with grieving people. This article is a treasure trove of wise and nuanced insight.
Article (5 min)
reflection questions After reading
Which point resonated with you the most?
Are there any points that you disagree with, perhaps from your own experience walking through grief yourself or with others?
If there are grieving people in your HC or life right now - how can these points impact how you relate to and care for them? What is a practical next step to take?
You’re Not crazy - What does the Bible say about gospel culture?
Sam Allberry and Ray Ortlund discuss what a gospel culture within a church body looks and feels like. While this series is catered to young pastors, we believe this is a helpful resource for our Shepherds - those on the front lines of pastoral care.
Podcast (30 min)
reflection questions After reading
How would you define the culture within your House Church? How can you help cultivate a gospel culture within your House Church?
Consider the gifts of those within your group, are their individuals who are gifted in encouragement and welcoming others? Dream about ways you can invite these individuals to help spur on your House Church embodying a gospel culture.
Vital tools for relevant church leaders
Offering insight on topics like addiction, anxiety, depression, marriage, parenting, pornogrpahy, sexual intimacy, and singleness. Exhaustive in scale yet practical in nature, this book helps us to undestand each other’s unique realities in a deeper way.
Book
NOTE: This e-book is free to download through the link below.
reflection questions After reading
Run your mind through the stories of the people in your HC. How does this book inform how you view them? How might you come alongside with them armed with a deeper understanding of how their story has shaped them?