Successful Home Visits

Written by Sandy Lassiter

Think of all the things you learn about a person while visiting his or her home. Who else lives there? What does the person like - hobbies, books, music? Does the person live in a warm, happy environment; or is there emotional tension in the air?

How to Minister to Families in Your Church

Encouraging teachers to make home visits is encouraging them to experience success in ministry. Visiting the homes of Sunday School members shows you are concerned about their lives at church and away from church. Taking concern for each family beyond the walls of the church and inside the walls of each home creates powerful foundations for life-changing relationships. Remind teachers of these strategies and ideas for successful home visits.

If the learner is a preschooler, child, or teen, you must reach out to his or her parents.
Preschoolers and children cannot participate in Sunday School on their own; a parent must care enough to dress, feed, and bring the child to church. In the case of a youth, a parent should be involved in the Sunday School teacher's effort to reach the teen. A parent who senses love and concern from a teacher during a home visit will be more willing and motivated to have their child participate.

(Bonus: Parents who bring their children to visit or attend a Sunday School class often become interested in finding a class of their own!)

A successful home visit requires planning.
Today’s families are so busy! Make sure you work with each family to find a time that is convenient and unhurried for them; never “drop in” unexpectedly.

At the same time, do not feel that a visit has to be long to be effective. Unless a parent indicates a need to discuss something in length, a 10- to 20-minute visit is long enough.

Use visits for both inreach and outreach.
Visit every person on roll and any regular visitors. Make sure you coordinate with ministerial staff when contacting a visiting family. You want to convey concern and enthusiasm, but not pressure. Dealing with unchurched families can be sensitive, so it is a good idea to make sure they have not had two home contacts already on the week you want to visit!

Be just as attentive to visit regular attendees. A visit from a teacher is a big deal. After each visit, make notes about the visit and include a few details about each person's home. Review the list often while preparing to teach; using personal tidbits about a family or home will bring amazed smiles and appreciation during teaching discussions!

Just do it!
Today's teachers are just as busy as the families they are visiting. It is so hard to make the time commitment that home visits require, but the rewards are so great!

Pair up with another teacher, divide the class roll, and go! New teachers need to make a few visits with an experienced teacher until they become comfortable with their new role. Try to get all the home visits done within a short period of time; dragging the task out will only increase the possibility that you will not make it to every home.