Make Visits That Matter
People who know me know that I like to fish, and particularly for bass. I don’t just go fishing; rather, I go for a specific species with specific equipment designed to catch bass. If I happen to catch something else, that’s fine, but I’m going out to fish for bass. I have a purpose and plan when I go fishing.
Too often church activities may have as purpose as the idea of just going out to catch anything that might bite my hook. Our outreach and visitation efforts have little results sometimes because we are just “going visiting.”
Maybe our visitation efforts would be more fruitful if we had a purpose in making visits. Consider some visitation approaches that class members can use that add purpose and intentionality to the visits while helping adults use their spiritual gifts in the most effective way.
Visit to witness. This is the most common kind of visit that comes to mind - and well it should - but the least common in practice. Equip class leaders to witness. Discover members who are confident in sharing their faith to make these kinds of visits if possible, but help all members understand how to share their faith.
Visit to welcome. Every newcomer needs and deserves a personal follow-up visit. Each week a class member should be enlisted to visit in their home anyone who visits your class. If appropriate, the visitor should take something to leave after the visit, such as a magazine, Learner Guide, or a loaf of bread or tray of cookies.
Visit on special days. Teachers and other class leaders should make visits to the homes of persons who are celebrating special events, such as birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, children’s celebrations, and so forth. Visit also on anniversaries of the death of loved ones. These days can be especially lonely for widows and widowers.
Visit to meet and greet. Visit to gather information on newcomers. Share this information with others in the class as appropriate.
Visit to minister. Everyone faces times of crisis. Make personal contact whenever a crisis occurs. Visitors should be as familiar as possible with the person being visited and be equipped as much as possible to minister appropriately.
Certainly other kinds of visits that can be made, but these are among the most common. People are more likely to visit as class representatives when they know what kind of visit they are making and what results they might achieve.
Provide appropriate resources for making visits. Obtain appropriate information sheets and personal data on persons being visited. Be sure addresses and phone numbers are correct. Visit at reasonable times based on the individuals. Ask God to empower you to achieve what He wants to happen in the visit. And always anticipate the unexpected.
Visiting is not always the easiest thing we do in kingdom work, but with a sense of purpose and the right preparation, visiting can be one of the most effective ways to let people know we care.
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