Building and Building and Maintaining Care Maintaining Care

Teams in your ChurchTeams in your Church  Reverend Betsy RitzmanReverend Betsy Ritzman

Licensed Clinical Professional Licensed Clinical Professional CounselorCounselor

831 South Oak Park Avenue831 South Oak Park AvenueOak Park, IL 60304Oak Park, IL 60304

Phone: Phone: 708.848.9900708.848.9900Fax: Fax: 708 848.9902708 848.9902

Email: Email: betsyritz@comcast.netbetsyritz@comcast.netWebsite: Website: www.tenditmendit.comwww.tenditmendit.com

But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.

Martin Luther King, Jr. 1956

The Gift of the Care The Gift of the Care TeamTeam

• Builds CommunityBuilds Community• Nurtures Nurtures

LeadershipLeadership• Expands Expands

Volunteer Volunteer CapacityCapacity

• Integrated Integrated Volunteer Volunteer

RecruitmentRecruitment

Faith in ActionFaith in Action

A National programFor the support of volunteers:

FundingTechnical AssistanceModel ProgramsToolsCollaboration

http://www.fiavolunteers.org/

•Care Teams•Parish Nursing•Screening•Healing Worship•Healing Touch•Prayer Shawls•Pastoral Care•Steven Ministry•Prison Ministries•United Power for Action and Justice•Military Support ministry•Older Adult Ministry

Assessing a Faith Assessing a Faith Community’s Readiness for Community’s Readiness for

Care Team MinistryCare Team Ministry

Conduct a congregational self study (Faith in Action)Conduct a congregational self study (Faith in Action)• Study the history of other successful outreach Study the history of other successful outreach

ministriesministries• Obtain spiritual support and pastoral blessingObtain spiritual support and pastoral blessing• Acquire strategic support of key leadersAcquire strategic support of key leaders• Identify available resources: Identify available resources:

– FinancialFinancial– People (interested and committed)People (interested and committed)

Volunteers Supply CycleVolunteers Supply Cycle• Volunteer FairsVolunteer Fairs• WebWeb• Outside Outside

partnerships:partnerships:– schoolsschools– colleges colleges – other other

congregationscongregations– Community Community

organizationsorganizations

Recruitment

Nurture

Need

Supply

Goal: A seamless connection between Church & eamless connection between Church & CommunityCommunity

Organizing Care TeamsOrganizing Care Teams

RoleRole ResponsibResponsibilityility

SupporterSupporter NumberNumberss

Volunteer Volunteer

CoordinatCoordinatoror

Care Teams Care Teams &&

ClientsClients

Pastor, Pastor, CommitteesCommittees, Board, Board

1+ staff1+ staff

Care Care Team Team Leader(s)Leader(s)

One client One client oror

Family and Family and one teamone team

Volunteer Volunteer CoordinatorCoordinator

1-2 per 1-2 per teamteam

Care Care Team Team MembersMembers

Client/Client/FamilyFamily

Leader, Leader,

Vol. Coord. Vol. Coord. 2-8 per 2-8 per clientclient

The Role of the Volunteer The Role of the Volunteer CoordinatorCoordinator

• Manages: Manages: – Recruitment Task Recruitment Task

ForceForce– Screen Clients and Screen Clients and

VolunteersVolunteers– Training Task ForceTraining Task Force– MatchingMatching– Nurture & Nurture &

SupervisionSupervision– AppreciationAppreciation– Track and ReportTrack and Report

Role of Care Team Role of Care Team LeaderLeader

The Communication The Communication HubHub::

• Schedules Schedules VolunteersVolunteers

• Schedules MeetingsSchedules Meetings• Feedback Feedback

Making the Match: Making the Match: Developing Client/Care Developing Client/Care

Team RelationshipsTeam Relationships• Choose who you can serveChoose who you can serve• Nurture beneficial and healthy relationshipsNurture beneficial and healthy relationships• Establish boundaries through training and Establish boundaries through training and

supervisionsupervision• Create “normative distance” and self care valuesCreate “normative distance” and self care values• Empower clients and caregivers to say Yes…and Empower clients and caregivers to say Yes…and

No No

Support Structures for Support Structures for Healthy Care TeamsHealthy Care Teams

• Training Manual Training Manual including policies and including policies and proceduresprocedures

• Continuing EducationContinuing Education• Regular data Regular data

reportingreporting• Evaluation of GoalsEvaluation of Goals• Satisfaction SurveysSatisfaction Surveys

– ClientsClients– VolunteersVolunteers

Risk ManagementRisk Management

• The Good Samaritan The Good Samaritan – no ministry – no ministry without riskwithout risk

• Who determines Who determines tolerance for risk?tolerance for risk?

• Realistically define Realistically define your tolerance for your tolerance for riskrisk

• Establish boundaries Establish boundaries to honor that limitto honor that limit

Nurturing Care TeamsNurturing Care Teams

• Spiritual Care and Ongoing TrainingSpiritual Care and Ongoing Training• Team Composition and Team BuildingTeam Composition and Team Building• Prayer support and regular recognitionPrayer support and regular recognition• Feedback Feedback • Spiritual Retreats Spiritual Retreats

We are only human. Without faithful and sustained prayer, there is little or no hope that this work can be accomplished.

The Life Cycle of Care The Life Cycle of Care TeamsTeams

• Healthy ClosureHealthy Closure• Bereavement SupportBereavement Support• Cycles of Giving and HealingCycles of Giving and Healing

Expectations for caringExpectations for caring

We are all wounded healersWe are all wounded healers

Assist the spiritual and emotional Assist the spiritual and emotional integration of Care Team experienceintegration of Care Team experience

Discussion.. Discussion.. Questions.. AnswersQuestions.. Answers