How does a large church care for its members? That question has captivated our pastors for years.
At College Park Church, God has blessed us with a flock of 2700 members. Shepherding a large congregation is a challenge, but we don’t believe God’s expectation of shepherds diminishes because the church grows. So how do we ensure every member is cared for? How do leaders work together efficiently and effectively? For us, three keys are structure, servants, and strategy.
Structure
Eight years ago, our elders sensed the Lord calling us to a renewed commitment to pastoral care. From a “nickels and noses” perspective, things were going well. But too many sheep were slipping through the cracks. As a result, we deployed a “parish model” to care for our flock. This structure involves segmenting the church geographically and assigning households to elders based on where people live. College Park Church has eight geographic parishes.
The beauty of the parish model is the combination of two powerful forces which facilitate “one another” care: relationships and proximity. No matter how far away you live from your mom, you care for her when she is in need. That’s the relationship factor. The other is proximity.
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