Where
o The Portland Baptist Church seeks to extend Pastoral Care to all who make this church their spiritual home.
o In order to achieve this goal the church employs a Pastor and the church family appoints a team of “Pastoral Carers”.
o Pastor and Pastoral Carers work together as a team.

When
· Members of the Pastoral Carers Team are committed to meeting once a month.
· Members of the Pastoral Carers Team are committed to working as a team.

How
v Members of the Pastoral Carers team acknowledge that the level of pastoral care that can be extended in the life of a local church like ours is limited.
v We make it our business to do “friendship” visits; calling just to say “hello, how are you today?”
v By and largely we extend pastoral care to folk who are in good mental and emotional health. We simply seek to be there. We would not see ourselves as professional counsellors or social workers.
v Members of the Pastoral Carers team see themselves as those who will willingly stand alongside those doing it tough. We do not see ourselves as those whose role it is to carry someone else’s burden.
v Members of the Pastoral Carers team acknowledge that in a healthy church like ours everyone to some extent or another is doing pastoral care work but the team seeks to do it intentionally.
v Members of the Pastoral Carers team acknowledge that in some situations no amount of pastoral care will be enough. The team understand that God only expects them to do their best.