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Conducting a pastoral visit — the cases

Special visits

The sick, the bereaved, the member who drifts away, the one who does not want a visit. Each door calls for a different way in.

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FREN· The cases

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At a glance

1

The sick — and anointing

At the bedside, you do not bring healing: you bring the presence of God. Listen, hold the hand if it is offered, pray briefly. Adventism practises the anointing of the sick as an ordinance, grounded in James 5:14: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church.” It is offered, never imposed — and never as a last sacrament: it is an act of faith for the living. Never promise immediate healing.

2

The bereaved — the visit afterward

The crowd leaves quickly; the bereaved is left alone. Pastoral visiting often begins where the burial ends: coming back, keeping watch, not letting the silence settle in. All of this has its own track — the sheet “Accompanying after the funeral” gives the schedule (day 7, months 1, 3, 6, 12) and the warning signs. Do not reinvent here what is already there: refer to the funeral corpus.

3

The member who drifts away

Someone comes less often, then not at all. Visiting is the very prevention of drifting away: going to him while he can still be reached, not six months too late. Without reproach (“we don't see you anymore”), without a summons. Simply: we miss you, how are you? Often, behind the absence, there is a wound no one asked about.

4

The absent, the secularised, the one who refuses

Some do not want a visit — an overloaded schedule, distrust, a closed home. Respect it. Do not force your way into a life that does not open to you. Leave a door: a word, an offered availability, a “whenever you like.” The visit refused today sometimes prepares the one that will be accepted two years from now. Patience is a form of respect.

What not to do

Seven priorities: whom to visit first

Time is always short; priorities keep you from visiting at random. Arrais names seven groups that call for attention first.

  1. The sick — at the bedside, in hospital or at home: a pastoral responsibility of the very first order.
  2. The elderly — often isolated, sometimes forgotten; give them your time.
  3. New converts — fragile, they greatly need to be guided and strengthened.
  4. Visitors — when a non-member comes to worship, the visit that follows makes all the difference.
  5. Families — nothing helps you understand your congregation better than entering the homes.
  6. Absent members — those who drift away: go after them before they leave (the lost sheep).
  7. Local leaders — elders, deacons: the pastor relies on them; he must visit them too.

After J. Arrais, “Wanted: A Good Pastor” (GC Ministerial Association, 2011). Ch. 8.

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