Visitors must be Givers first

Visiting is measured by the quality of the conversations that happen in people’s homes. Recruiting the right people is important. The key is not to go for “salesmen and women” but good pastoral people who understand and practice Christian giving and have a heart for their church and its members. It is better to have a smaller team of capable visitors than a large team of anxious and unsure church members. Visitors must have a history of personal discipleship, a passion for the gospel and identification with the ministry and life of the local church.

One of the key qualifications of a visitor is that when they make a visit they must already responded positively themselves to the Giving in Grace message. No one should ever be in a position of asking others to do what they have not done themselves. Without this personal commitment any conversation with others will necessarily be an exercise of the head not the heart.

Some visitors from the Core of the church and the planning group may well have already made their own response as part of the consultation around the Parish Case Statement and discussions on the PCC. However, others invited to join the team may know very little about Giving in Grace and certainly not made a response. They must be given this opportunity and this will form part of the training evening for visitors.

It is important to be positive about this qualification for visitors. When a visitor has made a personal commitment they have a story to tell not only of the financial needs of the ministry of the church but also of their own personal commitment to resourcing that ministry. Prior personal commitment gives integrity and confidence to the visitor and a personal insight into how it feels for the person being visited.

Not silver tongues but
golden hearts