Section A: Spiritual Guidance


PASTORAL CARE

Contents

  1. SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
  1. HOSPITAL VISITATION
  1. FUNERALS
  1. WEDDINGS
  1. COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION

Pastors Jim andDeborah Cobrae have established the Pastoral Care ministry as a vital part of ministering in the local church. The Lord Jesus Christ ministered not only to the multitudes at one time, but also to the individual in their need. It is important to note God’s encouragement to His shepherds to “take heed” and be sure to shepherd the church of God acceptably (Acts 20:28-29).

God has anointed men and women to equip and serve the needs of His people, so may these guidelines serve just as that—guidelines to the anointing on your life. Be sure to pastor God’s people according to the Spirit and not according to the legalistic letter.

Note:

If you have resources that you feel should be included in the resource portion of the various sections please discuss these with the Pastoral Care pastor to facilitate the inclusion for everyone.

Thanks & God bless,

Dr. Hendrik Becker

Pastoral Care Department

SECTION A

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

“Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds.” – Proverbs 27:23

CONTENTS

Process, Procedures, Policy4

Handling Suicide Calls9

Mandated Reporting Procedures11

Forms12


SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

Process, Procedures, & Policies

  1. Walk- ins:
  2. Front Desk:
  3. Acknowledge them with joy, love, and ask what they need.
  4. Check Fellowship One (F1). Are they in F1 or not?
  5. Provide information to the appropriate department.
  6. When a Pastor is needed:
  7. When a specific Pastor is requested:
  8. Contact specific Pastor.
  9. If no Pastor is requested:
  10. Contact the first available Pastor or if unable to assign a Pastor within 30 minutes,contact the Pastoral Care Department (PCD).
  11. Provide F1 information to PCD or first available Pastor.
  12. Walk-ins with immediate physical needs should be assisted by Front Desk. Front Desk to log in F1 under NOTES and pass on to appropriate department if necessary.
  1. Pastoral Care Department or first available Pastor:
  2. Walk-ins are to be heard, comforted, and prayed for.
  3. Walk-ins should not be a “mini-spiritual guidance” session.
  4. No disclaimer forms are necessary in these cases.
  5. If walk-in is a member or attendee of The Rock the Pastor logs in F1 under NOTES (note appropriate selection) and contact appropriate department.
  6. Schedule SG appointment, as needed.
  1. Scheduling Spiritual Guidance Appointments:
  2. Front Desk:
  3. Forward the call to Administrative Support Team
  • Administrative Support Team:
  • Receive all calls whether a specific Pastor is requested or not.
  • Check F1:
  • Confirm Full name, address and phone numbers, and Date of Birth
  • Make F1 updates as needed or inform Church Data Department to update Note: If an update is necessary on an individual, it is possible that the whole family will need to be updated.
  • Check F1 to see whether candidate has already met with a Pastor at The Rock.
  • If so, schedule them with the same Pastor.
  • AST will complete scheduling.
  • Schedule the individual with a Pastor according to the following information:
  • Age
  • Ministry involvement
  • Situation
  • Gender
  • Schedule Appointment Procedure:
  • Give a two-week lead, unless the issue is a real emergency i.e., immediate court case, health issue, or domestic issue, etc…
  • Communicate that childcare is not provided.
  • Any special arrangements must be approved or arranged by the Pastor.
  • Communicate any pre-appointment requests to be completed prior to appointment:
  • Spiritual Guidance forms shall be completed in office
  • Any CD's/Worksheets that will be available for pick up at front desk.

(i)Marital guidance: "How to Be Happy in Marriage" CD's

(ii)Child-rearing guidance: "No Wimps Parenting” CD's

(iii) Other, ask Pastor prior to appointment

  1. Ask candidate to arrive 10 minutes prior to appt. time.

Spiritual Guidance Specialty Preference

Pastor Joel AlvaradoBreaking Free M-Thurs

Pastors Mike/Sue BryanChildren Ministry volunteers/crisis W-F

Pastor Dave SimmonsNew Believers-Ushers M-Thurs

Pastors Hendrik/Eleanor BeckerSmall Groups/Married Couples W-F

Pastors Dan RothGeneral Leadership W-F

Pastor Luke CobraeShift age issues W-F

Pastor Paul OgandoSpanish/TRSOM/M-Thurs

Pastors Richard/Michelle Villanueva Youth age issues W-F

Pastor Joseph ValcarcelShift/Youth age issues W-F

  1. Make a reminder call:
  2. Contact each appointment by phone one day prior.
  3. Confirm completion of any pre-appointment requirements.
  4. Tell the member or attendee to listen to CD series, read material, homework from prior appt., etc.
  5. Ask candidate to come in 10 minutes early to complete the SG form.
  1. At time of appointment:
  • If the appointment is 15 min. late they will need to reschedule (at discretion of specific Pastor).
  • Greet and welcome candidate at Front Desk. Provide SG form & water.
  • AST to collect all forms from candidate.
  • Make sure the disclaimer form is initialed and signed.
  • AST to escort member to Pastor’s office and deliver forms to the appropriate Pastor.
  1. After appointment:
  2. Schedule next appointment if necessary.
  3. Scan completed form and add requirement to individual or couple on F1.
  4. Scan forms when received from Pastor by end of business day.
  5. In case of couple spiritual guidance:

(i)Assign scanned form for male to male Pastor.

(ii)Assign scanned form for female to female Pastor.

  • Delete scanned form immediately after the requirement has been added to the individual/couple on F1 then shred the original form.
  1. Scheduling Phone Spiritual Guidance Appointments:
  2. Pastors may offer phone spiritual guidance when the person is disabled and not in a position to travel to The Rock.
  3. Phone spiritual guidance can’t be provided on the same day as the request.
  4. Contact appropriate Pastor or department for prayer.
  5. Pastor adds notes in F1.
  6. Follow same procedures as in-office appointment scheduling.
  1. Spiritual Guidance forms need to be mailed out to the person and received back, completed and signed, prior to phone appointment.
  2. Spiritual Guidance disclaimer form.
  3. Any CD's/worksheets/resources requested by Pastor.
  1. Phone Prayer and Prayer Chain Requests:
  2. Front Desk / Administrative Support Team
  3. All prayer request must be recorded:
  4. For members and attendees add notes to F-1
  5. For non-members update Prayer and Praise List.
  6. A Membership Covering email must be sent for all members or their immediate family member emergency requests. Such as death, hospitalization, or severe injury. If there is question you may contact PCD.
  7. For request to receive immediate prayer over the phone:
  8. First place request in F-1 or Prayer and Praise list
  9. Forward call to first available Pastor
  10. Be sensitive to crisis situations like possible suicide threats, etc.
  11. Refer the Crisis Call to PCD or first available Pastor.
  12. In the event that a Pastor is not available for prayer:
  13. Contact the following persons for prayer.

(i)Females: Barbara Harworth or Joanna Alvarado

(ii)Males: Fred Adams

(iii)Additional persons may be added upon approval of PCD or Senior Pastor's office.

  1. If the person is a member or attendee of The Rock the Pastor who prayed will enter phone prayer into F1 under NOTES (note prayer request).
  1. Weekend/Holiday Emergencies or Requests:
  2. When Pastoral Care is provided over a weekend or holiday, Pastor enters notes into F1.
  3. If a spiritual guidance session needs to be scheduled as a result of a weekend emergency, the officiating Pastor shall refer member in need to call the office during business hours for further assistance.
  1. Spiritual Guidance Sessions:
  1. Begin and end each session with prayer.
  2. Locate the person’s immediate state of mind by asking how they are doing.
  3. It helps to locate whether they are truly born again and Spirit-filled.
  4. Listen first, but don’t allow the party to ramble and use up all the time.
  5. Give them a spiritual prescription and pray at the end of the session.
  6. See sample of prescription sheet.
  7. Discourage multiple appointments, be led by the Spirit.
  8. Give specific assignment if you do agree to see them again.
  9. Refer them, where relevant, to other ministries within the church.
  10. Support: Breaking Free, other available Support Groups, etc.
  11. Connections: Small Groups, Serving at The Rock, etc.
  12. Where applicable, refer candidate to seek professional help:
  13. Refer to Community Resource list
  14. The Rock does not endorse specific agencies.
  15. Make a general referral.
  16. Encourage candidate to do their own research.
  17. Resource list compiled as reference only.
  18. List located in Community section of this manual.
  19. Senior Pastor must approve any specific referral.
  20. Liability issues must be taken in account.
  1. Basic Resources to give to candidates:

Resource Cabinet accessed by Pastors, approved ministers, & assistants only.

  1. Marriage: “How to Be Happy in Marriage” – Pastors Jim & Deborah Cobrae
  2. Child rearing: “Parenting God’s Way” – Pastors Jim and Deborah Cobrae
  3. “No Wimps Parenting” – Pastors Mike & Sue Bryan
  4. Finances:
  5. “Obedience in Finances” – Kenneth Hagin
  6. "Understanding the Tithe" –PastorJim Cobrae
  7. "Joining God's Economic Recovery Plan" – PastorDeborah Cobrae
  8. Health:
  9. “God’s Medicine” – Kenneth Hagin
  10. "Healing is for You” – Pastor Mike Bryan
  11. Spiritual growth:
  12. “In Him” – Kenneth Hagin
  13. Grief:
  14. “Life after Death” – Tony Cooke
  15. “Good Grief” – Granger E. Westberg
  16. The Holy Spirit:
  17. “The Bible Way to Receive the Holy Spirit” – Kenneth Hagin
  18. Other CD series, as agreed upon.
  1. Pastoral guidelines:
  1. Preventative measures:
  2. No pastor or church is free from risks of misconduct, sexual or otherwise.
  3. The responsible path is to be aware of the risks and be vigilant about prevention in applying the following ground rules and guidelines.
  4. The purpose of these measures is to avoid all eviland even the appearance of evil.
  5. It is the pastor’s responsibility to establish and keep appropriate boundaries.
  1. Awareness of yourself:
  2. Be self-aware. Know yourself, the risk factors and warning signs.
  3. Know when you’re vulnerable in your own relationships—stressed/in strife at home.
  4. Watch for signs of attraction for a congregant:
  5. Unusual attention to your appearance, thoughts about the person.
  6. Be accountable to a trusted confidant if you are feeling at risk.
  1. Awareness of the other person:
  2. Is the person spending more time with you than they need to?
  3. Do they bring you gifts?Is there flirting, finding excuses to interact with you?
  4. Are they having marital problems? Are they in crisis?Do they seem unstable?
  5. Know that just because you are not attracted to someone of either gender, that does not mean they are not attracted to you.
  1. Practice:
  2. Follow procedures for walk-ins, office appointments, and home visits.
  3. Pastor should always be accompanied on home visits.
  4. Another staff member should always be aware of your schedule.
  5. Walk-ins to receive only prayer in the front office area.
  6. In-office appointments:
  7. To be conducted in a room with a window in the door.
  8. Person standing outside room should be able to see in the office to protect both pastor and candidate from even the "appearance of evil."
  9. Male-to-male and female-to-female spiritual guidance is preferable.
  10. Pastors may be accompanied by spouses when with a candidate of opposite gender.
  11. Marital guidance with pastoral couple is preferable.

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
Handling Crisis Calls: Suicide

All suicide crisis situation phone calls shall be forwarded to the first available Pastor. At the completion of the call the Pastor will add notes to F1.

NOTE:

At the earliest opportunity the call shall be handed over to the first available Pastor. When a call is received from a person in a crisis situation and a Pastor or designated person (Fred Adams, Barbara Harworth, or Joanna Alvarado) is not available:

The most important thing is to LISTEN and CARE.

  1. Start by listening to the person.
  2. Allow them to unload their despair and to vent their anger.
  3. This alone will help them to feel better.
  4. They have called; that is a positive sign!
  5. You are not in a rush!
  1. Ask for name and contact information, as soon as appropriate.
  2. "Who are you?"
  3. Write down the person’s full name.
  4. "Where can I call you back if the call is lost/dropped?"
  5. Confirm and note number from which they are calling.
  6. "Where are you?"
  7. Confirm and note their location.
  8. Determine the seriousness of the threat, by asking questions.
  9. "Are you having thoughts of suicide?"
  10. "Sometimes when people feel _(describe what they have said)_, they may think about dying. Do you wish you were dead?"
  11. "Have you had thoughts about hurting yourself?"
  1. NO: Not in immediate danger.
  2. Continue to listen.
  3. Give hope:
  4. Encourage them to believe in God, trust God.
  5. Encourage them to come in and let us work through this with them.
  6. Pray with them.
  7. Set up an appointment with a pastor.
  8. "May I have a pastor call you back today?"
  9. Notify Pastoral Care department of need for same day call back.
  1. YES: Check immediacy of harm.
  2. How: Have you thought about how you would do it?
  3. Means: Do you have what you need to do it? (gun/drugs/etc.)
  4. Time: Have you thought about when you would do it?
  5. How likely is it you will act on your thoughts?
  6. NO plan:
  1. Danger is not immediate.
  2. Follow IV above.
  3. Request a pastoral care call back within 24 hours.
  • YES they have a plan. Danger is immediate.
  • Get attention of someone else in the office to call 911.
  • Keep the caller on the phone.
  • Keep the caller talking.
  • Ask direct questions.
  • Try to get them to put away the instrumental.
  • Put it in another room.
  • Flush it down the toilet.
  • Unload it, etc.
  1. Danger In Progress
  2. Get someone to help you.
  3. Keep caller on the line.
  4. Try to determine the extent of the harm.
  5. If ingesting drugs: try to get the details.
  6. Have someone call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
  7. If needed, ask who you might call for them or call 911.

General Information regarding suicide/crisis calls:

  1. Use a calm and direct manner.
  2. You do not need to solve their problem, ONLY listen and avoid further harm.
  3. Listen!
  4. Let them talk, this will diffuse a potentially bad situation.
  5. Be sympathetic!
  6. Non-judgmental, patient, calm, agreeable, and accepting.
  7. DO NOT:
  8. Do not condemn them.
  9. Do not say: "I don't want to hear you say that."
  10. Do not question: "How could you want to do that?"
  11. Do not belittle: "This is stupid."
  12. Do not act shocked.
  13. Do not debate or argue.

SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

Mandated Reporting Procedures

Administrative Support Team: All child abuse calls should be immediately referred to PCD or first available Pastor. The officiating Pastor shall complete all mandated reporting forms. The AST will FAX or mail all forms to the appropriate City or County office(s).

Procedures for Reporting

  1. Call the child abuse hotline:
  2. 909-384-9233(San Bernardino area)
  3. 1-800-827-8724 (outside of San Bernardino).
  4. Complete a Suspected Child Abuse Report SS 8572 per child that you report.
  5. A copy of the form is included in this manual.
  6. Complete as much of the form as possible.
  7. Fax the form to 909-891-3545 or 909-891-3560.
  8. It is not necessary to mail the original.
  9. If you do not have access to a fax machine, mail the form attention:
  10. Child Abuse Hotline
  11. 412 W. Hospitality Lane
  12. San BernardinoCA92415-0029.
  13. Sample of online form on following page.

Additional Information Regarding Mandated Reporting in California

A. Clergy as Mandated Reports:[1]

California Penal Code § 11165.7(a)(32)-(33)

(West, WESTLAW through Ch. 10 of 2003-2004 Reg. Sess., 1st Ex. Sess.)

A mandated reporter is defined as any of the following:

A clergy member, as specified in § 11166(c). As used in this article, ‘clergy member’ means a priest, minister, rabbi, religious practitioner, or similar functionary of a church, temple, or recognized denomination or organization.

Any custodian of records of a clergy member, as specified in this section and § 11166(c).

Cal. Penal Code § 11166(c)(1)-(2)

(West, WESTLAW through Ch. 10 of 2003-2004 Reg. Sess. & 1st Ex. Sess.)

A clergy member who acquires knowledge or reasonable suspicion of child abuse during a penitential communication is not subject to the requirement to make a report. For the purposes of this subdivision, 'penitential communication’ means a communication, intended to be in confidence, including, but not limited to, a sacramental confession, made to a clergy member who, in the course of the discipline or practice of his or herchurch, denomination, or organization, is authorized or accustomed to hear those communications, and under the discipline, tenets, customs, or practices of his or her church, denomination, or organization, has a duty to keep those communications secret.

Nothing in this subdivision shall be construed to modify or limit a clergy member’s duty to report known or suspected child abuse when a clergy member is acting in some other capacity that would otherwise make the clergy member a mandated reporter.

B . Types of Child Maltreatment:[2]

  • Physical Abuse: unexplained bruises, welts, human bite marks, bald spots; unexplained burns, cigarette or immersion burns; unexplained fractures, lacerations, or abrasions.
  • Neglect Abuse: abandonment; unattended medical needs; consistent lack of supervision; consistent hunger; inappropriate dress; and poor hygiene.
  • Sexual Abuse: torn, stained or bloody underclothing; pain or itching in the genital area; difficulty walking or sitting; bruises or bleeding in the external genitalia; venereal disease; frequent urinary or yeast infections.
  • Emotional Abuse: speech disorders; delayed physical development; witnessing domestic violence; substance abuse; increased severity in existing conditions.

C. Common Indicators of Child Maltreatment:[3]

  • Repeated injuries: Bruises, welts, burns. Parents may seem unconcerned, deny that anything is wrong, or give unlikely explanations for the injuries.
  • Neglected Appearance: Children often are badly nourished, inadequately clothed, are left alone or are wandering at all hours, always seem as if nobody cares (sometimes, though, over-neatness may be a sign of abuse).
  • Disruptive Behavior: Very aggressive, negative behavior constantly repeated can signal a desperate need for attention and help.
  • Passive Withdrawn Behavior: When children are excessively shy and friendless, it may indicate that there are serious problems at home.
  • Parents who are "super critical": Parents who discipline their children frequently and severely may begin to abuse them when their unrealistic standards are not met.
  • Families that are extremely isolated: Parents who don't share in school or community activities and resent friendly contacts may be distrustful of people, afraid of their help.

D. Criteria for Reporting Suspected Child Abuse/Neglect.[4]