Home Visitation in an Age of Teleconferencing
Doug Self
Home visitation is an awesome opportunity and responsibility. For many people, I can be an extension of Christ, an expression, albeit imperfect, of God's love.
— Doug Self A typical day of pastoral visitation: Early in the afternoon, I visited a blended family. The wife had a child from a previous live-in; the husband had children from a previous marriage. They were desperately trying to blend the families together. It didn't take long to get down to business. They were troubled that, because of the tension in the family, one of the husband's children had left to live with the husband's former wife. To make matters worse, the husband had just lost his job. The family was pummeled and hurting. Although the joblessness was new, the knotty problem with the children was not. There weren't any easy answers. We analyzed a recent family blowup to search for better ways to handle their conflicts. Although I didn't want to lecture them, I did try to help them trust God in the midst of their turmoil. As I got ready to leave, the husband, the wife, and I joined hands in prayer. I asked God to put his arms around these two bewildered and exhausted Christians. A short time later, I was visiting a young couple who had been attending our church for a few Sundays. What a joy! They had recently moved to our community and had been invited by some regular attenders. During our visit they assured me they'd found their church home with us. I love to hear new people excitedly describe what they've found meaningful about our church. At the last stop of the day, I counseled a soon-to-be-wed couple. The prospective bride had a child from a previous marriage and was now six months pregnant. The prospective groom told me how disappointed he was over losing ...
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