In every church, of every size, meeting people's pastoral needs is a core area of minsitry. If leadership resources are already stretched, however, it can be an area in which it is all too easy to fall short, with potentially disastrous consequences.
We may notice and feel compassion when we see somebody struggling in some way, but we also need to be properly equipped in order to offer the kind of wise and practical assistance that will start to guide them back towards wholeness of life.
Earthed in Jesus' command that as his disciples we are to love one another, this book shows how home groups can be places where people's pain and difficulties are noticed, and first steps taken to help.
Writing for both group leaders and members, Wendy Billington offers valuable insights coupled with down-to-earth advice, drawing on her pastoral work in the community and in the local church, as well as on her personal experiences of loss and cancer.
Wendy Billington co-ordinates the pastoral care programme at St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks, which includes providing training in pastoral skills, listening to people's concern, bereavement care, marriage enrichment and supporting cancer sufferers and their families. She is a director of the Sevenoaks Christian Counselling Service.