One of the most demanding jobs of the pastor is to visit members & friends – especially when they are in the hospital or sick. And if we fail, our ministries suffer. A great ministry journal, Leadership Journal, has recently published a couple articles on the value of visitation.

Click on the following links to read these articles:

• The pastor’s “unproductive” visits

• Effective hospital visits

But what about taking care of widows? Is that important? What about the service to the orphans? Or, any of a dozen OTHER “ministries”? Which of these is MOST important? So, is visitation really that important?

I understand that ALL ministry is important. But sometimes, a minister must make a choice. What if you led a major ministry which included the care of widows and orphans. Then you told the church that you did not have time to take care of the widows. Would that be a sin? Of course I am referring to Acts 6:2, “So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.”

Bill Isaacs has posted about the need to do ONE thing. Which of the multitude of “ministries” is YOUR one thing? And, more important, are you BRAVE enough to do what is right? I am certain that Bill is not suggesting (nor am I) that we ONLY do one thing. What I am suggesting is that sometimes, we need to do OTHER things and leave the visitation (or whatever) to someone else.

I realize that this is VERY controversial and not everyone will agree. However, this is the way that REAL understanding occurs — when we stop “preaching to the choir” and start truly seeking truth – rather than saying those things that tickle people’s ears.

Ray
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