Partner with us to cultivate a culture of care in ALL churches!
OUR STORY:
In 2018, I retired from my role as Executive Pastor of Congregational Care at Resurrection Leawood UMC, and at the urging of Senior Pastor Rev. Adam Hamilton, I launched The Caring Congregation, LLC, and hit the road, training churches around the U.S. to develop care teams using the proven CCM method of care that I developed for Resurrection. My calendar and heart for this ministry were full! But then the 2020 pandemic closed church doors across the globe. Knowing how urgently people needed care, I assembled a team and together we rapidly developed webinar training, 2 new books, and an online Academy to reach churches behind closed doors. Our first online course was a 4-part series on "Caring for People in Crisis," specifically addressing the pandemic, mental health, recovery, and natural disasters. We added our Basic CCM Training course online and have partnered with UMC Discipleship Ministries and issued over 50 certificates for a Specialization in Congregational Care to Certified Lay Ministers. We wrote a third pocket sized book and are now in the process of converting our other training books into Spanish to broaden our reach. Since we began we have conducted over 50 seminars and seminary classes, reaching hundreds of church leaders in multiple denominations, live-streamed 15 two-day webinars, trained over 90 church leaders in our online Academy, broadcast over 65 podcasts to 20,000+ listeners across the globe, and are launching our new cohort small group learning this fall.
As word spread, the demand for training and more specialized care ministry resources increased. In response, our small but mighty team once again enlisted the help of others (because in care ministry there are no lone rangers) and applied for non-profit status. We are excited to announce that it was granted and now our team is busy launching this exciting new 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry called The Caring Congregation INC. We now have a board of directors, a mission statement, a five-year vision and budget, and applied for our first grant. It's been a whirlwind, but God is helping us open doors because, as Jesus taught us, care is the heart of the church and essential for growth. And we are just getting started! Churches ask us almost daily for more care resources, and we have big plans to fill that need with new curriculum addressing diversity and inclusion training, care for children, youth, and senior adults, and more. By expanding our national team we hope to offer online coaching for mental health and recovery and serve as a resource hub for "all things care." We dream of conducting national care conferences and retreats for spiritual renewal. But we can't do it alone.
In Matthew 9:37-38 Jesus said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field." In order to grow this new non-profit ministry and keep training affordable to the small churches who need it most, we need YOU! We need prayers, guidance, financial support, and volunteers to bring in the harvest that God has laid before us. Together, we can cultivate a culture of care in ALL churches, developing deeply discipled, spiritually mature care teams (we call these the "secret sauce," and equip them with the resources to effectively care for their congregations and communities!
thecaringcongregation.com
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
- In all things, pray first!
- Make a recurring or one-time financial gift by credit card above, or text the word GIVE to 888-495-1904. You may also mail a check to The Caring Congregation INC, 11184 Antioch Road #283, Overland Park, Kansas 66210. If you are interested in making an endowed Legacy Gift through Midwest Trust or the Kansas Methodist Foundation, call us at 913-481-6402.
- Volunteer! We need to grow our team. Volunteer to serve at our local events or join our national team of CCMs by emailing your interests and credentials to info@thecaringcongregation.com.
Rev. Karen Lampe, Founding Pastor
TESTIMONIALS:
"Rev. Karen Lampe’s grasp on both the theological and formational significance of Congregational Care and the practical tools and strategies needed to provide good care are so helpful! She connects quickly and deeply with workshop participants so that they walk away not only equipped but feeling empowered to provide this ministry. At Westlake UMC we now have more than 20 commissioned Congregational Care Ministers who provide care to those who are sick, hurting, or grieving for a variety of reasons in any number of settings. Because of our CCMs we are able to provide quality, comprehensive care more broadly than ever before. I’m not worried about people falling through the cracks and you wouldn’t believe what a comfort that is as pastor!" --- Rev. Tracey Beadle, Senior Pastor, Westlake UMC
"In her role overseeing the care of 18,000 parishioners at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, Karen Lampe has developed what many consider to be the best congregational care practices in the United States. In her book, The Caring Congregation, she describes those standards and offers concrete stories illustrating their practice and step-by-step instruction for how to offer outstanding pastoral care. It is a "must read" book for pastors, lay ministers, and seminary students. The congregational care model Karen Lampe teaches will dramatically improve the quality of pastoral care while engaging laity in ways that will enrich and bless them and those they care for." -- Rev. Adam Hamilton, Senior Pastor, Resurrection UMC
"Thanks for putting together such an accessible, relevant, professional and Spirit-led curriculum for assisting churches in ministering to our congregants. I have been a worship pastor for over 20 years but have recently sensed God turning my heart toward congregational care. This fall, I will be changing roles at our local church and becoming our pastor of congregational care. I knew at the outset of this journey that I couldn't and didn't want to be a "Lone Ranger" pastor doing this all by myself, so this pastor/lay team approach is perfect. It makes so much sense and seems so appropriate from a biblical standpoint. I am excited to assemble our CCM team later this summer and equip them to begin expressing Christ's love and care in new and exciting ways within our church this starting this fall! This has helped me immeasurably in learning essential components in creating a ministry like this from scratch. Invaluable! Thanks for your extended ministry to our local church!" --Roger Allen, West Valley Church of the Nazarene, Yakima, Washington