Page 46 - BMIN191 Beginnning Internship

46 Beginning Ministerial Internship: Student Manual

• Continue to demonstrate faith in God and His purpose for this time as you
pray. Do not try to explain reasons for these difficult days since you cannot
fully know God’s ways. But encourage with the confidence that God will
glorify himself through all of our circumstances.
• Assist the individual with strategies for caring for those things he or she is
unable to address. Food needs for family and other daily requirements in the
home can be addressed by the minister or others involved in such ministry.
In all visitations, keep in mind that, you, as the spiritual leader, are primarily
a facilitator; helping those involved to seek God’s help and grow in their trust
in His way and His will for them. You are to stand in as God’s instrument,
surrounding them with the love and support God wishes them to experience.

Essential Guidelines

12 Why will focusing on the Know Your Role
sufferer aid the minister in In the visitation of the sick, ministers must understand their role. Though other
avoiding the pitfalls associated
with not knowing one’s role? ties may connect a minister to the sufferer, the primary role here is that of spiritual
helper and supporter. As such, the minister should bring spiritual encouragement
and expression to every visit. Unless extraordinary circumstances prevent this, the
minister should always include a time of prayer in the visit.
The minister is not present as a medical voice or advisor. After years of
experience, he or she will know of medical procedures and terminologies, but
that knowledge does not entitle or equip a minister to assume any role other than
that of spiritual help. The minister’s role is to allow the sufferer to talk and to
introduce the comfort that the Word of God and the presence the Holy Spirit can
bring to the scene. Thus, the minister’s sole focus must be on the sufferer, the
family and friends, and the God who promises to provide what is needed. This is
the route to gain respect as a spiritual leader.

Know Your Limitations
As stated earlier, during illness and crisis, questions will naturally arise. It is fitting
for the minister to acknowledge his or her inability to answer such questions. Simply
stating, “I’m not sure we can really know why, but we can trust the God who knows”
can redirect the internal struggle of the sufferer to the more important issue of faith.
Sometimes a minister may feel compelled to answer for God, fearing that the
health crisis has also brought a crisis of faith. But answering for God often leads
to wrong answers and misunderstandings of the Lord’s plan for the individual.
For example, a minister who guarantees what God will do or tries to offer an
explanation for the events only opens the door to more misunderstanding. Limit
comments and speculations to things that are certainly known—for instance, that
God will not abandon us, that God has promised to give us strength for every
moment, and so forth. One can certainly empathize with the desire for answers
to hard questions, but it is the absence of such answers that cultivates faith. If we
can find every answer, we have little reason to trust.

Know Your Place
Occasionally a minister can step beyond the boundaries of his or her proper
place during a hospital visit. This can occur in a number of ways, and each can be
detrimental to the true needs of the moment.
While a minister is accustomed to broad access due to his or her role in
the life of a patient, such access should not be taken for granted or demanded
unreasonably. A minister should demonstrate respect for medical personnel and