Tired today. We’ve been dealing with a family that has seen death strike quickly. Six weeks ago this lady was healthy, vibrant, a runner, swimmer, servant at church and in the community. At 46 she is gone because of cancer. Just a few days before prayed with another family that lost their 70 something year old mother.

It is both invigorating to be part of the care team and draining at the same time. We were up with them until 2 a.m. one night and a couple of nights later at the home at 4 a.m. after her death. I don’t recover from these things like I used to. But I wouldn’t miss being with a family that is struggling with life and death issues.

If you are a lead pastor you should have a staff of people or at least a volunteer team that can walk with a family through tragedies such as these. The more you are tied to being “THE” caretaker you will have a difficult time growing a large church. Rick Warren used to tell people “when you see me at the hospital, you know your time is about up.” As the church grows the ministers that minister to that person, the ministry in which they are serving, or the small group to which they belong should take the lead. The lead pastor should be about leading and caring for staff and elders and leaders of major ministries. That doesn’t mean the lead pastor doesn’t care. It simply means that the people who know you best care for you. I’d much rather have someone who KNOWS me do my funeral than someone who just knows me by sight.

If the church is to be the church then those who know the people best need to be the responders. We have a great gentleman in our church that just loves people. He sent a message to us in the midst of this families crisis and offered his services to go with pastors or others when a death or other tragedy happens in a families life. This ladies and gentlemen is the church being the church.  Educate people to be the church. When it works its an amazing thing.