WHAT IS THE CARING CONGREGATION?

Jesus was a healer. His example calls us to provide care and support for one another through the peaks and valleys of our lives.

The Caring Congregation (TCC) trains church leaders to provide excellent care ministry. Our method of care is based on a team approach that empowers pastors and laity working together to support the congregation and community. This method was developed by Rev. Karen Lampe while previously serving at Church of the Resurrection and is scalable for churches of all sizes.

TCC provides a variety of care ministry training and resources to help you develop a culture of care in your church. These opportunities include seminars & webinars based on books by Revs. Karen Lampe and Melissa Collier-Gepford. In collaboration with UMC Lay Servant Ministries, we offer a CLM Specialization in Congregational Care for Lay Servant Ministry. We have e-learning courses in The Caring Congregation Academy, and a podcast on current topics related to care ministry. Visit our resource page for more tools to equip your team!

OUR CARE MINISTRY BOOKS

Rev. Karen Lampe has authored four books:

NEW! Implementation Guide*
NEW! Care Minister's Manual*
NEW! The Concise Guide to Congregational Care*
The Caring Congregation: How to Become One and Why it Matters
The Caring Congregation: Training Manual and Resource Guide.

*Co-authored with Rev. Melissa Collier-Gepford.

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LET'S TALK ABOUT TRAINING!

LET US TRAIN YOUR CARE TEAM!

We offer live-streamed webinars, self-paced online courses, in-person seminars, and customized training for your team! We also offer free podcasts that you can listen to from your phone or computer. Learn more about our training opportunities below. Sign up today or contact us for more information on how we can customize something for your team.

This course, created in collaboration with the Lay Servant Ministries of the United Methodist Church, was created for Certified Lay Ministers to receive Specialization in Congregational Care. It includes the same training received in the Basic CCM Course plus an additional final project to create a “Care Ministry Action Plan” which is to be submitted to the UMC Discipleship Ministries. The webinar offers inspiring worship and nationally known speakers. Prerequisite: Certified as a CLM (or equivalent as defined by his or her central conference) in the United Methodist Church. Early birds will receive discounted registration! Basic CCM Course Syllabus.

Our next live-streamed national care ministry webinar includes the Basic CCM Training on how to establish and run an effective care ministry based on Rev. Karen Lampe's proven CCM (congregational care minister) model of care. It includes 12 hours of training from the comfort of your home and no masks required! Do you have a group that would like to attend? Save money by hosting a watch party. It is the closest alternative to in-person training. All registrants will have access to the webinar recordings for 30 days and receive a certificate of completion for 10 contact hours in congregational care training. Webinar Schedule.

THE CARING CONGREGATION ACADEMY

Featured online courses for individualized "on demand" training:

You don't have to wait for a seminar or live-streamed webinar to train your care team. Enroll them in the Caring Congregation Academy for the Basic CCM Course featuring the same basic content covered in our intensive 2-day seminars and webinars. This self-paced on-demand training is available as a full course or broken into separate parts by topic, offering multiple ways to train individual staff and laity. Basic CCM Course Syllabus.

NEW: CLM Specialization course. For those who have completed the Certified Lay Minister (CLM) Course through the Discipleship Ministries and the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry, this course will qualify for a Specialization in Congregational Care. This course combines the Basic CCM Course with a final Care Ministry Action Plan submitted to UMC Discipleship Ministries, resulting in a certificate of completion showing CLM Specialization in Congregational Care.

Enroll Now

THE CARING CONGREGATION PODCASTS

SEASON 4 is here! The Caring Congregation Podcasts are available on Soundcloud and Apple Podcasts. Here are some episodes now playing:

Subscribe to The Caring Congregation station so you don't miss a single episode! These "conversations" between our national team and guests are filled with personal stories related to caring for ourselves and others.

Listen Now

WHAT PEOPLE are saying about our training

"Loved this training. It gave shape to some of what I've been dreaming about congregational care for my church over the last few years and now I'm ready to begin to work as I continue to dream."

--Dakotas webinar attendees

"Karen and team, thank you for giving yourself to this transformative work. It is very obviously a labor of love. I'm also grateful for how meticulous you are in your preparation."

"Loved this training. It gave shape to some of what I've been dreaming about congregational care for my church over the last few years and now I'm ready to begin to work as I continue to dream."

--Florida webinar attendee

"I've begun to enjoy this [webinar] format. In some ways, particularly if it's a large meeting, I can see and hear better and actually feel closer to the speakers."

"The speakers were engaging and encouraging, and the content was what I hoped it would be - informative, practical, and God-centered. I also liked the format with prerecorded videos and then live comments from the leaders....this was an excellent way to get our program started during the pandemic."

--Harvest UMC webinar attendee

"The speakers were engaging and encouraging, and the content was what I hoped it would be - informative, practical, and God-centered. I also liked the format with prerecorded videos and then live comments from the leaders....this was an excellent way to get our program started during the pandemic."

--webinar attendee