A TEAM APPROACH TO CARE MINISTRY
Welcome to The Caring Congregation (TCC), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization founded by Rev. Karen Lampe. We teach church leaders a team-based approach to care ministry, utilizing a proven model originally developed for Resurrection UMC. Our model is scalable and adaptable for churches and organizations of all sizes. Under the leadership of Rev. Karen Lampe, our national team has trained thousands of leaders across the country to build effective care teams. These teams are equipped to support their organizations and communities with compassion and efficiency. Our training is now recognized by the United Methodist Church as a qualified course for a specialization in congregational care for Certified Lay Ministers under Discipleship Ministries.
At TCC, we believe that care ministry is the heart of the church and essential for growth in today's evolving Christian community. Inspired by Jesus, the ultimate healer, we strive to follow His example by providing meaningful care and support through life's peaks and valleys. Our care model can be customized for any faith community. We offer our training and resources through seminars, webinars, conferences, online courses, cohorts, and more. Join us in making a difference by building stronger, more caring communities.
Our mission is to cultivate a culture of care in the evolving faith community.
We empower leaders to develop care teams that are equipped and prepared to effectively support their congregations and communities.
Our team consists of skilled pastors and care ministers with extensive experience in care ministry. Each team leader has successfully developed a thriving care ministry, witnessing the transformative power of excellent care.
Our National Team Leaders teach the Congregational Care Minister (CCM) model of care through live seminars, webinars, cohorts, and our online Academy courses. We offer individual and team training, and can assist churches in setting up an affordable custom training event in their area. Register for one of our upcoming events or contact us to customize something for your church conference, district, or region. Click on the "Upcoming Events button below to find a training option that works for you.
Individuals may start training today by enrolling in a self-paced on-demand course taught by Karen Lampe and her team through video teaching in our TCC Academy. Currently we offer three online courses:
Learn more about each course by clicking on "enroll now" below!
--Dakotas webinar attendees
--Florida webinar attendee
--Harvest UMC webinar attendee
--Rev. Dr. Tom Brady, UMC KC District Superintendent
At The Caring Congregation (TCC) we believe that care is the heart of the church. “Care” is the action word for kindness, compassion, connection, love and justice. As we seek to care for others in the example modeled by Jesus, it is important to consider our theology. Our basic training starts you on the journey of the theology of care, then out of that will flow the practical tools for ministry:
· how to pray with someone
· listening skills
· appropriate boundaries
· how to offer spiritual guidance
· visitation skills for in-home, care homes, and hospitals
· care for the dying
· grief follow up
· how to organize your team, care is a team effort….no lone rangers
· how to evaluate what my community needs
Even in seminary the practical tools for doing care ministry are sadly rarely addressed. TCC will help pastors, volunteers and staff create a culture of care forming a team effort. Even if you are a small church of 10-50, forming a care team (maybe two people) is essential to creating a culture of care. Jesus started with a few volunteers…..and then the world was changed.
We have a team of handpicked and experienced pastors across the nation who have successfully implemented a care ministry in their setting. Thousands have taken our training . In the thousands of leaders trained, we have seen first hand the benefits this program has brought to churches and their communities in a wide variety of settings. After training we provide continued consulting and resources to help implement programs, rather than leave clients overwhelmed after training ends. We invest in the development of care teams so they are prepared for crisis and know how to walk alongside people in some of the most traumatic times of their lives. Our nonprofit status has allowed us to obtain additional support from grants and donors to keep our fees low and affordable for churches of all sizes.
Stephen Ministries' approach to care ministry is one-to-one care. The Caring Congregation (TCC) model uses a team approach involving clergy, staff, and volunteer care ministers working together under an umbrella of care, encouraging pastoral involvement and oversight. TCC trains and equips pastors and laity to work through care ministry to create a culture of care throughout the church and community. This includes one-on-one spiritual listening (similar to Stephen Ministry), but adds support and recovery group leadership, and community care partner development. As a non-profit organization, TCC is also able to keep training very affordable through the generosity of donors and grants, allowing us to provide many free and shared resources on our website to equip teams in the work of care. While some churches choose to initially retain their Stephen Ministers under the umbrella of care for one-to-one care, in the long run many find that the TCC team approach effectively covers this same function. We invite Steven Ministers into a system of care where they can use their valuable services!
This model adapts to the resources and size of any faith community. If you are a church of 10-50 people, and have only one other person besides yourself to help you, then you have a team. Jesus set the model for this. Initially he was teaching and healing by himself. Then slowly he built his team. Our hope is to encourage you to recruit and train volunteers. Once a small group of you have the training, you can begin to meet the needs of your community more effectively. We want you to succeed! We provide free resources for getting started after training. We teach you how to start small by partnering with local community and support groups who already have resources and programs, rather than reinvent the wheel or require years of specialized training before you can get started. Inviting local partners into your setting can bring recovery and mental health education programs from groups like AA, Al-Anon, NAMI, hospitals, libraries, law enforcement, and much more. Collaboration saves time and resources while building community relations. Keeping the process simple and adapting to the needs of your setting expands your reach.
TCC keeps the cost for training very affordable through our generous donors. If you need scholarship, let us know or call your church’s denominational local leader for help with scholarship. We have found that most denominational leaders are eager to support this effort.
No. Although our model of care began in the United Methodist Church, we are a separate non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and have trained church leaders across denominations. We welcome the opportunity to customize our care model for any organization, faith based or secular, wanting to establish an effective care system for their employees and their communities.
Cost varies depending upon the type of training and number of participants. Look on our Events and Academy tabs on our website where you will see that you can receive training as low as $100 for our "Caring for People in Crisis" individual course - a four video bundle in our online TCC Academy. Our basic CCM introductory care training starts at $250 per person online through our online TCC Academy or in a live-streamed Webinar format offered at least 3 times a year. Group discounts are also available for Webinar Watch Parties. Contact us for custom quotes if you’d like to offer an in-person seminar for your volunteers or for your local churches. As a non-profit organization we can offer low-cost training to those who can't afford it through scholarships, grants and donations. We can assist our seminar/webinar host churches with strategies to offset training expenses such as soliciting potential funding from church districts and/or by inviting area churches to their training for a small registration fee. Contact us for custom quotes.
We are looking for partners to support us in our mission to cultivate a culture of care in ALL churches. Together we can equip them with affordable training and resources to effectively care for their congregations and communities! Text PLEDGE or DONATE to 855-725-7111. We are a 501(c)(3) organization [EIN 92-2232548].
11184 Antioch Road #283, Overland Park, Kansas 66210
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to caring ministries.
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