We were talking about hospital visitation when one of my fellow pastors quoted a ministerial hero.  It seemed that an elderly lady accosted the pastor on Sunday morning with: “Pastor, I was in the hospital all last week and you never came to see me.”  To which he replied, “Ma’am, you don’t want to get so sick that I must come to visit you.” We enjoy the humor here because we identify with the berated brother.

But…, visiting the sick is a biblical responsibility, and (equally important) it is one of the things the church expects when it calls a pastor. For some, hospital or shut-in visits are an enjoyable part of the ministry.  For others it is a struggle, but to avoid or neglect this duty is not fair to the congregation, and it sets aside a biblical obligation.  Much has been written about how to visit sick folks—don’t sit on the bed, don’t talk to loudly, be sure to pray with them, etc.  The following suggestions can help you allocate and manage the time involved in such visits.

If you live a long distance from hospitals, set a day on which you will make hospital visits.  Announce this day to the church, and occasionally remind church members of that day.  They will be more likely to inform of you of folks who may need a visit if they know you have a schedule for hospital visitation.  This will not free you from the responsibility of visiting in an emergency, however.

If possible, visit on Sunday mornings before Sunday School.  This may not work for you if live a long distance from hospitals, but if you are close by, this is an excellent approach.  The information you have on the ill church members will be fresh when you see their friends at church, and it will be meaningful to the hospitalized that you have visited them on the Lord’s Day.

After greeting those you have come to visit, sit down. When you sit down, you have relaxed, and are not “hurrying.”  You can visit the same length of time, but you will give the impression of having visited longer than if you had stood at the bed and conducted the visit.

Take someone with you.  Deacons, your children, your spouse, a friend.  It blesses the person you visit, but it also trains and prepares those who accompany you for ministry.  Deacons who visit with their pastor will visit without him.  Depending on who accompanies you, you can also deal with other issues regarding your work.  Some of my greatest planning has been done riding to the hospitals with a trusted deacon.

Finally, remember who you are. You are more than a chaplain; you are a minister of the gospel.  There are people who come in and out of hospital rooms who need the gospel, and those confined to those rooms have family members and friends who need the Lord and His church.   Use the opportunities you find in hospital visitation for extending the Kingdom and for building the church.

Modern medical care means that people spend less time in the hospital.  But medical advancements have not made this time less traumatic.  Tend the flock.

I’m not feeling well, so I think I’ll end this blog here.  And note the BIG CHANGE—this blog will posted on Monday afternoons.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it