Visiting in an Age of Mission: A Handbook for Person-to-Person Ministry

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction xi

Step One: The Persons

1 A Joyful Invitation 3

2 Choosing Whom to Visit 9

3 An Amazing Mission 15

Step Two: Ways of Visiting

4 Visiting Possibilities 25

5 Personal Visiting 31

6 Visiting in Gatherings 42

7 Special Ways of Visiting 47

Step Three: The Best Timing

8 A Simple Approach 59

9 Life Stages and Celebrative Events 68

Step Four: Your Gifts for Visiting

10 Gifts and Graces 79

11 Training and Praying 86

12 Suggestions for Visiting 92

13 Excellent Sprinters, Solid Marathon Runners 102

Step Five: Building Your Mission

14 Your Visiting Outreach 109

15 The Congregation’s Witness 118

16 The Pastor Visits 128

17 Sacrament and Cloud 135