The CRC supports its Pastors in the same way a larger church supports its members.

How a Church Supports its Members

As a senior pastor, or perhaps a member of a pastoral team, you care for the members of your church by providing a pastoral care network. It is impossible that you can do it all yourself, unless you are at the smaller congregation stage. Your care network usually includes some sort of follow-up program for newer believers plus the Sunday service and other special events where all the believers can meet each other.

Importantly, you create: smaller connect groups to encourage deeper relationships to form; and specialist ministries for special needs groups eg. '51o* mums', youth groups; and also points of service as being able to contribute is important for people.

These are all vital areas where believers worship, learn, relate, recover and contribute to the body and grow in their gifting. It should be obvious that it is not possible, or healthy, for the pastor to personally meet every need; that is the job of the whole body.

How the CRC Supports its Pastors

The CRC Victorian Executive and its Chairperson provide a support network for CRC pastors similar to that which pastors provide in their own churches for their members; especially as the church gets larger.

While the leadership cannot personally meet all the needs of all the pastors, especially with the added complication of distance and the fact that they already have churches to lead, they do provide for the care of pastors through the many services put in place that are similar to a local church.

Coaching. Newer ministers are usually in the care of the pastors of an existing church or a mother church and have a first and second coach nominated. In the case of those that are serving alone in an outreach situation, or otherwise moved on to senior ministry, the other supports provided by the CRC to all pastors will be even more important. Some of our pastors are trained as Coaches in the Your Leading Edge coaching program

Regional and Ministry Networks are recognised. All pastors are expected to connect themselves to a CRC region or ministry network (such as 'Wives & Women in Ministry', 'Youth Leaders', 'Children Leader,st gig which meet regularly to share and care and plan.

It is at these meetings where regular participation can lead to genuine brotherly caring and support. Each pastor needs to ensure they have adequate friendships, and mentoring relationships, to be blessed; and to be a blessing, by being proactive about fellowship and connecting in this way. CRC Victoria provides a Regional Care pastor who liaises with each Region and the Chairman and Executive to assist with regional development and assistance to churches and pastors.

Conferences of two or more days' duration, twice yearly, are provided for pastors to worship and connect together, and to receive inspiring messages to enable growth.

Travelling Ministries. Those that make themselves available to minister widely through the CRC are also a resource to care for you, as well as minister into your church, and that is why we are pleased to carry promotions for local itinerant ministries on our website.

CRC Ministry Involvement. The CRC provides, through its state and national based ministries and missions, the opportunity to minister in and on behalf of the CRC. This is provided through various portfolio positions and teams, as well as individual travelling ministry initiatives and missions in to churches, states and nations. These levels of involvement increase the circle of friendships that contribute to a pastor's health and wellbeing as well as to those that avail themselves of such ministries.

The diagram illustrates that it is our wider connections that provide opportunity for us to receive ministry into our lives and that of our spouse and church. It may also be possible to invite direct involvement. In time, this is where we draw our ministry friends, mentors, coaches and ministry supply from with more established connections for ourselves our spouse and our church.

Further Assistance. It may still be possible that your need is so great that it is appropriate for the State Executive to be called on to assist. Likewise, if you are 'connected', your local brethren may be able to recommend assistance by some other specialist ministries. So the CRC network is not unlike your own church.

A great recipe for being neglected and uncared for is to: Don't attend conferences, and don't connect with a network of CRC pastors regularly in relationship, and don't be a part of any CRC co-operative team or ministry initiatives, and never receive CRC itinerant ministries, and never share your problems in a clear way until it is too late. Please do not be that person, but be part of the network of care.