Understand what you can offer and when to involve others.
Caring for your group is an important part of shepherding. You can listen, pray, offer practical support, and help people connect with additional care.
You can take that responsibility seriously without carrying every need or feeling responsible for fixing someone’s situation.
What you can offer
Your presence and consistent care matter. As a leader, you can:
Listen with compassion and without judgment.
Pray with people and follow up on what they share.
Help group members encourage and support one another.
Coordinate practical help when appropriate, such as meals, helping with a move, or a thoughtful check-in.
Help someone connect with Relevant’s Care Team.
Ask your coach, Network Lead or Anna for guidance when you’re unsure.
Often, a helpful first response is simple: “I’m glad you told me. Let’s think about what support would be helpful.”
What you aren’t responsible for
You aren’t expected to:
Have an answer for every question.
Resolve someone’s grief, relationship struggles, or ongoing hardship, financial or otherwise.
Provide professional counseling or treatment through your leadership role.
Be someone’s only source of support.
Be available at all hours.
Make another person’s decisions or guarantee their growth.
Recognizing these limits helps you care consistently and connect people with support beyond what you can offer.
Share care within the group
Encourage members to care for one another rather than directing every need back to you.
With the person’s permission, invite others to help with a specific need. Someone might provide a meal, offer a ride, or check in during a difficult week.
Ask what would actually be helpful before organizing support. Respect what the person is comfortable sharing, and avoid making commitments on behalf of others.
Set clear and caring limits
Be honest about the time, availability, and help you can offer. Clear limits help people understand what to expect.
You might say:
“I can talk tomorrow afternoon. Would that work for you?”
“I care about what you’re going through, and I’d like to help you connect with additional support.”
“I’m not equipped to guide you through this on my own. Let’s reach out to the Care Team.”
If someone’s needs are becoming more than you can sustainably carry, talk with Anna about a plan for support.
Involve additional care
Relevant’s Care Team is available to support people experiencing grief or loss, marriage or family crisis, mental health struggles, addiction, or ongoing hardship.
You don’t need to wait until you feel overwhelmed. Reach out when a situation is beyond what you feel equipped to handle.
You can say:
“We have a Care Team at Relevant that would love to support you. I can help you get connected if you’d like.”
Visit relevantcommunity.org/careteam, text NEED HELP to 55444, or contact Nick Petrick, Equipping Director, at nick@relevantcommunity.org.
Helping someone connect with additional support can happen alongside your continued friendship, prayer, and encouragement.
Get support for your own leadership
Pay attention when you feel stretched, uncertain, or weighed down by a situation. Your coach and Anna can help you think through your role and a practical next step.
If you’re unsure how to handle sensitive information, ask Anna for guidance. Avoid sharing someone’s story more broadly to gather opinions.
Contact Anna: anna@relevantcommunity.org
Faithful care includes knowing when to ask for help. Keep offering what you can with compassion and honesty, and invite others to help carry needs that extend beyond your role.