A Guide for Spiritual Care using CareNote

A practical, step-by-step playbook to shepherd people well with simple systems. Includes click-paths, templates, screenshot placeholders, and a few tasteful jokes to keep spirits high.

Start a CareNote Trial Book a CareNote Demo

Overview

This guide adapts the rhythms from the Ultimate Guide to Pastoral Care into a CareNote-first workflow you can use this week. The heartbeat is simple: Receive → Respond → Report → Follow-Up.

  • For churches of any size—solo-pastor to multi-site.
  • Keeps confidences, empowers volunteers, and prevents people from slipping through the cracks.
  • Sprinkled with templates and “Coming Soon” features we’re building for you.

Prerequisites

  • Define your Care Team and permissions (at least one staff owner + a few trusted volunteers).
  • Agree on intake channels (prayer card, web form, email, after-service ask).
  • Pick your first 2–3 care types (e.g., Prayer, Hospital Visit, Meal Train).

Step 1 · Receive

Collect requests from your church’s real pathways—no new hoops, just structure.

Click-path

  1. Care → Create Care Request
  2. Select or add the congregant
  3. Choose Type of Care (e.g., Prayer, Hospital Visit)
  4. Describe the need; set a due date

Template

Subject: Prayer request for [Name]
Details: [2–3 lines]. Sensitive info kept confidential. Next contact by [date/time].
Screenshot placeholder:
Create Care Request form (caption: “Quick intake — everything in one place”).

Step 2 · Respond

Assign to the right person (often a volunteer). Keep everyone informed, not overwhelmed.

Click-path

  1. Care → Create Care Assignment
  2. Assignee: Care Team (group)
  3. Toggle “Send acceptance request” → set deadline
  4. First to accept is assigned; others notified

Template

Message: “Team — can anyone visit/pray for [Name] by [date]? Click ‘I can help’ to accept.”
Screenshot placeholder:
Acceptance email preview (caption: “First to accept wins; everyone stays in the loop”).

Step 3 · Report

Keep lightweight notes that honor confidentiality and inform leadership.

Click-path

  1. Open the Care Request → Add Update
  2. Choose visibility (staff/team)
  3. Tag with context (e.g., Acute Care)

Template

“Met with [Name] for 20 minutes; prayed together; referred to [resource]. Next check-in: [date].”
Screenshot placeholder:
Request timeline with updates (caption: “A simple history beats a hundred texts”).

Step 4 · Follow-Up

Care doesn’t end at one conversation. Schedule check-ins and celebrate fruit.

Click-path

  1. Open Request → Add next task (e.g., phone call in 1 week)
  2. Assign to self or teammate
  3. Use Reports to view progress and outcomes

Template

Follow-up note: “Checking in after surgery — how are you today? Anything the team can do this week?”
Screenshot placeholder:
Tasks view and Care Reports (caption: “Small steady steps → real care outcomes”).

Coming Soon

  • One-click Care Intake form embeds
  • Deeper PCO field mapping presets
  • Training modules you can assign to volunteers

Related Resources