You can
- Pray
- Encourage
- Share scripture
- Follow up
Faith Life leadership
Pastoral Care
Escalation
A simple guide to help leaders care well, recognise their limits, and pass needs to the right people.
Start the flowCall 999 first, then inform a pastor as soon as possible.
Step 1
A pastoral need arises.
Someone shares a need, issue, or situation. Listen. Care. Do not try to solve it yet.
Step 2
Is this simple, serious, or are you unsure?
Choose the description that best fits. If you cannot decide, always choose “I’m unsure”.
Simple / Leader handles
Keep care light and connected.
You cannot
- Counsel deeply
- Give life direction
- Carry the situation alone
Your action
Pray. Check in. Keep it light.
Follow up
Check back in, keep connection, and do not drop people. Care continues even after escalation.
Unsure / Pass to oversight
Connect the need with the team.
What to say
“I’d love to support you properly, so I’ll connect this with our team.”
Oversight will
- Assess the situation
- Decide the next step
- Explain how follow-up will happen
Your action
Pass it on promptly and remain supportive.
Serious / Escalate immediately
Do not handle this alone.
Escalation triggers
- Mental health crisis
- Marriage crisis
- Safeguarding concern
- Ongoing offence or harm
- Any immediate crisis
Required order for safeguarding
- Log the concern first.Submit the safeguarding reporting form before contacting the pastoral team.
- Then inform a pastor.Stay supportive and allow authorised leaders to carry direction and decisions.
Golden rules
Care with
clear boundaries.
Do not arrange private one-to-one meetings outside church.
Do not create private opposite-sex communication.
Marriage counselling is handled by pastors only.
Log every safeguarding concern using the reporting form before speaking to the pastoral team.
Refer urgent financial needs to pastors.
Be Spirit-led, own mistakes, and ask for help early.
Who carries what?
A shared pathway
of care.
Leader
Listens, cares, prays, and identifies whether a need should be passed on.
Pastoral care
Listens, assesses, supports short-term, and identifies patterns. They do not replace pastors or make final decisions.
Lead pastors
Carry authority for crisis, direction, restoration, and correction.
Follow-up
Everyone keeps appropriate connection. Escalation does not mean abandoning care.