WHEN THE DOORBELL RINGS
A Guide for the Church: Responding to Requests for Help
This manual offers guidelines to the church in its response to people coming to the door for help, and the many challenges that this presents.
Part 1, for those at the front desk, discusses ways of exercising compassion, wisdom and discernment; how to say “yes” without being patronising or feeling manipulated, and how to say “no” without being dismissive or feeling guilty.
Part 2 assists church leaders with developing policies that offer a unified response to those in need, and with supporting the front-of-house staff as they implement these decisions.
Part 3 provides practical tools for record-keeping and setting up a data base of resource- and service providers. The book includes templates for developing these lists.
