Quarterbacking Care: Pastoral Triage with S.O.S.

Shepherding and Crisis Care

Pastors cannot personally carry every care situation in the church, and they need a reliable way to direct each one. This course teaches the pastor's three moves: assess risk with S.O.S., give wise counsel in the moment, and establish a care plan through the church's own soul care ministry. You will practice deciding which situations to handle personally and which to route to others.

1 hour

11 units

2 sections

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What You'll Work Through

Each unit is a conversation, not a page to read. The tutor asks you to explain, apply, and work with the material until it holds.

Chapter 1: Drawing Out the Heart Before Directing It

Section 1.1: The Pastor's Three Moves

Proverbs 20:5 grounds the pastor's care in drawing out the heart before directing it
The pastor's first move: Assess Risk by getting a solid S.O.S. score before chasing the root
The pastor's second and third moves: give wise counsel on the fly, then establish a care plan

Section 1.2: Assessing Risk with S.O.S.

The three S.O.S. dimensions: Severity, Ownership, Support
Scoring each dimension 1 to 10 as a conversation, not a clinical exercise
Reading the combined score to gauge the level of care needed

Chapter 2: Playing the Right Play

Section 2.1: S.O.S. Plays by Level of Care

Low S.O.S. play (roughly 3-10): connect through small group leaders
Moderate S.O.S. play (roughly 11-20): consult with coach or soul care staff
High S.O.S. play (roughly 21-30): collaborate and stay in the loop

Section 2.2: Unconnected, Connected, and Not Carrying It All

Pastoring the unconnected: you own the follow-through
Pastoring the connected: reassess and quarterback rather than take over