care: loving your church by walking through life together

Jesus commands his disciples to love one another and promises that ＂by this everyone will know that you are my disciples＂ (John 13:35). But what does genuine care for those in our church family look like?

This warm, practical book by Dwayne Bond goes beyond specific pastoral-care roles and responsibilities, and explores how all church members can love and care for one another in the rhythms of ordinary life.

In response to Jesus’ great love for us and the example he set, readers will explore how to honor one another, serve one another and bear each other’s burdens, as they seek to walk together as a family in the midst of a divided culture. They will see that following Jesus’ command to love one another deeply and practically will bring great joy as well as commending the gospel to those around them, as people see lives changed from the inside out.

This wonderful resource is not only a useful tool for church care teams but for every church member as each is encouraged to play his or her part in making people feel cared for and connected to the church family.

There are discussion questions with action steps at the end of every chapter, making this book ideal to read as a small group or even as a whole church. Bulk deals and free downloadable worksheets are available.

This is one of the books in the new Love Your Church series, which is being written by a collection of Bible teachers from Acts29. It is designed to inspire every church member to love their church in practical ways by casting a biblical vision of what it means to be a local community of God’s family. The series will explore what it means to belong, to welcome, to gather, to care, to serve and to honor one another, and to witness and send people out to spread the gospel. Choose the resources that cover the areas most helpful to your particular church-family needs.

Dwayne is the founder and Lead Pastor of Wellspring Church in Charlotte, NC, which he planted in 2007. After graduating with a Ph.D. in Professional Counseling from Liberty University, he started Proximus Group, LLC, which serves individuals, couples, families, pastors, executive leaders, and businesses. From 2020 to 2024, he served as Director of Pastoral Care with Acts 29 Network. He also has an M.A. in Christian Counseling and Discipleship, an M.A. in Religion, and a B.S. in Finance. He has been married for almost 33 years to his lovely wife, Leslie, and has three adult children. In his spare time, he enjoys health and wellness, reading to learn, laughing with friends, traveling the world, watching basketball, backyard gardening, and pursuing entrepreneurial ventures.