Shepherding

The human soul is nourished, restored, comforted, kept, and guided by the Good Shepherd. At its most basic level, shepherding and pastoral care is the outworking of this remarkable claim. It is about the care of the soul. 

The deacon ministry serves those who are experiencing material need due to illness or loss by distributing the gifts of the people. The deacons also develop the grace and liberality of the members of the church and care for the widow. 

It is our privilege to come alongside those who are bereaved or grieving. Our relationship with you extends past the funeral to a long term pastoral care relationship through one on one counsel to grief support groups.

A funeral, or celebration of life service, is one of life’s most difficult and emotional occasions. Learn more about our Funeral Ministry.

Perimeter is a large church, with members from all over Metro Atlanta. To shepherd our flock well, we have divided the area into geographic parishes, to better care for and connect with our members. Each parish has an Area Pastor who shepherds and oversees the elders and members within that parish.

Church members elect elders and deacons to work with our pastors in providing leadership for and shepherding care to our church members. The Shepherding Department oversees the election, care, and shepherding of our church officers as they, in turn, shepherd and care for our church members.

A GriefShare support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, you'll discover what's "normal" in grief, you'll learn helpful ways of coping with grief—in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way. 

As we shepherd the flock, we step into their lives and situations, and many of the people we minister to desire specific prayer and action. We pray together with the goal of seeking the mind of Christ and to discern what the Spirit and the Word is teaching us. We pray with the assurance that the Spirit comes to us in our weakness and intercedes for us.

Our Shepherdess team is here to serve as advocates for women with church leadership, as well as advocates for the church to women. They are often a bridge between women who are struggling and the church. A Shepherdess may assist with crisis care, or she may come alongside another woman for strategic friendship, to help her grow and mature in a particular season of life.

We desire to offer our members who are experiencing mobility barriers the opportunity to worship, belong, grow, and bless as part of the body of Christ at Perimeter. We are committed to creating care plans for those with physical needs through prayer, the sacrament of communion, listening, sharing the Word, encouragement, moral and practical decision-making assistance, and visitation.

The On Belay ministry is designed for women who are survivors or who have been journeying with their diagnosis for some time to come alongside another Perimeter woman who is just starting out on her own journey.

One way we care for our members is to come alongside those who have a hurt, habit, or hang-up that they would like to change, but feel they can't. Our department oversees the Celebrate Recovery ministry, where 12-step groups meet weekly in a discipleship format, to create a safe space for restoration in mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health.