Given that two in three U.S. households include a pet, churches can find that opening doors to animals can also open doors into their community, say pastor Betsy Singleton Snyder and lay chaplain and therapy dog owner Gayle McKuin Fiser. Two decades ago, the pair set out to grow their Little Rock, Ark., church through a pet outreach ministry. Now, they share their experience and advice in their book, New Tricks: How Pet Ministry Can Transform Faith Communities and Change Lives (Upper Room, out now). Snyder and Fiser corresponded with PW via email, providing joint responses.
What does a pet ministry bring to a church?
Pet ministry includes so much! It includes pastoral care for people and pets, hospitality to welcome people and pets, mission work by reaching into the community, social justice by working on aspects of creation care, evangelism and even foster care for someone in the hospital whose pet needs care. Pets can be greeters at church. They can bring people into church who wouldn’t come unless you welcome their pet.
What should a church think about when starting a pet ministry?
Churches must find out what barriers are out there. Are people afraid of animals or allergic? How will you protect people and animals? It’s important that people know their pet must be trained appropriately. There should be plenty of education about the ministry and what it will be doing. Look at your situation and see what assets you have, and start from where you are.
What kinds of things can be included in a pet ministry?
Care and support are big things. We recognize that losing a pet is a deep loss. We help people write a pet obituary. We talk to children about a pet loss, which is often their first experience with loss. We have a sewing team that makes pet prayer blankets that we give when a pet is sick or in the hospital, as well as giving them to new pets. We pray for pets. We have one woman who has a ministry to dogs in hospice. Children’s ministry and age-related ministry are also big things. We take pets to schools, libraries, and care facilities.
How can church members help the animals?
Faith communities can offer microchipping, pet rescue days, buy animal-related books to donate, and so much more.
How do animals help people?
The world is changing rapidly, and with that change comes an increasing sense of isolation. But animals can pull people out of that. Churches can be part of offering joy and community through a pet ministry. Such a ministry sounds new and cutting-edge to many people, but we at Pinnacle View United Methodist Church have been doing this for 20 years. There is so much healing power in fur.
