For Churches
The ministry you've been meaning to start.
You know the need. Elderly members in care facilities, former parishioners who can no longer attend Sunday service, widows and widowers who used to fill a pew every week and now sit alone in rooms that smell like disinfectant and loneliness.
Your congregation loves them. You've talked about visiting more. About starting a card ministry. About organizing a volunteer team. But volunteer-driven elder outreach is almost impossible to sustain — schedules change, enthusiasm fades, and the very people who need consistency the most are the first to be forgotten when life gets busy.
We provide the infrastructure. You provide the mission.
Not because they don't care. Not because the need isn't recognized. But because the traditional model — recruit volunteers, create a rotation schedule, hope people follow through — breaks down within six months.
Volunteers miss weeks. They move away. They burn out. The elders who were promised regular visits learn, once again, that they cannot rely on anyone showing up. And the volunteer coordinator feels like they're failing, week after week, at something that should be simple: remembering the people who built your church.
There is a better way. One that honors your calling without breaking your volunteers. One that lets your church claim the ministry as its own while we handle the consistency that makes it real.
Letters sent in your church's name. Written by professional writers. Delivered every single week.
Elder Letters partners with churches to provide turnkey elder companionship ministry. You identify the members who need letters. We assign trained writers. Letters are sent on church letterhead (or Elder Letters stationery with your church named as the sponsor). Your congregation gets credit for the ministry. We handle the execution.
This is not a referral program. This is a true partnership where your church becomes the face of ongoing, faithful care — and we become the engine that makes it sustainable.
Letters reference your church by name and honor the recipient's faith journey
You choose the elders who receive letters and provide their background
Writers are trained to honor faith without proselytizing or theological division
Your pastoral team receives monthly reports on all letters sent
Choose the model that fits your congregation.
All partnership models include professional letter writing, weekly delivery, and quarterly reporting to your church leadership.
$95-120
Your church covers the full cost. Letters go out in your church's name. You choose which members receive letters based on need, not ability to pay.
- Church billed monthly for all enrolled elders
- Letters sent on church letterhead or with church attribution
- Quarterly ministry reports to pastoral team
- Tax-deductible as church ministry expense
- Scalable — add or remove members as needs change
Sliding scale
Church and family split the cost. Your congregation provides the framework and partial funding. Families contribute what they can. No elder is turned away for inability to pay.
- Church sets subsidy level (25%-75% of cost)
- Families cover remainder or apply for full scholarship
- All letters still represent church ministry
- Builds culture of intergenerational care
- Removes financial barrier for most isolated elders
No cost
Your church identifies members in need and facilitates enrollment. Families pay Elder Letters directly. Your congregation receives recognition and reporting without bearing financial cost.
- Zero financial commitment from church budget
- Elder Letters handles billing and family relationships
- Church still named in correspondence
- Annual summary report of members served
- Easiest path for churches exploring elder ministry
Custom arrangements available for multi-site churches, denominational partnerships, and missions-focused congregations. Contact us to discuss your vision.
Every letter is personalized. Writers know the recipient's name, their church, their faith background, and the details that make them a person, not a case file.
Dear Mrs. Chen,
Grace and peace to you this morning. I've been thinking about you since our last letter — about your years teaching Sunday school at First Methodist, and how you said the children's questions always kept your own faith sharp. What a gift you gave to those generations. I wonder how many adults are walking through life today carrying seeds you planted decades ago.
Your pastor mentioned that the church is preparing for Easter. I imagine you've seen many Holy Weeks in that sanctuary — the lilies, the sunrise service, the quiet Saturday between grief and hope. This year, even though you cannot be present in the pew you once filled, know that you are held in the prayers of your church family. You are remembered. You are valued. Your witness continues to matter.
Blessings and warmth,
Margaret
Names changed. Based on a real Elder Letters church partnership correspondence.
Starting is simpler than you think.
Initial Conversation
Schedule a call with our church partnership team. We learn about your congregation, your existing elder care efforts, and which partnership model might fit best. No pressure, no sales pitch — just a conversation between people who care about the same population.
Identify Recipients
Your pastoral team or care ministry team identifies members who would benefit from weekly letters. We provide a simple intake form for each person — their history, their faith background, topics to include or avoid. You know your people better than we ever could. We honor what you share.
Writers Are Matched
We pair each elder with a writer whose tone and style fit their personality. If your church prefers a specific theological approach or cultural sensitivity, we match accordingly. Letters begin within 2 weeks of enrollment.
Ministry Becomes Sustainable
Letters arrive every week. Your church gets credit. Elders begin to anticipate mail day. Families express gratitude. Quarterly, you receive a ministry report summarizing the work done in your congregation's name. The calling you felt becomes the ministry you sustain.
Questions church leaders ask.
"Our church sent me a letter. Every week, they remember me. I pray for them, and I know they pray for me. I am still part of the body."
Your congregation already carries the call to care for the most isolated among you. You already know their names. You already pray for them on Sunday mornings.
Now you can do more than pray. You can ensure that every week, without fail, they receive tangible proof that your church has not forgotten them. That they are still valued. Still held. Still part of the family of God.
This is the ministry you've been meaning to start. Let's start it together.