Start Your Own Animal Ministry
Our Vision: For every spiritual community in the world to have an Animal Ministry,
which serves all beings in the community, regardless of species.
Why have an Animal Ministry in your community?
Integrating an Animal Ministry into your spiritual community does not have to be just an "extra". In many congregations, it is a basic and very enjoyable part of what they do. Why?- Every major world faith speaks of our special relationship with animals, and our responsibilities for their stewardship. For a list of scriptural references to animals, see the section on Multi-faith Spiritual Inspirations.
- Animal Ministries serve people as well as animals. Scientists and health care professionals have found that loving animals is good for our physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual selves. Experiencing the unconditional love of animals and caring for them, produces miracles in people. Therapeutic animal visits have worked wonders with many people who experience hardships in their lives, especially the elderly, at-risk youth, young children, people with developmental challenges, people suffering from post-traumatic shock, etc. For many people, especially single adults and elderly people, their companion animals are their family members, and in some cases, the only family members they have left.
- Animal Ministries serve the congregation as a whole. Many unaffiliated people have a spiritual connection to animals, whether or not they maintain any other spiritual practice or not. Identifying with "the wonders of creation" is often a first step in one's spiritual journey. Congregations consistently find increased membership, increased retention of members, and increased pledges as a result of having an active Animal Ministry within their congregations. People genuinely enjoy being in congregations where their love for animals is affirmed and encouraged.
Interfaith Animal Clergy offers a training course in beginning Animal Ministry, which is available to ordained clergy and lay leadership. Ordained Clergy receive the title "Animal Chaplain" when they graduate, and lay leaders become "Animal Ministry Leaders". Whether or not someone in your congregation enrolls in our course, here is information to help you begin your own Animal Ministry. In order to receive phone and email coaching, mentoring, feedback and support from Interfaith Animal Clergy, you must be enrolled in the course and pay the tuition fee. Any information on our website is freely shared, however.How to Start An Animal Ministry In Your Congregation
These tips were learned by others who started their own Animal Ministries. Some of these ideas can be helpful to starting any group, anywhere. Don't feel bound by them - learn from experienced leaders, and do whatever works for your group. 1. Start small and plan to grow.
You can start your Animal Ministry by word of mouth, write an article for your newsletter, or list it in a bulletin or program. Ask if there are other "animal lovers" in the congregation. Asking people about their pets is like asking if there is anyone at Bingo who has grandchildren. Be prepared to hear all about them and see the photos! 2. Give it a catchy name.
Calling it a "ministry" may sound like "volunteer more" to some already overworked members of your congregation. Calling it the "Animal Lovers Club" sounds like fun. Keep the name playful and pleasant, and people will enjoy being there. A Jewish group might call themselves the "Bark Mitzvahs", for example. Catholic groups often choose the name, "Friends of St. Francis" or something similar, but they don't have to do so. Use your imagination and get people intrigued about what it is your group does. "Prayers and Paws", "Furry Fellowship", or "Bibles, bagels and beagles" are a few examples of some fun names that have been used. 3. Find a place and time to meet. Choose the best time, not the perfect time.
In any group, there is always someone who cannot attend whenever you choose to meet. Do not expect everyone to be able to make it. Go with a time when most people can usually meet. If the group meetings are fun, attendance will never be an issue. Decide ahead of time if members outside your spiritual community are also welcome. Your Animal Ministry is a great way to get new people interested in your congregation. Instead of meeting at your church or temple, perhaps you could meet at a local dog park, at a library or at a restaurant. If you meet at someone's home, we recommend not bringing animals to the meeting. Animals in their own homes can be very protective. If you meet at a place with your animals, bring some inexpensive dog biscuits, and reward good behavior (in the dogs!). Be sure you state clearly that all animals attending must be very friendly.4. Serve light refreshments.
Refreshments (coffee or tea is fine) are a good way to break the ice and encourage chit-chat among people who don't know each other well. Every Sunday school teacher will tell you, attendance is higher when there are refreshments! 5. Keep things enjoyable from the beginning, and build on what's already working.
Make it light the first time, and know you will have more options later. When you invite people, tell them it is low-key, there are no time commitments at first, and the group will only be brainstorming and socializing. After people get to know each other some, you can decide if you wish to continue. If the group dynamics aren't working, don't feel obligated to continue. Trust your gut. 6. Organize from the beginning to save yourself future stress if the group really takes off.
Even if you only have two members in your group, appoint one Chair and one Vice Chair or Assistant Chair, and plan to hold annual elections. Having a clear-cut system may seem silly when you are small, but if your group grows, you will wish you did! If things start to get unruly, buy a copy of "Robert's Rules of Order" and use it!7. Meet no more than once each month.
More often that that will become a burden to members and your attendance will suffer. Of course, individuals who hit it off can still do things together in between meetings. 8. "Start things simple" to avoid burn-out.
Start with one responsibility the first year, such as "care and concern" visits, or prayers for sick animals, and add another responsibility every six months to a year if things are going well. The key to any congregational small group's success is to do what you do well, and don't spread yourself too thin. Many Animal Ministry groups start as a "World Animal Day" committee which plans a day all about honoring and protecting animals. Others start with a "St. Francis Day Pet Blessing Service" committee, which works with clergy to plan one special service about animals each year. (There are numerous websites on the Internet offering ideas for pet blessings and World Animal Day celebrations, which are held on October 4th of each year.) 9. Make sure everyone shares a common vision and focus.
With "keeping it simple in mind", agree on what your group's mission or role will be, and put it in print. Here are some possible ideas for your group: - Plan animal-related liturgical sermons with the Clerical staff.
- Host volunteer opportunities at shelters and animal sanctuaries for the entire congregation.
- Offer to make visits to people whose companion animals are sick or injured.
- Have a prayer group which accepts prayer requests for animals.
- Offer a memorial or funeral service to members of the congregation who lose a pet (you can use the sample services on this site, or create your own). Decide if donations will be requested for such services, and if so, how much.
- Have an animal book club where you read one book about animals each month and have a discussion about it (see our bookstore for ideas).
- Teach a Sunday school class or summer camp program about animals.
- Host a "baby shower". Invite people to bring gifts for baby animals (pet food, toys, bedding, etc.). Invite a local shelter to bring 2 or 3 baby animals that are up for adoption. Play shower games, eat cake, and all the other things people do at real baby showers.
- Hold a community memorial service for all of the animals who were once loved, and lost.
- Offer little "memorial" bags to families who lose a pet. Inside, put a memorial service, a candle, an inexpensive picture frame and a small notebook for writing down special memories (for other ideas, see "How to help children deal with grief" on the Grief support page).
- Integrate your activities with the congregation's religious, preschool, or youth groups.
- Become active in the larger community, advocating for animal rights.
- Have a pet food drive and donate what you collect to a local animal shelter.
- March in parades. If there are none in your area, have your own "Pet parade". Make a banner for it.
- Sponsor speakers or have animal-related conferences about how your denomination views the relationship between people and animals.
- Adopt an animal shelter, animal sanctuary, low-cost vet clinic, or zoo near your community. Ask how your group can help them.
- Raise funds for a local animal-related non-profit. (An autumnal party to raise money for the local zoo can be "Boo for the Zoo" or a winter event could be called, "Party with the penguins", etc.)
- Host vegetarian potlucks.
- Buy and sell T-shirts with your Animal Ministry's logo on it as a fundraiser. Wear them to each activity.
- For a Jewish group, help the Bar and Bat Mitzvah students create a "mitzvah project" around an animal theme, and ask for donations to your group, or for an animal charity.
- For more ideas, go to The Charity Guide at www.charityguide.org/volunteer/animal-protection.htm
10. Be wise and thoughtful about functions where animals are present.
There is nothing as deeply spiritual and uplifting as a "St. Francis" style pet blessing where people bring their animals in for a special blessing. Keep in mind local and state laws, your congregations liability insurance restrictions, and use good common sense. Ask that all dogs have on a muzzle-type harness, just in case (every pet store has them). Make sure all animals are restrained for everyone's protection. (Hungry snakes might not be appreciated by the owners of hamsters and gerbils!) If in doubt, keep them at home. Important- About Animal-Assisted Therapies: If you are planning a therapeutic animal-assistance program which brings animals into residential facitilies, schools, or prisons , you should work with an already established program for that purpose. These organizations know the legal and insurance issues that you will need to consider. There are dozens of non-profit groups that train people, and register animals for animal-assisted therapy, such as Faithful Friends, the Delta society and Therapet. Several of these companies offer correspondence training for Chaplains and congregations, while others train only health care professionals. Check out our animal ministry pages and other links for details on programs that will train volunteers in your ministry to practice animal-assisted therapy.11. Write to us at animalclergy@aol.com and let us know about your new Animal Ministry!
We would like to list your new animal ministry on our "animal ministries" page, with your permission. 12. When your group grows and thrives, challenge yourselves.
Beyond pet blessings and pet food drives (which are great!), start to think about how to help other kinds of animals, such as factory farm animals, wild animals, sea animals and more. What is your spiritual obligation to all creatures? How can we as humans help? 13. Celebrate your successes, and learn from mistakes (but don't dwell on the mistakes).
Every congregation, whether it is a Buddhist Sangha, a Baptist Bible Study group, a Jewish Renewal Chavurah, or a Catholic missionary group, experiences similar group dynamics. Groups always seem to bite off more than they can chew, and sometimes feel they didn't accomplish much at the end of their calendar year. Leaders struggle to share both the spotlight and the workload (that is where the previously mentioned good organizational order comes in). These are all normals things that go on in groups. Do not let them deter you. Give yourself credit for what you did accomplish, how you empowered, inspired and nurtured people, things you learned, and ways you grew. Be proud you helped others, whether they are people or animals! Celebrate your successes and forgive anything else that does not fall in that category. Be proud of your Animal Ministry! The very fact that you have one at all is a feather in your congregational cap! 14. Help another congregation start an Animal Ministry group.
Share what you learned, in the spirit of love for all creatures, fellowship and service. 15. Start a Non-profit organization if your Animal Ministry really "takes off"! If you choose to start an Animal Non-profit organization from your Animal Ministry, be sure to ask for discounts for professional services. One of the Animal Ministries listed on AnimalChaplains.com is run by a Pastor who also offers professional services such as articles of incorporation, non-profit filing, etc. Although AnimalChaplains.com is not affiliated with any private business, we do appreciate the discounts our members receive. For more information, please contact Rev. Alex Brandon at www.alexbrandon.com.
16. Consider making a contribution to AnimalClergy.com to make this dream available to more people.
For more information on starting an Animal Ministry in your congregation, please see this article: www.contracostatimes.com/religion/ci_6488036
