Pastoral Ministry

Responsibility

Feed, oversee, and be an example to your flock—The ministers of the Word, and others who fill responsible positions, as well as the body of the church, need this spirit of humility and contrition. The apostle Peter writes to those who labor in the gospel: “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock.”—The Review and Herald, December 16, 1890. PaM 39.5

Preach the Word, and visit the people—No part of the minister's duty is to be neglected. He is to preach the Word, not the opinions of men. He is to labor with individuals, to visit families, not simply to talk of the commonplace happenings, but of things of eternal interest, praying with them, and teaching in all simplicity the truth of God.—The Review and Herald, June 30, 1891. PaM 40.1

Arrange for each member to have something to do—The work of the minister represented by the seven stars is a high and sacred work. When he entertains the idea that his work is comprehended in sermonizing, he overlooks, and is sure to neglect, the work devolving upon a shepherd of the flock. It is his work to have care, to oversee the flock, to so arrange the elements of the church that each may have something to do.—The Review and Herald, May 31, 1887. PaM 40.2