As a non-pastor, I have a heart for pastoral ministry and this was a beautiful discussion. One point of contact for elders with the congregation that is often overlooked is when the body of believers have been equipped for the mission of the church and has set foot in ministry to their local communities, their extended communities, and even on foreign soil. I have been around the world with my senior pastor, and by far I'm not the only one in the church. Pastors working side-by-side with the members of the church that have been entrusted to their care is a necessarily intimate and focused endeavor. You travel together. You sleep together (not necessarily in the same room). You pray together for the mission. You love people together. You debrief together. Everything is together. I love my pastor not because he just made me a more moral person, but because he makes me fruitful in my walk with Christ... and he also has given me the ability to make him more fruitful in his.
I am a pastor a church in MS and I agree that pastoral visits are long gone, people don;t want the pastor to just show up, because then you will see and hear the real person.
As a non-pastor, I have a heart for pastoral ministry and this was a beautiful discussion. One point of contact for elders with the congregation that is often overlooked is when the body of believers have been equipped for the mission of the church and has set foot in ministry to their local communities, their extended communities, and even on foreign soil. I have been around the world with my senior pastor, and by far I'm not the only one in the church. Pastors working side-by-side with the members of the church that have been entrusted to their care is a necessarily intimate and focused endeavor. You travel together. You sleep together (not necessarily in the same room). You pray together for the mission. You love people together. You debrief together. Everything is together. I love my pastor not because he just made me a more moral person, but because he makes me fruitful in my walk with Christ... and he also has given me the ability to make him more fruitful in his.
I am a pastor a church in MS and I agree that pastoral visits are long gone, people don;t want the pastor to just show up, because then you will see and hear the real person.