By David Faust
Church leaders are busy people. There are endless deadlines, appointments, and meetings to attend, and phone calls, text messages, and emails to answer. Week after week, there are services to plan, and sermons, lessons and other talks to prepare—and it takes many hours to do this well. There are problems to solve, funds to raise, budgets to manage, buildings to maintain, programs to organize, groups and Bible studies to lead, volunteers to recruit and encourage, letters and articles to write—and a lot of evening meetings that add up to exhausting weeks.
With all of this going on, who has time to visit a patient in the hospital? Or pray with a couple who suffered a miscarriage? Or listen to a depressed teenager? Or visit a nursing home resident? Or answer a seeker’s random question? Or comfort a widow? Or converse with a social outcast who has few friends?
Who has time for situations like those? Actually, Jesus does.
Sheep Need Shepherds
In the Gospels, Jesus didn’t see people as a waste of time, but as sheep who needed a shepherd. He was full of compassion for the “harassed and helpless” (Matthew 9:36, New International Version). He was a man on a mission, but people were at the heart of his mission.
To be clear, Jesus wasn’t a slave to the demands of the crowd. He wasn’t a “yes” man, obsessed with people-pleasing. Thousands sought his help, but “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16), modeling a healthy balance of assertiveness and availability. When necessary, he firmly stepped away, but he was interruptible and flexible when urgent questions and needs arose.
Amid all the demands of ministry we face in 2025, let’s make sure we care well for people. If ministers, elders, and staff members are too busy to engage in pastoral care, something is seriously wrong.
Practical Benefits of Pastoral Care
Rather than being a waste of time, compassionate shepherding yields practical benefits.
It demonstrates the biblical priority of love. Jesus didn’t say, “They will know you are my disciples by how many meetings you attend.” Paul didn’t write, “The greatest of these is organizational efficiency.”
It nourishes the body of Christ. In healthy churches, people call their elders in times of need (James 5:13-16), but “official” shepherds aren’t the only caregivers. The Lord designed the church so all “its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it” (1 Corinthians 12:25-26). Who wouldn’t want to be part of a caring faith community like that?
But someone might object: Didn’t Jesus talk about leaving the 99 to search for the lost? Shepherding the flock doesn’t mean becoming inward focused and ignoring those outside the church. Non-Christians need care, too. When done well, pastoral care is evangelistic. It opens doors for the gospel. For years, Lee—an active member of our church—steadily invited a man who lived in his neighborhood to come to church with him. Just as steadily, the fellow resisted Lee’s invitations. Ironically, though, a turning point came when Lee died, and the resistant neighbor attended his funeral. Lee’s persistent kindness, the love shown by our congregation, and the funeral service itself touched the man’s heart, and he has attended our services regularly during the last year.
Pastoral care transcends generational and cultural lines. Love is God’s secret weapon—a practical, tactical relationship-builder that works with people of all ages, in all nations and ethnic groups.
Pastoral care enhances preaching. Love softens hearts. Listeners hear the message better when they know their preacher truly cares about them. And when a preacher has been involved in the lives of the flock during the week, he is better able to apply God’s Word to their needs on Sunday.
A high-tech world needs a high-touch church. Make time for people. Don’t neglect the ministry of pastoral care.
David Faust serves as contributing editor of Christian Standard and senior associate minister with East 91st Street Christian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the author of Not Too Old: Turning Your Later Years into Greater Years.
Author: Christian Standard
Contact us at **@********************ia.com
Great article. A must read for all those entering the ministry. For all those young preachers. I Love It!
“A high-tech world needs a high-touch church.” I love it! People are more important than things or technology. Let’s also remember to care for our pastors. They need our prayers and support. Thanks for a great article.