If the pastor’s primary task is to care for the sheep, then this cannot be done from a distance; it is an up-close-and-personal endeavor. Peter gives us this kind of vision for pastoral ministry. So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the
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