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Pastoral Ministry
a hand should be bound, not a soul discouraged, not a voice should
be hushed; let every individual labor, privately or publicly, to help
forward this grand work. Place the burdens upon men and women of
the church, that they may grow by reason of the exercise, and thus
become effective agents in the hand of the Lord for the enlightenment
of those who sit in darkness.—
The Review and Herald, July 9, 1895
.
[225]
Less Sermonizing, More Personal Ministry
Spend less time sermonizing, more in personal ministry—
There is need of coming close to the people by personal effort. If
less time were given to sermonizing, and more time were spent in
personal ministry, greater results would be seen. The poor are to be
relieved, the sick cared for, the sorrowing and the bereaved comforted,
the ignorant instructed, the inexperienced counseled. We are to weep
with those that weep, and rejoice with those that rejoice. Accompanied
by the power of persuasion, the power of prayer, the power of the love
of God, this work will not, cannot, be without fruit.—
The Ministry of
Healing, 143
.
Accomplish tenfold more by visiting and conversing with your
people—It is not enough to preach to men; we must pray with them
and for them; we must not hold ourselves coldly aloof from them,
but come in sympathy close to the souls we wish to save, visit and
converse with them. The minister who conducts the work outside the
pulpit in a proper manner will accomplish tenfold more than he who
confines his labor to the desk.—
The Review and Herald, August 8,
1878
.
Members trained to rely on preaching, do little for Christ—
And the minister’s work does not end with the presentation of truth
from the pulpit. He is to do earnest, personal, house-to-house work,
studying the Scriptures with the people, and praying with them. Thus
many will be brought to a knowledge of God. Souls ready to perish
will be imbued with the Spirit of Christ. But this work has been
neglected; and therefore the churches are lacking in power. There are
many ordained ministers who have never yet exercised a shepherd’s
care over the flock of God, who have never watched for souls as they
that must give an account. The Church, instead of developing, is
left to be a weak, dependent, inefficient body. The members of the