As Overseer Shepherding the flock of God is not simply caring for widows, visiting the sick, praying for the flock, counseling married couples, training leaders, confronting sin, and disciplining the weak. Shepherding also means overseeing the day-to-day operations of the local church. It is a biblical calling that, by definition, includes giving attention to practical administrative issues to properly exercise oversight of God’s flock. The unique call of a pastor is to have the Biblical knowledge and mindedness to effectively administrate the church, within a theological framework. Since shepherding is the chief description of a pastor, administration is always done with a view to caring for the sheep. In other words, administration must flow out of the work of shepherding, as a necessary aspect of effective care. As intercessor Our prayers, by the sovereign will of God, are essential to the advancement of his redemptive plan and purpose. And best of all, the results are guaranteed when we pray according to God’s word, clinging to his promises. When we pray in accordance with God’s word, we advance the cause of Christ throughout the world. We witness his work of sanctification in the people we serve. Our heavenly Father has given us every reason to approach the task of prayer confidently and to do it with zeal. His word tells us what he is going to do and then calls us to ask him to do it. Advocating for the sick We must be deliberate and intentional in our care. Ultimately, though, we do the work of ministry knowing that we serve a sovereign God who is always working, and our peace must come from resting in that reality. Because God rules and controls all things, this theological consideration should lead to several expectations. First, we should expect that God is working through these situations, regardless of the visible outcome. Second, we should expect that God will use us. Third, we should expect that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, God will give us the words to say. Finally, we can expect that God will use all these things for the joy of his people and the glory of his name. As shepherd The Bible teaches about God’s design for the care of his people and how God calls some to minister that care to others in the body of Christ. God’s purposes are evident from the very beginning, they run throughout the narrative of Scripture. The story line of the Bible reinforces God’s design for the church through a key theme: God’s appointed leaders are called to instruct, care for, and shepherd God’s people under God’s authority. A significant ramification of man’s separation from God is that God no longer led, cared for, and shepherded man the way he had before the fall. Instead of submitting to God, man rebelled against his authority, rejecting the loving care of his Creator and straying from the flock of the good shepherd. Starting from this place of hopelessness and despair in the storyline of the Bible, we see our desperate need for redemption. Immediately, it is revealed to man and woman (that only a sovereign, eternal God can intervene to save creation from the curse of sin and death. The hope of the gospel includes this promise of restored and unhindered fellowship with the Chief Shepherd, and from the very first pages of Scripture, it begins to unfold in a glorious work of redemption that will ultimately culminate in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. As a pastor, I hold these truths and seek to execute the office to the good pleasure of my Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. - Pastor Richards