p. 136 | How To Be a Pastor

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 11, 1870

How To Be a Pastor.

THE primary idea of the pastoral work is to win souls. It gives the minister the grandest power in the world—heart-power. The majority of our congregations are reached not so much through the intellect as through the affections. This is a happy fact; for only one man in ten has the talent to become a great preacher; but all the other nine, if they have Jesus, and love the souls of men, can become great pastors. Nothing gives a pastor such heart-power as personal attentions to his people, especially in the way of personal sympathy with them in their trials. Let the pastor be in the habit of dropping familiarly into his people's houses; let him come often, and visit their sick-rooms, and kneel beside their empty cradles, and pray with them; let him go and see the business men in his flock when they have met with reverses, and give them a word of cheer; let him recognize and speak kindly to their children—and he will have woven a cord about the people's hearts that will stand a tremendous pressure. He can then launch the most pungent and painful truths at them from the pulpit, and they will not take offense at him; for he will have won their hearts to himself, and that is a mighty step toward winning them to the Saviour.