Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
— Acts 20:28, NIV
On page 184 of Gospel Workers, Ellen White perfectly describes what it means to be a pastor: “The spirit of the true shepherd is one of self-forgetfulness. He loses sight of self in order that he may work the works of God. By the preaching of the word and by personal ministry in the homes of the people, he learns their needs, their sorrows, their trials; and, co-operating with the great Burden-bearer, he shares their afflictions, comforts their distresses, relieves their soul-hunger, and wins their hearts to God. In this work the minister is attended by heavenly angels, and he himself is instructed and enlightened in the truth that maketh wise unto salvation.”
The ministerial department provides guidance, counsel and care for the shepherds of Christ’s flock.