Today is not yesterday. We are not like we were yesterday. We experience the joy and pain of change as we face the many new challenges of the day. Yet, much of what we do today or will do in the future is not new or changed but is done with the markings of the past.
Ministers continue to touch lives of others at times of joy and at times of sorrow.
The minister serves as confidant, as public servant to members and non members. Along with this, there is now an almost unbelievable increase in the expectations people have for the minister to be able to serve as an effective pastoral counselor. Schaller notes that greater emphasis is placed on the competence, personality, and performance of the minister than in the past. The study identified the first reality of today in that the pastor is trained to minister to a flock of the 1940s rather than the 21st century. The past called for a pastor with correct theology who engages in home visits, had interesting Bible studies, kind treatment for seniors, and stern admonitions for the young.