The terror of the pastoral office

“God will not be mocked by faithless, or incompetent pastors. The importance, and the terror too, of the pastoral office is no less than that God holds pastors accountable for the spiritual life and indeed the salvation of the people in their charge. This harsh verdict of the great tradition of pastoral theology is found throughout the history of the Church. This tradition, however, is largely unknown in the modern, Western Church, much to the peril of both pastors and people.” – Andrew Purves, Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition