Pastors today avoid the labor of caring for the sheep, often being more concerned with popularity, appearance, and attendance than we are with faithfulness.

Caring for the sheep is the heart of the pastor’s calling. The Apostle Paul defines the shepherd’s job as taking care of the church of God (1 Timothy 3:5). This is difficult and dirty work. It can only be done “with all humility and with tears and with trials” (Acts 20:19). Sadly, this obligation has fallen on hard times. Pastors today avoid the labor of caring for the sheep, often being more concerned with popularity, appearance, and attendance than we are with faithfulness.

Join us at the 2011 ClearNote Fellowship Pastors’ Conference as we focus on recovering pastoral care in our churches. There will be four sessions:

· David Bayly (Senior Pastor, Christ the Word Church in Toledo, Ohio) – The Need for Pastoral Care

· Tim Bayly (Senior Pastor, Church of the Good Shepherd Church in Bloomington, Indiana) – Preaching as Pastoral Care

· Stephen Baker (Dean, ClearNote Pastors College in Bloomington, Indiana) – Counseling as Pastoral Care

· Max Curell (Associate Pastor, Church of the Good Shepherd) – Discipline as Pastoral Care

ClearNote Fellowship works to unite churches bound by a common confession of the reformed faith, a common commitment to advance the kingdom of God, and a common conviction that the local church is the principal means God has appointed to proclaim the Gospel.

We’re convinced this call to proclaim the Gospel goes beyond evangelizing the lost, also including the work of guarding the good deposit of God’s truth and defending the Church’s peace, unity, and purity.

To further this work, we have committed ourselves to:

· Training pastors. Faithful churches require faithful pastors—men of sound character who meet the biblical qualifications for overseers or elders.
· Planting churches. Because the church is uniquely equipped and commanded to carry out the Great Commission, we are committed to planting.
· Mobilizing foreign and domestic missions. In addition to training pastors and planting churches, we recognize the need for specialized missions in furthering the work of God’s Kingdom.
· Preserving the church’s unity, purity, and peace. Churches affiliated with ClearNote Fellowship will be mutually accountable in matters of doctrine and practice.
· Equipping churches with resources. From curricula, books, and articles, to music and conferences, we are committed to creating and distributing resources that serve the church and defend the faith.

The conference will be held on February 3rd and 4th, 2011 at Church of the Good Shepherd in Bloomington, Indiana. The cost is $30.

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]