Demands on pastors’ time are both heavy and various; while many pastors would love to spend more hours with their people, it can be hard to break away from sermon preparation, meetings, and the tyranny of the inbox long enough to make a hospital visit or a cup of coffee count. When pressure is high and spare time is in such short supply, is the time it takes to be a shepherd still worth it?

Lee Eclov certainly thinks so. As the senior pastor of Village Church of Lincolnshire in the Chicago suburbs and an adjunct professor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Eclov’s a busy man. But even with a full plate, he still finds time to focus on his flock. We caught up with him to ask him about how he sees shepherding’s role and future in the local church.

Do pastors still see shepherding as valuable? Are young seminarians still interested in this?

I believe that when God calls someone to be a pastor, he instills in them what we call a “pastor's heart.” In many ...