Log College Press has one clear goal—to remind Christians living today that the past is not dead. Based in Taylors, SC, near Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Log College Press seeks to retrieve the riches of American Presbyterianism from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, republishing works that should not have been forgotten in a sleek, accessible format. One recent Log College Press publication that is worthy of a wide readership is Pastoral Theology: The Pastor in the Various Duties of His Office, written by Thomas Murphy (1832–1900). Born in the Scots-Irish heartland of County Antrim, Ireland, Murphy immigrated to America in 1834. After graduating from Princeton College and attending Princeton Theology Seminary, he served for over four decades (1849–1895) as the pastor of Frankford Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.
Pastoral Theology distills the wisdom of a seasoned pastor with the best elements of Presbyterian pastoral and practical theology during the height of Princeton Seminary’s influence in America and beyond. These insights are best displayed in Murphy’s remarks concerning pastoral visitation. Pastoral visitation is a universal mark within the Reformed tradition of the shepherding ministry of pastors and elders.1 Whether assigned to the pastor or distributed among the session or consistory, there is a universal expectation that church members would not only see their shepherds on Sunday morning but also regularly within their homes—providing a warm and intimate environment for private discussions concerning the burdens and cares of a parishioner’s soul. As Murphy accounts, “It is expected of him, and justly, that he should occasionally enter into every household, carrying with him the spirit and the message of the gospel.”2
And yet, while every well-intentioned Reformed pastor and elder would acknowledge the importance of pastoral visitation, they would also admit that regular pastoral visitation confronts many significant obstacles. The challenges of making regular visits within the church’s city or town in the nineteenth century are further exacerbated today by the irregular schedules of many congregants due to technological advances in automation and reliable lighting, as well as the distances of church members (and pastors and elders) from one another resulting from the advent of the automobile. Nevertheless, pastors and elders cannot afford to neglect the duty of pastoral visitation for the health of the church and the souls of its members.
That is why all Reformed pastors and elders would benefit from meditating upon Murphy’s instructions on pastoral visitation. In this section of Pastoral Theology, Murphy weaves together biblical imagery concerning the relationship between a shepherd and his flock with ministry experience and hard-earned realism. Murphy’s reflections can be summarized into two parts: (1) preparing to visit, and (2) a successful visit.
Preparing to Visit
Pastors and elders have many responsibilities. Elders govern and rule the church, in addition to full-time vocational work. Pastors have sermons to prepare, prayers to offer, services to plan, counsel to give, events to coordinate, and more. Therefore, the only way to fulfill the responsibility of pastoral visitation without compromising in these other areas or experiencing burnout is to have a plan. An unorganized approach to pastoral visitation is doomed to fail or disappoint, or both. That is why this author appreciates Murphy’s realistic counsel. Pastors and elders need to consider methodologically when and how they will visit their church members. Murphy writes,
Very much of the well-known failure of ministers to satisfy their people in this thing undoubtedly arises from its being usually performed in a causal, unmethodological way. If it is not done according to a prearranged plan, it will almost necessarily happen that some families will be frequently visited, while others will be wellnigh utterly neglected. Then too there will usually be accumulated a mass of unperformed duty in visiting, the thought of which will keep the minister in a state of constant discomfort. Very much of this difficulty may be avoided by system—by having a carefully-ordered plan of the work—a plan that will enter into all its minutia. (248)
This pastoral visiting plan can be broken down into two parts. First, pastors and elders should make a “catalogue” (in modern terms, an Excel spreadsheet) of “all the families and parts of families composing the congregation” (248). This practice assumes an accurate list of the church’s membership rolls, lest “some families will be omitted in visiting” (248). At this point, some simple math is required. First, the pastor or elder should decide how often visits should be made. Although not an inerrant rule, Murphy’s pastoral heart is displayed in the recommendation that a pastor or elder should visit “each family of his charge three times a year” (250). Next, the pastor or elder calculates “how many visits a week it will require in order to go through all the families of the congregation three times in a year, and then rigidly adhere to the rule of paying just that number of visits in the early part of each week” (251).
Some readers may unconsciously raise their eyebrows as Murphy calculates that this simple arithmetic may yield a range from six visits to even fifteen a week, depending on the size of the congregation. This concern is partially alleviated by the second element in a pastor or elder’s preparation. Pastors and elders should communicate in advance when a family can expect a visit, down to the day and hour, and must also communicate the expectation that these meetings will be brief. Murphy comments again,
Whilst occasionally a visit may occupy some length of time because of special interest or special wants, ordinarily the time spent at each house need not be long—no longer than about twenty minutes. It is better that visits should not be protracted. By attention to these and other such small matters it will be found that much time can be saved, and much more, and just as profitable, visiting can be accomplished in the end. (250)
The only way that pastors and elders could accomplish such an aggressive visiting plan is to communicate the truth with love to the “talkative Betty’s” within our churches that their shepherds have other sheep to look after. Each sheep receives the same amount of time. In addition to protecting the shepherding ministry from charges of favoritism and partiality, this plan may also have a comforting effect upon the flock. If church members know that another visit is coming within several months, they will be more willing to share their pastor’s time and attention with other members of the congregation.
A Successful Visit
If pastors and elders are effective in organizing their time and implementing a visitation plan, the question remains concerning the nature of a successful visit. In ministry, we are constantly reminded how quickly time can pass. If pastors and elders have four to five house visits within one night, how can they best use that time so that these personal interactions are a blessing for all?
Murphy’s counsel for these visits begins with a warranted reminder. Although efficient, these meetings should not be operated in a formal or functional manner—blitzing through a list of obligatory visits. Rather, the pastor or elder should strive to conduct these visits as a meeting between friends. Murphy shares the concern that a formal visit will not be well-received by different subsections of the congregation, particularly the elderly and the young. “But when the pastor goes to see his people as their friend, the young will not shun him, his words of counsel or instruction will have more weight, and he will be likely to gain such confidence as will lead them to open their hearts and let him know their spiritual wants” (254).
As pastors interact with households filled with family, children, and relatives, Murphy notes that there may be wisdom in meeting individuals alone. This way, they may be far more willing to “converse about their souls” (254) without an audience. As the pastor or elder approaches the home, they should be alert and on the lookout. Like Jesus and the woman of Samaria (John 4), the visitors should look for natural opportunities—“the circumstances of the occasion” (255)—to both assess the spiritual state of their host or to transition into spiritual conversations. Murphy’s counsel is driven by a concern to find a “natural way” to introduce the truths of the Gospel, so that they may make a “deeper impression” and “there is no repulsion stirred up in the heart against them” (255). A sober atmosphere in the home, a Christian book on the coffee table, or a request for an update on a recent prayer request shared with the church body—there are many opportunities for pastors and elders to turn the conversation in a spiritual direction.
Finally, as goodbyes are said and the pastor or elder departs, they must remember a vital truth. Murphy stresses the importance of leaving a good impression with the family because the pastor or elder represents Christ. Every conversation in these meetings should be spiritually “profitable. Never should he close a visit without the persuasion that something has to be done, by word, deed, or prayer, that will help the great cause” (256).
Conclusion
Pastoral visitation is an indispensable aspect of the Christian ministry. Thankfully, pastors and elders have sources and voices from the Reformed tradition to bring past wisdom to bear on the pastoral needs of the present day. Although many pastors and churches may not follow the exact details of the shepherding plan presented above, this brief reflection reveals the wealth of wisdom and insight available for pastors within Thomas Murphy’s Pastoral Theology, a fitting addition to any pastor or elder’s library.
- While this section in Pastoral Theology is primarily directed toward pastors, I am translating his insights to reference both pastors and elders. Within some NAPARC churches, the responsibility of visiting the congregation falls upon the elders, as many pastors have multiple sermons to prepare for the Lord’s Day in addition to catechism or Sunday School. ↩︎
- Thomas Murphy, Pastoral Theology: The Pastor in the Various Duties of His Office, American Presbyterian Students’ Library (Taylors, SC: Log College Press, 2025), 242. The rest of the references from this work will be in parenthetical citations. ↩︎
