Thomas Oden on the authority of a true shepherd in Pastoral Theology: Essentials for Ministry, p. 53.

The proper authority of ministry is not external, manipulative, alien power that distances itself from those “under” it, but rather a legitimized and happily received influence that wishes only good for its recipient, a leadership that boldly guides but only on the basis of a deeply empathic sense of what the flock yearns for and needs.

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