Pastoral Care and Counselling in Acts 20:26–28 and Romans 12:13–15: Implications for Church Growth in Osun Anglican Diocese

Abstract

Pastoral care and counselling are dimensions of Christian ministry because pastoral work extends beyond preaching to include listening, guidance, support, and care. In the Anglican Diocese of Osun, concerns about inadequate pastoral visitation and counselling, as well as the reported disengagement of some members from the church, raise questions about the effectiveness of these responsibilities are being carried out. This article examines Acts 20:26–28 and Romans 12:13–15 to explore their relevance for pastoral care, counselling, and church growth in the Diocese. Guided by contextual hermeneutics, the study adopts a qualitative, desk-based exegetical design. The Greek text is examined using the Novum Testamentum Graece, 28th edition (NA28), with the NKJV and NIV used for translation comparison. Lexical analysis draws on BDAG and Louw and Nida, while major commentaries on Acts and Romans support interpretation. The exegetical process involves textual delimitation, historical and literary analysis, grammatical and lexico-semantic examination, theological synthesis, and contextual application. Intertextual comparison considers lexical, thematic, functional, and theological correspondence. Because Romans 12:13–15 addresses the wider Christian community rather than clergy specifically, its application to pastoral counselling is indirect: its practices of hospitality, practical care, blessing, empathy, and shared participation are treated as communal theological norms that inform pastoral ministry, not as exclusive mandates for clergy. Contextual evidence from relevant diocesan documents, reports, and empirical materials is interpreted thematically alongside the biblical findings. The study concludes that combining pastoral oversight with communal care may support spiritual growth, reconciliation, member retention, and active participation in the Church.