10 Key Priorities For Pastoral Ministry:

TEN KEY PRIORITIES THAT ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERY PASTOR'S MINISTRY:

1. Guard the truth: A pastor must be committed to the word of God and the apostles' teachings and be willing to preach, teach and defend them when they are contrary to the culture.
2. Preach the word: A pastor must faithfully preach the whole counsel of God's word, carefully explaining the meaning of the text and applying it to the lives of those under his care.
3. Pray for the flock: A pastor should be an intercessor, bringing the needs of his church before God and modeling prayer both publicly and privately.
4. Set an example: A pastor is an example to his flock and should always be aware that others are looking to him as a model. While a pastor should model righteous behavior, he must also model confession and repentance, acknowledging he is also a sinner and teaching his people how to apply the gospel to life.
5. Visit the sick: Pastors should visit those who are sick and in need of care and encouragement, and they must train others in the congregation to help care for those in need.
6. Comfort the grieving: In the face of death, a pastor should grieve with those who grieve and should sensitively remind those who are grieving of the hope and encouragement of the gospel. This involves preaching gospel-focused meassages at funerals and graveside services.
7. Care for widows: This much-neglected biblical teaching calls for pastors to be responsible for the widows of the church and to find creative ways to model care for widows by involving their families and other members of the church in caring for these specifcal women. 
8. Confront sin: Pastors need to confront sin and lead the church in the exercise of discipline in the hope of repentance and restoration.
9. Encourage the weaker sheep: Though we can be tempted to easily dismiss people who are slow to change, God calls pastors to model patience and persevering hope by working with those who are difficult, despairing and challenging.
10. Identify and train leaders: It is the primary responsiblitiy of pastors to identify, train and affirm leaders in the church. Every pastor should have a plan for doing this in his local church and should be actively seeking out the next generation of leaders.

Brian Croft, "The Pastor's Ministry"