We live in a day of mega-churches and celebrity pastors with an entourage and security teams. I have visited churches where you never get to personally meet the pastor. They have great pastoral care teams, zones, tribes, houses or small groups with caring leaders and mentors but have not personally been “touched� by the shepherd. Which begs the question “how can the shepherd know the true condition of the flock and pay attention to the herds- Proverbs 27:23 if they are never in contact with the sheep. The description of how the shepherd inspects the sheep and cares for the sick requires touch and being in close proximity to the sheep daily. Being a good shepherd requires constant “preventative maintenance� and direct contact. Maybe the state of some of our sheep is because they are sick and have no one to care for what ails them.