In 1983, Leadership Journal published an article: "Curing Souls: The Forgotten Art," that came like a blast on the trumpet. "A reformation may be in process in the way pastors do their work," the already seasoned pastor and writer Eugene Peterson declared. "It may turn out to be as significant as the theological reformation of the sixteenth century."

Since then, Eugene Peterson's call for pastors to return to "the cure of souls" has been amplified in books that have become classics of ministry literature (including Working the Angles and The Contemplative Pastor), and it continues to reverberate in pastoral discussions. In a day when ministry conversations are increasingly digital, disembodied, and focused on numbers, Peterson's 30-year-old call is especially relevant.

Healthcare reform is one of the pressing issues of our day. But we need a reminder of the urgency of continuing and amplifying Peterson's call to a perennial work ...