“From the standpoint of faith, genuine caring is grounded in affirming others as persons of sacred worth, loved by God and destined for a future of God’s making. The shape of our caring is anticipated in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Caring means serving God’s desire and design for the other, helping the other to become the best that he or she is capable of becoming, in God’s sight. By contrast, in today’s narcissistic culture, people ask fervently: ‘How can I be sure that I will get what I want?’ The more important question to ask about life is ‘How shall I remain open to sacrificing for others and at the same time grow to become the kind of person God wants me to become?’ The answer to this question inevitably takes the form of a paradox: people who care about each other, genuinely and mutually, will find themselves by losing themselves for the sake of the other and for the Christ in the other.”

<Leroy Howe. “A Pastor in Every Pew: Equipping Laity for Pastoral Care”>

While the typical goals of outreach missions is SOMEWHAT different than that for pastoral care, the common need for genuine sacrificial caring is a common prerequisite to faithful service to God.