One of the most powerful things you can do for your pastor is to pray for him. It’s powerful, because it is a communication with God, who is able to do more in 5 seconds, than we could do in 5 years of trying on our own. Yet, praying for your pastor is often under-utilized. It’s true that we will say “I am praying for you”; but our actions prove otherwise. I want to encourage you to renew yourself in praying for your pastor. I want share four specific ways you can partner with your pastor in ministry through prayer.
1. Pray for his Spiritual health: Your pastor, just like you, needs to experience God each and every day. With all the demands from church ministry, it’s easy to neglect yourself. Your pastor cannot lead his church to a deeper spiritual journey if he isn’t going there himself. As you pray for his spiritual health; pray that he learns to say no to some things so that he can say yes to what really matters. Pray that the Lord would reveal himself in a fresh way to your pastor, so that he can share that experience with the people God has entrusted to him.
2. Pray for his family and marriage: The enemy loves to attack the pastor’s family. When you pray for your pastor, pray that God would protect his marriage. Pray that God would continue to use the pastor’s marriage as an example of Christ and his church, through their mutual love for one another. If your pastor has children, pray specifically for each of them. The juggling act of being a pastor, husband, father, caregiver can be daunting and exhausting. Pray that he guards and protects his family from the criticisms of others, especially those in the church.
3. Pray for wisdom in his leadership: Each day the pastor has to make dozens of decisions that require discernment and wisdom. He needs wisdom to know what to preach and teach and how to present God’s Word. He needs wisdom when dealing with church members each week so he can best discern how to respond to the plethora of demands upon him. He is going to face stress and pressure every day. We can pray that he will experience the peace that only God can give, and that he is wise in his leadership.
4. Pray for Gospel opportunities: Churches often say; “We want our pastor to be a soul winner.” Far too often pastors spend their time in isolation or with the churched people and not enough with the lost. Pray that your pastor has regular gospel conversations. I have found that pastors are energized when they have opportunities to share the Gospel. That energy is often contagious to church members too. When the church sees their pastor active in sharing the gospel, they become more encouraged to follow his lead.
Whether or not you use these suggestions to pray for your pastor. I encourage you to commit to pray at least 5 minutes a day for your pastor.