About Us
We expect our pastors to take prayerful interest in our problems and needs. Rightly so. Consequently, the pastor often carries a burden for almost every family and individual in his congregation, but who prays for his needs? He is human too and he needs our prayers. What a blessing when someone says to him in private, "Pastor, you always have a place in my prayers and I'll be glad to pray for any special needs."A delegation of American pastors asked Charles Spurgeon the secret for his success. In response, Spurgeon led them to the lower level of his meeting house and quietly opened the door. The visitors saw over 400 people praying for God's blessing and power to rest upon their pastor who would stand in the pulpit to preach the Word of God that night. "There, Gentlemen," said Spurgeon, "is the secret for my success."
The Apostle Paul, a man of deep prayer, begged the church to pray for him. His ardent request was, "I beseech you, brethren...that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" Rom 15:30. (cf. Eph 6:18-20; 2 Cor 1:8-12).
No matter how well you pay your pastor, praise him or work for him, it is only through earnest, strategic prayer that you can ever really help him be an effective minister in the hands of Almighty God.
Every pastor needs prayer for his personal needs, for spiritual wisdom and power, for his family, and for his ministry to the congregation. Do not be overwhelmed by the number of suggested areas for prayer listed in this pamphlet; rather let the Holy Spirit lead you in making selections as you pray daily for your pastor and watch God work.
Personal Needs
- Humility: Ask God to give your leader true humility, which includes having a servant’s heart, being teachable, admitting wrong doing, being willing to receive positive criticism, and reliance on God
- Wisdom to know God's agenda: Effective leaders function according to God’s agenda, not their own. Pray that your leader remains sensitive to God’s leading, and that he/she will live and work according to God’s priorities.
- Positive relationships: Ask God to help your leader be patient with himself and to others, to interact positively with difficult people in the congregation, and to treat everyone with love and respect.
- The fruit of the Spirit: Every Christian should seek to live a Spirit-filled life. Pray that your leader would have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
- Health: Ask God to give your leader good health and safety when he/she travels.
Family Needs
- The priority of the family: The demands of ministry can severely damage a Christian leader’s family life. Pray that your leader would make family his/her top priority, second only to his relationship with God. Pray that he would spend enough time with them, and minister to their needs first. If your leader has children, pray that they would love God with all their hearts.
- Provision for the family: Ask God to meet the needs of your leader and to show the church how they can better provide for them.
Spiritual Needs
- Time alone with God: Ask God to make prayer, Scripture reading, and worship daily priorities in your leader’s life
- Anointing: Without the power of the Holy Spirit, a leader can do nothing of value
- Integrity: Your leader struggles with temptation just like any other person. In fact, the enemy will try to tempt him/her more than others. Satan knows that when he hurts the leader, the follower suffers.
- Protection from spiritual warfare: Pray that your leader would put on the full armor of God, as outlined in Eph 6:10-18, and that he will be given protection from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jhn 2:16)
- Accountability: Ask God to bring into your leader’s life other Christian leaders who can keep him/her accountable.
Congregational Needs
- Evangelism: Pray that your leader will have a heart for the lost and that he will make evangelism a priority.
- Personal growth: A pastor who continues to grow in his spiritual life and his ability to lead is being equipped to help his people grow and develop.
- Mobilization of the laity: Ask God to make your leader an effective motivator and equipper of the people to do the work of the ministry.
- Intercession: Pray that your leader would make intercession for the people a daily priority.
Article by Rev. Will Bruce
