We all need prayer.
We all need to pray.
Pastors specifically need prayer. The Enemy will do whatever he can to destroy the ministry of your pastors. Will you consider praying for your pastors in these specific areas?
- Pray for wisdom for your pastor. These leaders are often confronted with incredibly challenging situations and decisions. They need God’s wisdom to continue to be the leader of the church God has called them to be.
- Pray for your pastor’s protection. Your pastor will be attacked in so many different ways. Your pastor will be tempted again and again. The Enemy seeks to destroy. The Enemy wants your pastor’s ministry destroyed.
- Pray for your pastor’s family. They too are attacked, criticized, and sometimes bullied. They often feel isolated and alone. They need encouragement. They need prayer.
- Pray for your pastor to withstand the critics and bullies. Some of the critics and bullies are overt and aggressive. Others are passive aggressive. All are painful. And every pastor has them.
- Pray against discouragement from comparison. Before this week is over, a church member will likely tell your pastor to listen to a podcast by another pastor “to learn how to really preach” (actual words spoken to a pastor). Other pastors will hear numerous comments about the other great church in the community. The message is real and painful: You don’t measure up, pastor.
- Pray against discouragement from members leaving. It’s hard for your pastor not to take it personally. It’s really hard when the departing member tells your pastor to take it personally.
- Pray against discouragement from decline. Two out of three congregations in North America are declining. That is a painful reality for your pastor. That is a discouraging reality for your pastor.
- Pray against discouragement from disunity. “I wish I had every minute back I had to spend refereeing church members.” Those are the actual words of one of the Church Answers’ pastors I serve. The Enemy loves it when church members fight one another.
- Pray for discernment for “yes” and “no.” Pastors are pulled in a multitude of directions. They are expected to be in so many meetings, so many social events, and so many pastoral situations. They are really expected to be omnipresent. Pray they will be able to say “no” more often. Pray for their families who often get the scanty leftovers of the pastor’s time.
- Pray for financial pressures. Many pastors are underpaid. They struggle day by day with financial challenges. Actual quote from a deacon: “I like for our pastor to be underpaid. It keeps him humble and dependent on God.” That deacon is enjoying a life of leisure from inherited wealth.
- Pray for gospel opportunities. Pastors are energized when they have the opportunity to share the gospel. Unfortunately, many of them are too busy to take time to do so. The demands of the church are just too great. These pastors live lives of inverted priorities and frustrating days.
Do we really want healthy churches? Do we really want to defeat the Enemy in these battles?
Pray for your pastor.
Start today. Take five minutes of each day to pray for your pastor.
It may be the greatest contribution you can make to your church.
Posted on January 22, 2018
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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16 Comments
What to pray when an hile your pastor is preaching
All I want is my period to be heavy each and ever month and to win some big money then my brother and his family do not have to move in with me it would make me very happy ☺it is so very very very important to me I am so very sad
I’ve read the article with fantastic satisfaction and also could understand something brand
new that I will use for my further requirements. The
report is clear and bright, without the further worthless facts or else.
The language is equally brilliant and colorful,
so the further I read, the longer I do enjoy it! In any case,
the information is rather cutting-edge, so just like
it.
This is a good word, but it got me thinking, “What can we do to fix some of these problems ourselves instead of waiting for a miracle?”
I think a good solution is for small churches to merge and follow a plurality of non-professional elders model. Think about it:
1. Bi-vocational pastors have less time, but more money, helping the financial problem.
2. Multiple elders can help decision-making easier.
3. Multiple elders can divide responsibilities between them.
Church mergers could help small congregations with one pastor to become larger congregations with multiple elders. Those churches could conserve resources by not duplicating services and structures. This is going to be particularly important if churches continue to decline – it’s a waste for every ten-family church to try and pay a full-time pastor and keep a 20-family building.
Wow! Are you sure you arent the pastor, ha ha..
Its great to see that someone is actually thinking in the Church..
“What can ..WE.. doto help is one of the moxt sensible things anyone could every say and mean in addition to prayer.. People are so good at praying jnstead of helping instead of asking God, “how can i help, please help me help such and such a splace or person” . Przyer is often used as a cop out.. we must pray but the Bible talks about having the means to help and doing nothing but talking, you know what i mean..
See 1 John 3:17
A big help is getting to know the word of God without leaving it up to the pastor to teach it all because the Church cannot stand withkut knowing the word snd in tthe meantime, asking the pastor what can i do to help and then just getting on with it.. The cevil will alwayz try to obxtruct the person from helping and will give them reasons as to why tbey cannot which is where faith xets in and when the individual backs down the devul will always use that tool to stop the Church growth and their spiritual growth.ch
Yes prayer is great and also supporting all the Chur h meetings that they can and making it a priority as no ody gets up and doesnt eat all day for a month and the meetings are for spiritual growth..
Financial support in tothes, offerings and everything they can give in terms of respurces wherther it is given or borrowed and this helps the Church to function., it helps everyone in it..
Not all pastorz are called to be fjll time sp they need to make sure before giving up their jobs.
You are right about Chur hes neeing to unite and help each other instead of. Eing in competition or seeing the Church as “my” Church.. If kne suffers the other should also share in this.. 1 Cor 12:26..
What. An be helpful is jlint evangelism, zupporting ea h others programs and meetings iv numbers ard low, combined fundraising (which is usually not needed if the pasor and the rest of the saints are faithful in tithing and the pastor doesnt take on anything or a place God never told them to), combined prayer for wach other, for the nations and leaders of the country and against strongholds in the area and the individuals that need prayer in the church and in the families of the memebers and if anyone offers services of runs business, that they chur h members between fellowships can ofver low cost services, freeing up more funds and helping with the financial burdens and exhorting each other.
The important thing is that befofe merging that the churches seek God..
I hope this helps.
May god bless all the pastors and there family give them strength and production against all Enemies and bullies give them health & financial blessing to my nephew pastor George Molina and family god bless ????????????????
The best way is to actually “be” that blessing.
One good thing a member can do is simply ask, “what can ..i.. do to help?” And even if the help does not involve spotlight or favorite/enjoyable activities, the genuine help does it anyway without complaint..
The things the Church does, does not help the pastor really as theres no benefits in pastoring. What it does is help the same people that are helping and attending as it means the Church functioning better so pastors need more than just prayer and verbal blessings or requests for God to bless them but simple hands on help and that the church will step up and help their source of food lest they become malnourished through the seed they have failed to sow.. The word pastor is in the OT once in jer 17, it is ra’ah in the Biblical Hebrew meaning simply to tend a flock, rule and associate. To tend meaning waych/guard..
It may help if you share this message with the saints from your Church.. i hope it helps..take care
I will share this article with our church leadership team.
Our pastor needs our constant prayer as he leads the church and ministering the Word of God. The devil will lose its foothold if church members unite in prayers.
The pastors also need support morally and financially for many but certainly for people to take their roles as a pastors job is only to tend the flock, not run all the programs and do the admin and care for the building, the phone calls and the running of the Church. A shepherd is there to “feed” the flock and often people pray which is asking God to find someone else to help but prayer and practical help combined is what is essential..
Its good that you will show your pastor this article but anither great idea is to forward it to the wnole Church as your pastor already knows what he or she needs and if someone besides the pastor distributes it, people may take it better and realise the pastor is not superhuman you know what i mean.
It’s so important to pray for all religious leaders in our world these days. I will add that we should pray they all have the courage to stand up for what is truly just, right and Christian in this world that has watered down Christianity and continues to attack it in every way possible. Our pastors need our prayers as they lead us!
So well said indeed because a lot pf what leaders do affect those they govern. We also need to pray for persecuted pastors and persecuted Christians in general gor protection but also that they are walking in the truth of God and that they will put on and keep on the spiritual armour (Eph 6) and stre gthen anf stand in faith and that the spirits behind the prosecuting will be destroyed.
Thank you, Thom. All true and all prayers needed.
Thanks, Bob.
I will pray for all of these for our transitional Pastor, Ashton C. Smith. I can’t believe people actually say, and or do numbers 5 and 6 especially. The church called him for this position and I humbly pray for him and his family against all of these comments listed here. I pray especially for his safety and financial health. Father God I ask you to guide and direct the paths of our Pastor as he leads this congregation in worship and service to you. I ask these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen
Thanks so much, Renee.
Its not that people actually do anything at all.. The demon behind the acts are responsible and not everyone in every Church is a wheat.. Its really a case of knowing scripture and thinking in the spirit. Look at the parable of the wheat and the tares and when Christ rebuked satan yet Peter was the one that looked like he was talking yet he had the biggest faith while Christ was still with them (before the arrest).. An important factor is that saints need to look at the behavior of the other saints in the Church and fight the devil to let them go instead of looking at them as being the wrongdoers as this is part of the enemies wiles to seperate the Church in the first place. “Look at their behavior!” Is as much the work ofvthe devil as those who come againt the pastof or anyone else.. i hope that helps