Brokenness abounds, and church leaders—whether they are paid staff or volunteers—are on the front lines of bringing the gospel to bear on the unmaking of the world. Ministry is hard, heartbreaking work. And on top of caring for people amid their own pain, it isn’t like small group leaders or pastors are immune from their own life difficulties!
Praying for your pastors and lay church leaders can be one of the most transformative ways you contribute to the ministry of your own church. If you aren’t sure exactly how to pray, here are nine ways to pray for the people who help lead in your local church, whatever that leadership looks like:
1. Pray for endurance.
“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” Galatians 6:9
It is so tempting to quit when ministry gets difficult. Pastors and church leaders need help as they resist this temptation.
Pray that God would provide a holy endurance, free of bitterness or resentment, so that your pastors and church leaders can continue, clinging to Christ, when the heartbreak or pain seems insurmountable.
2. Pray for a guarded heart amid criticism.
Rest in God alone, my soul,
for my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I will not be shaken.
My salvation and glory depend on God, my strong rock.
My refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts before him.
God is our refuge. Selah
Psalm 62:5-8
Pastors and church leaders must live with their hearts on their sleeves, to some extent—emotional and personal vulnerability comes with the territory of ministry leadership. Without it, church leaders can be cold and standoffish, which isn’t conducive to heartfelt gospel ministry. But this necessary vulnerability leaves pastors and church leaders open to criticism and negativity of many kinds.
Pray that God would help your leaders have open hearts, ready to love, but guarded by the Holy Spirit against unwarranted criticism.
3. Pray for wisdom in hard decisions.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God — who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly — and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Church leaders, especially those who are on staff at the local church, are often faced with difficult decisions that impact the future of the ministry or the personal lives of those who are a part of it.
Pray that God would give your church leaders clarity where the right decisions seems murky and peace for whatever comes after.
4. Pray against comparison.
So Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them, the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is the one that’s going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?”
“If I want him to remain until I come,” Jesus answered,“what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” John 21:20-22
It’s so easy for ministry leaders to play the comparison game, wondering what it would be like to have a nicer facility or a sanctuary overflowing with people on the weekends. This is a natural temptation for pastors, but that doesn’t make it good.
Pray that God would help your church leaders not compare the work God is doing through them to the other ministry work going on in your community. Ministry is not meant to be a competition. We’re all working for the same King, pointing people to the same kingdom.
5. Pray for peace in conflict.
If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18
Ministry requires us to confront some of the brokenness that seeps into the lives of people we care about deeply. The beauty of the gospel is not compatible with sin, and so when pastors and church leaders have to confront sin and its effects, conflict is near at hand.
Pray that God would help your pastors and church leaders navigate that inevitable conflict with grace and love, and that they would find assurance in God’s goodness and the truth of the gospel, even amid hard conversations with people they dearly love.
6. Pray for soul-deep rest.
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Many pastors and church leaders don’t realize how exhausted they are until it’s too late and they’re faced with burnout, trying to find the closest exit ramp out of ministry and maybe even out of the church altogether.
Pray for God to open your church leaders’ eyes to their exhaustion before burnout hits, and ask that God would give them a way to step out to rest without tapping out of ministry entirely.
7. Pray for faith when people aren’t showing up.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So, then, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:6-9
When pastors see empty seats week after week, discouragement isn’t often far behind. For many pastors, this isn’t a matter of wanting to be “successful” or “popular” so much as it is a desire to steward their ministry and its resources well.
Pray that God would give your pastors peace for when it seems like people aren’t showing up, and that God would remind them that their weekly faithfulness matters more than their church’s weekly attendance.
8. Pray for courageous leadership.
Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Ministry can be scary, especially when a desire to lead with the compassion and love of Christ collides with the realities of brokenness and sin in the life of the church and the broader community. Church leadership is certainly not for the faint of heart—it is for the heart that is totally reliant on the goodness and grace of God.
Pray that God would give your ministry leaders courage to have the hard conversations and make the difficult decisions. Pray also that he would remind them of His love and care.
9. Pray for fresh vision, rooted in truth.
Look, I am about to do something new;
even now it is coming. Do you not see it?
Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
Amid the daily and weekly grind of church leadership, with heads down preparing sermons or scheduling kids’ ministry volunteers, it is far too easy for church leaders to lose their vision for the future. The wonder of ministry can evaporate without notice or warning.
Pray that God would help your pastors and church leaders not lose hold of vision, always keeping one eye to the future, beholding the wonder of what God has done and what God may yet do.
Prayer Works—Let’s Act Like We Believe It
James 5:16 reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”
Likewise, Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 1:10-11:
He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.
It is good and right to pray for our pastors and church leaders. They are encouraged by it, God is honored through it. We may never know the degree to which our prayers are answered, but that doesn’t make them any less effective or worthy to be prayed.
