Day 4: Praying For Your Pastor

Have you ever dreamed of starting a movement? Seriously, have you ever thought you could start something that would change the world?

You can. It’s a simple but profound truth.

How?

Pray for your pastor.

When you pray for your pastor, your church’s spiritual leader gets stronger. When the church’s spiritual leader gets stronger, the church itself gets stronger. When the church gets stronger, it becomes more Great Commission focused. And a Great Commission church can begin a movement to change the world.

Do you see how it works?

Satan knows how it works. That’s why he will do everything in his circumscribed power to distract and discourage your pastor. But you have the eternal power of God through prayer to strengthen your pastor. Believe me, your pastor needs prayer.

WHY PASTORS NEED PRAYER

It has been a while since I’ve been a pastor of a church, but I work with pastors almost every day through my organization, Church Answers. I could tell you countless stories of why pastors need prayer, but one recent conversation I had with a pastor will suffice.

Pastor “Jeremy” was being considered by a church to become their pastor. The church used a pastor search team of church members to make a recommendation to the congregation. The search team sent a list of twenty-one “expectations” to Jeremy. This one was number three on the list: “You must be accessible to the members of the church as their shepherd. You must be available 24/7/365. You are to be available to members including, but not limited to, weddings, funerals, visitations, counseling, hospital outreach, and home visitations.”

Jeremy had never heard of a church that seriously expected their pastor to be on call every minute of the year. There goes the vacation! He thought it must be an overstatement, or at least a figurative statement to make a point. In response, a member of the search committee communicated to Jeremy that he would likely have to work 120 hours per week. That’s an average workday of more than seventeen hours.

I gave him my counsel: “Run, Forrest, run!”

On the one hand, I was angered by the church’s unreasonable expectations. On the other hand, I was grateful they were willing to make their expectations known up front. Many churches have similar expectations, in practice, but never articulate them.

At Church Answers, I have asked the same question to a few hundred pastors: What are some of your consistent and greatest distractions as a pastor? They were effusive with their responses.

“Unreasonable expectations” was near the top of the list. Though none of the pastors articulated the extreme situation that Jeremy encountered, many of the stories were similar in sentiment. One pastor was summoned to a church business meeting called to fire him because he did not return from an overseas twenty-fifth wedding anniversary trip to conduct the funeral of someone he had never met. The deceased was the deacon chairman’s uncle.

I once asked twelve deacons to write down the minimum number of hours per week they expected me to devote to certain tasks and responsibilities as their pastor. They could put any items they desired, but I provided them with some options: sermon preparation, counseling, hospital visitation, community involvement, community outreach, committee and business meetings, nursing home visitation, weddings, funerals, and several others.

When I tallied the results, I was astounded. In order to meet the minimum expectations of just those twelve church members, I would have to work 187 hours per week. There are only 168 hours in a week.

Pastors also face constant criticism from church members. Unfortunately, many churches have become inwardly focused with church members expecting the pastor to satisfy all of their preferences and demands. And because pastors cannot possibly satisfy every preference of every church member, they often receive withering criticism.

Serving as a pastor can be excruciatingly lonely. Many times pastors are so busy taking care of others, they have little time for themselves. Many do not have meaningful friendships. And many admit to struggling to care for their own families.

Most pastors struggle financially because they are woefully underpaid. An elder of a church once told me that they underpaid their pastor intentionally. They believed that if he struggled financially, he would have greater humility and be more dependent on God. I doubt that elder was working on his own sanctification in the same manner.

I could continue, but you get the point. Our pastors need our prayers. It is difficult to have a healthy church if the pastor is not healthy spiritually. It is difficult to have a Great Commission church if the pastor is dealing with emotionally draining demands and expectations.

Thus, the challenge for Day 4 is to pray for your pastor. You might already know how you plan to pray. If not, here are a few suggestions to guide you.

HOW DO I PRAY FOR MY PASTOR?

Above all, pray that your pastor will have a close walk with God. This means we should be praying for the prayer life of our pastors. We should pray that the Holy Spirit will both guide and comfort them. Pray that your pastor will regularly hear from God through prayer and Scripture reading.

Always pray for the pastor’s family. Healthy relationships with his spouse and children are vital if your pastor is to lead well. Paul’s words to his protégé Timothy were unambiguous: “If a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church?” (1 Timothy 3:5).

When I ask pastors how I can pray for them, they often tell me to pray for their preaching. That includes not only the actual delivery of the sermon, but also the hours of preparation that go into sermon study and writing. It would be good if you include this matter in your prayers for your pastor.

More pastors are expressing vulnerability and transparency when they ask for prayer for their emotional lives. Over the past several years, more pastors have shared with me about their ongoing struggles with depression. Sadly, pastor suicides seem to be on the rise. While I don’t have the data that can confirm the pastoral suicide rate, at the very least, this issue has become prominent with many well-known pastors taking their lives.

Also, pray for your pastor as a leader. For sure, pastors are first servants, but they must also serve as servant leaders on a regular basis. Your church is an organization they must lead. They are often expected to lead meetings. In your church you might have part-time or full-time staff the pastor is expected to lead. And you certainly want your pastor to lead your church to become a Great Commission church.

These are some of the areas you can pray for your pastor. You likely have some other ideas how to pray.

PRAYING FOR MY PASTOR

I finished writing this chapter on a Saturday night. Often, I will pause on Saturday evenings to pray for my pastor for his preaching the next day. As I have written these words, I am reminded again of two realities.

First, serving as a pastor is difficult. Indeed, outside of God’s call and strength, it is impossible. Second, praying for my pastor’s preaching is good, but there are many other areas where I can and should pray for him. Tonight, I will take a bit of extra time to pray for my pastor.

I thank God for my pastor.

Now, it is time for you to respond to the Day 4 challenge and pray for your pastor.