A helpful guide for praying for church leaders.

A few years ago, we came across a great weekly guide for praying for pastors. It comes from Dan Reiland’s book, Shoulder to Shoulder: Strengthening Your Church by Supporting Your Pastor.

From time to time, we’ve distributed the guide to others so that they can pray for us. We post it here so that those who attend our churches will have a guide for praying for us, as well as for other Christ-followers and pastors to use it in their settings.

Monday: Pray for your pastor’s family.

• God’s peace and protection
• A growing love relationship with his/her spouse
• A commitment to quality and quantity time together

Tuesday: Pray for wisdom for your pastor.

• The mind of Christ
• Godly decision-making
• Understanding of biblical truth

Wednesday: Pray for your pastor’s ministry focus.

• Clear vision
• Commitment to biblical priorities
• Remain true to his/her God-given gifts and strengths

Thursday: Pray for your pastor’s health.

• Protection of his/her body and mind
• An extra portion of stamina and strength
• Commitment to stress-releasing activity

Friday: Pray for your pastor’s spiritual health.

• A heart for God and the lost
• Fresh biblical insights
• Personal devotions not related to sermon preparation

Saturday: Pray for your pastor’s purity

• Pure motives
• Pure thought-life and faithfulness to his/her spouse
• Pure commitment to complete integrity

Sunday: Pray for God’s anointing on your pastor.

• Strength in leadership
• Passion in preaching
• Fruit and joy in ministry

During a recent message, Randy said, "There are two kinds of people in the world: those who need God and those who are in denial!" Truth is, we all need God (some simply deny it). Therefore, we should pray for one another, including church leaders, who have the responsibility of leading and forming communities for God.

We certainly appreciate all of those who pray for us!