Remember to Pray for Your Pastors

There is nothing more helpful to a pastor than having the men of the church praying for them regularly. Try at least one of these strategies to help your men lift up your pastor:

• For their next “semester,” ask all the small group leaders in your church to pray for your pastor whenever their groups meet. Send prayer requests to these leaders weekly to keep them engaged and informed.
• Form a Pastor’s Prayer Team of men to meet before the first service each Sunday for a time of prayer for the pastor and the services. Or, have men sign up for one service per year or per quarter to pray during the entire service for the pastor. (At First Baptist Church Atlanta there is a small room directly under the pulpit. During every service, men meet to pray for their pastor, Charles Stanley. Every time he preaches, he knows he is figuratively being held up by the prayers of his men.) Ask your pastor for prayer requests so that you can keep the prayer team updated.
• Build a Pastor’s Prayer Wall by having men sign up for different slots during the week when they will pray for their pastor. Assign 10-minute segments and get at least one man for every day. Depending on the size of your church, set a goal for the number of men you would like to have praying. Smaller churches may strive for three men each day; a large church may strive for a man for every waking hour of the week. Be sure to send a prayer email out to the men to remind them of their commitment.
• Once a quarter or so, hold a Pray for the Pastor Sunday. Host a brief special prayer time after the worship service so that men can pray for your pastor(s). Invite men to walk up to the pastor that day and give him a token (such as a nickel) as a symbol that they are committed to praying for him each week.