Pray for Your Church: Leaders (3)
If the ax is dull,
And one does not sharpen the edge,
Then he must use more strength;
But wisdom brings success. Ecclesiastes 10.10
“…but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6.4
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock… 1 Peter 5. 2, 3
The leader’s toolkit
Our prayers for church leaders can play a significant role in their work. Like Aaron and Hur, holding up the arms of Moses while he prayed for the armies of the Lord, we must uphold our church leaders in prayer, that they will seek the Kingdom and make disciples as they follow Jesus in building His Church.
Church leadership—and in particular, pastoral ministry—can be complicated. So much to learn! So many skills to master! Such a variety of talents and abilities to have ready at hand! We may wonder sometimes how our church leaders manage.
Actually, church leaders have three basic tools in their kits for doing the work of ministry. It can be easy to lose sight of these tools as ministries expand, people press in, and sermon deadlines loom. But if pastors and other church leaders can master these tools, they will stay on course with the Lord’s agenda for building His Church.
Those tools are prayer, the Word of God, and their personal example. Let’s have a look at each.
Prayer
Prayer is the indispensable discipline for all Christians. In prayer we maintain, enlarge, and improve our relationship with the living God. Prayer helps us set our minds on the things that are above, where Christ is, seated in heavenly places (Col. 3.1-3). In prayer the Lord opens His Word to us (Ps. 119), hears our cries for mercy and grace (Heb. 4.16), opens our minds and hearts to the work of the Spirit, and draws us into the experience of His Presence and pleasure (Ps. 16.11).
Every Christian must learn to pray and work hard at improving this aspect of our great salvation.
But this is especially so for church leaders, who, because they bear the burdens of leadership, are held to a higher accountability for themselves and their congregation (Jms. 3.1). Prayer is more important than getting involved in one more program or activity. Jesus instructed His disciples, the first leaders of His Church, that they ought always to pray and not grow weary (Lk. 18.1). Surely that instruction applies to church leaders today as well.
Pray for your church leaders, that prayer will remain the primary and ongoing discipline of their walk with and work for the Lord, and that they will labor to pray without ceasing and will not grow weary of prayer.
The Word
The second tool in a ministry leader’s toolkit is the Word of God. Everything leaders do is for the edification and equipping of the church, and the Word of God is the resource from which they must principally draw (2 Tim. 3.15-17). They must be in the Word, of the Word, for the Word, and by the Word in all they do.
Leaders need to know how to handle the Word of God (2 Tim. 2.15) and to communicate it clearly, patiently (Is. 28.10, 11), and for growth and edification (Eph. 4.29). Everything a local church does must be grounded in and guided by the Word of God, and leaders are responsible to see to it that this is case. The Scriptures, Paul insisted, are sufficient to equip us for every good work. They are a plumb line for leaders to measure the state of the church, determine its needs, and bring the Word of God to bear in a variety of ways.
Pray that your church’s leaders will be true and diligent students of God’s Word, so that they will have the mind of Christ for building His church (1 Cor. 2.16).
Personal example
Finally, church leaders must demonstrate a lifestyle characteristic of our calling to the Kingdom and glory of God. Principally, this entails their abiding in Christ, growing in righteousness, and demonstrating the peace and joy of the Lord and thus fulfilling Paul’s instructions in 1 Timothy 3.1-7 and Peter’s in the text above.
Church leaders who are abiding in Christ bear the fruit of that relationship in all the gifts of the Spirit (Gal. 5.22, 23) and the tokens of love (1 Cor. 13.4-7). It will be clear to all who know them that they walk the path Jesus walked, the path of keeping God’s Law (1 Jn. 2.1-6). The work of church leaders, as Peter acknowledged, begins in the kind of example they set for others. Paul could say that we should imitate him as he imitated Christ (1 Cor. 11.1) because he had a good and clean conscience before the Lord.
Pray for your church leaders, that they may show the life and love of Jesus to all who know and work with them in building the Lord’s Church.
Here’s a prayer you might try:
Father, thank You for our church’s leaders,
for all those who have stepped up
to lead the way in building our church
for Your Kingdom and glory.
Help them always to sharpen their tools
and use them faithfully—
prayer, Your Word, and the example of Jesus—
so that we may be encouraged
to follow where they lead
in building Your Church and seeking the Kingdom.
For reflection or discussion
1. Have you told your church leaders lately that you are praying for them? Do so right away.2. Have you asked a church leader for a prayer request lately? Do so right away.3. Have you encouraged your fellow church members to pray for your leaders? Do so right away.
Next steps—Preparation: Make sure that you include prayer for the leaders of your church every day.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
The Kingdom of God
As we are beginning to see, the Church exists to further the rule of King Jesus—His Kingdom—on earth as it is in heaven. But what is the Kingdom of God? Our book, The Kingdom Turn, can help. Learn more and order your copy by clicking here for the book or here for the free PDF.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
