{"id":2171,"date":"2022-01-21T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T10:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/?post_type=resource&p=2171"},"modified":"2022-01-20T11:59:36","modified_gmt":"2022-01-20T16:59:36","slug":"5-ways-to-pray-for-your-pastor-to-start-the-new-year","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/5-ways-to-pray-for-your-pastor-to-start-the-new-year\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor to Start the New Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, someone asked Charles Spurgeon why he was so successful. His response? \u201cBecause my people pray for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an issue of\u00a0Our Daily Bread<\/em><\/a>, there\u2019s a story about travelers to London who stopped at Spurgeon\u2019s church to hear him preach. They were greeted at the door and offered a tour.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you like to see the heating plant of this church?\u201d\u00a0asked the gentleman who greeted them.\u00a0They were not particularly interested because it was a summer day in July, but\u00a0not\u00a0wanting\u00a0to offend the stranger, they consented.<\/p>\n

The gentleman led the visitors down a stairway to a basement door. After the door quietly opened, their guide whispered, \u201cThis is our heating plant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Surprised, the visitors saw 700 people praying, seeking a blessing on the service soon to begin in the auditorium above.<\/p>\n

Softly closing the door, the gentleman introduced himself. It was Charles Spurgeon, the pastor of the thriving Metropolitan Tabernacle.<\/p>\n

While many today know Spurgeon as a powerful preacher of the gospel who we often call the \u201cPrince of Preachers,\u201d he knew where the power was: prayer.<\/p>\n

Most\u00a0pastors don\u2019t have 100 in attendance on any given Sunday. According to the\u00a02020 Faith Communities Today study<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a02019 Annual Church Profile<\/a>,\u00a065% of all U.S. congregations\u00a0and 67% of\u00a0Southern Baptist Churches\u00a0average less than triple digits in attendance. So, the average pastor\u00a0won\u2019t have 700\u00a0people\u00a0praying under\u00a0their sanctuary\u00a0each week!<\/p>\n

However, they still\u00a0can ask their people to pray for them. During the height of COVID-19, I asked several people who couldn\u2019t join us in person to pray specifically and passionately on Sundays from their homes. And they did.<\/p>\n

By the end of my time serving our church, we averaged more in attendance and baptized more people than ever before. Why? I firmly believe I can say with Spurgeon, \u201cBecause my people prayed for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are five ways to pray for your pastor as we kick off a new year.<\/p>\n

1. Pray for his family<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pastors wear a lot of hats, but if he\u2019s married with children, none are as crucial as husband and dad. Take some time to pray for his first ministry: his home. Ask God to help him love and lead his family well, making the most of his time in the home. Ask the Lord to give him the courage to\u00a0put off\u00a0the trivial matters of ministry, so he\u2019s fully engaged as the husband and father God calls him to be. Helpful Scriptures to guide prayer here are Ephesians 5:25 and Psalm 127:3-5.<\/p>\n

2. Pray for his schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I shared above, your pastor wears a lot of hats. It\u2019s easy for your pastor to feel tugs from every direction, especially as a new year begins. He\u2019s trying to prepare engaging sermons, has people to visit\u00a0in the hospital, worries home-bound members will fall through the cracks and is attempting to follow up\u00a0with\u00a0all the\u00a0holiday\u00a0visitors. Pray that God will help him manage his schedule well enough to spend time with his family and lead his church family at the start of a new year. Helpful Scriptures to guide prayer here are Ephesians 5:15-17 and Psalm 90:12.<\/p>\n

3. Pray for his sermon preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of your pastor\u2019s schedule, he\u2019s likely\u00a0working\u00a0hard\u00a0in the study\u00a0to prepare fresh sermons, either by continuing an old series or launching a new one. Pray that God gives him focus and perseverance in sermon prep, as well as clarity and wisdom as he aims to\u00a0rightly\u00a0handle the Word of God. Helpful Scriptures to guide prayer here are 2 Timothy 2:15 and Psalm 119:18.<\/p>\n

4. Pray for his preaching<\/strong><\/p>\n

Your pastor prepares sermons in the study, but he preaches them in the pulpit. As the new year dawns, some folks may consider visiting a church for the first time or returning after a long absence. Pray God will fill your pastor with passion and conviction as he declares the\u00a0good\u00a0news to encourage the saints and lead the lost to love and follow Jesus. Helpful Scriptures to guide prayer here are Hebrews 4:12 and Mark 16:15.<\/p>\n

5. Pray for his walk with God<\/strong><\/p>\n

None of the above will matter if your pastor isn\u2019t walking with God. If he\u2019s not\u00a0spending\u00a0daily\u00a0time\u00a0with the Lord, his family, preaching and\u00a0everything\u00a0else\u00a0will suffer. As silly as it may sound, pray that your pastor will wake up even before his alarm goes off with one thing in mind: time with God. Pray that he will devote himself to prayer and Bible reading first and foremost, before he even begins his day of ministry and family time. Helpful Scriptures to guide prayer here are Philippians 4:6 and Psalm 119:9.<\/p>\n

E.M. Bounds once said, \u201cWhat the\u00a0church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use \u2013 men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not new, of course; even the apostle Paul asked for prayer not once, but eight times (Rom. 15:30-32; 2\u00a0Cor. 1:10-11; Eph. 6:18-20; Phil. 1:19; Col. 4:2-4; 1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1-2; Philem. 22).<\/p>\n

Prayer was so important to Jesus\u2019 disciples that they asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1) \u2013 and it should be that important to you as well. As we begin 2022, join the disciples, Paul\u2019s churches and Spurgeon\u2019s church by praying for your pastor!<\/p>\n

This post originally appeared at <\/em>LifeWay Research.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many years ago, someone asked Charles Spurgeon why he was so successful. His response? \u201cBecause my …<\/p>\n

5 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor to Start the New Year<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2172,"template":"","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"channels":[],"topics":[53],"languages":[],"class_list":["post-2171","resource","type-resource","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","resource_type-article","topics-replanting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor to Start the New Year - Church Replanting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/5-ways-to-pray-for-your-pastor-to-start-the-new-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Ways to Pray for Your Pastor to Start the New Year\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many years ago, someone asked Charles Spurgeon why he was so successful. 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