How To Pray For Your Pastor

As a Christian who is part of a church community, you not only have to pray for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and the church, but you also have to pray for your pastor. It is vital to pray for your pastor, not just from time to time but all the time. We have to understand that we are at war against satan and his fellow demons in this age. We who are in the kingdom of God are on the offensive against satan’s kingdom of darkness. We expand God’s kingdom by preaching the Gospel of Christ Who sets people free from the captivity of satan and the bondage of sin. 

Satan is fighting a losing battle here, and because we are at war, he will do everything to hinder the kingdom of God from advancing further. One of the ways he does that is by attacking our pastor, who is the one leading the church. In warfare, you don’t just attack anyone; you want to make sure that the person you attack is a key person because eliminating that person delivers a heavy blow to your adversaries. It is the same for our pastor/s; they are the key people in the church. It’s not that everything rests upon them but in the eyes of the enemy, they are the strategic people to attack a church. Hence, it is vital to always pray for your pastor. A pastor who is faithful to God and the Scriptures is a threat to satan’s kingdom of darkness. 

We also want to pray for our pastors not just because we are at war with the enemy but also because we care about their well-being. Even the apostle Paul asked the churches to which he wrote letters to mention him always in their prayers. The work of a pastor is not easy. They have a heavy responsibility. They are shepherding the flocks that God has entrusted to them. They are accountable to God for everything they do. Some things are expected of them, like living above reproach, rightly handling the word of truth, always seeking the congregation’s well-being, addressing issues in the church, and much more. Those are just some of the many roles and responsibilities of a pastor. That is why you should always cover your pastor in your prayers. It would mean a lot to them.

2 Corinthians 1:10–11

10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

11 Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Romans 15:30–33

30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;

31 That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;

32 That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

33 Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:25

Brethren, pray for us.

What can I pray for my pastor?

There are many things that you can pray for your pastor. However, among all the things that you can pray for them, there are essential things that you should address. We will be listing some of them here in this article.

One of the things that you can pray for your pastor is the grace for them always to live a holy, righteous, and blameless life; that they shall always live above reproach and be a good example for the believers that they are shepherding. 

Pray for grace and protection upon him. You can pray for protection against the desires of the flesh and the schemes of the enemy to make him fall into sin. You can also include praying that they shall have the right heart in everything they do. One example is that they preach because they want God’s truth to be preached. That includes praying that your pastor shall not end up loving the world and becoming like those of the world.

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

1 Timothy 3:2

A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

James 3:1

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Titus 1:6–7

6 If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.

7 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre;

1 John 2:15-16

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Almighty Father, You are the God of mercy, Who preserves us from sin. I pray for my pastor. Give him the grace to always live a holy, righteous, and blameless life before You. Help him always to live a life that is above reproach. May how he lives his life be a good example for the church. Give him the grace and mercy to never love the world and sin. Preserve him from sin, and may his heart always be pure and everything he does be always rooted in the fear of You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. 

As mentioned a while ago, it is not easy to be a pastor. That is something that you can pray for him. You can pray for God’s persevering grace upon your pastor—that no matter how hard being a pastor is, he shall never give up and will continue to persevere and endure until the end. You can also include praying for him to never stop preaching the Gospel no matter what persecution or obstacles he may face.

Romans 5:3-5

3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

James 1:12

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Hebrews 12:1

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

Gracious God, Your grace empowers us as we go through challenges in life. I pray for Your persevering grace and strength upon my pastor as he fulfills the calling to which You have called him; that he shall never give up but always continue to endure and persevere no matter what. I pray that even if he encounters persecution and hardships because of preaching the Gospel, he shall continue to preach it to the lost. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

A pastor’s job and responsibilities are many. However, preaching the Gospel is the center of his ministry. Everything that we do in the ministry as Christians is all about the Gospel of Christ. A pastor may always seek the well-being of his congregation and lead his church to be involved in humanitarian works. Still, all of those things are pointless if his ministry does not include preaching the Gospel. This means you can pray for your pastor always to be bold, brave, and courageous when it comes to preaching Christ to the lost and he will never be ashamed of it. You can also pray for him and the church he leads to have open doors to preach the Gospel.

Romans 1:16

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

Ephesians 6:18-20

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Philippians 1:19–20

19 For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

20 According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

Holy Spirit, You are the one Who empowers me to be a witness of Christ to the lost. I pray that You would always empower my pastor to be bold, brave, and courageous when preaching the Gospel to the lost. I pray that he shall always be unashamed of the Gospel, for it is the Father’s power of salvation to anyone who believes. May he always be fearless when it comes to preaching the mystery of the Gospel and always exalt Christ and preach Christ Who was crucified. I also pray for open doors and opportunities for the Gospel to be preached. Protect him from any harm that any unbeliever may cause him and give him the grace to persevere amid the persecution. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

You can also pray for your pastor to be always impartial. The Bible has warned us of being partial toward others. In Galatians 2:6, the apostle Paul writes to the church in Galatia regarding impartiality between believers deemed influential and those who are not. You should pray for your pastor because the church will also become partial if a pastor is partial. As Christians, we are to be fair toward all people, whether they are rich or poor and educated or not.

Romans 2:11

For there is no respect of persons with God.

Galatians 2:6

But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me:

James 2:1

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

Heavenly Father, you are just and show no partiality. I pray that my pastor shall never be partial and favor the rich, educated, or those with high social status. May he always be fair and impartial in his leadership and treatment of others regardless of other people’s standing in life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Wisdom and understanding are also things you should pray for your pastor, especially since he is in leadership. In Isaiah 11:1-2, Christ was mentioned as the Branch in whom the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and the fear of the Lord rests. That is why Christ is the greatest example of a leader. We can also pray for the same Spirit to rest upon our pastor so that he may lead the church with wisdom and understanding—a pastor who knows when to stand up, when to intervene, the best course of action that honors God, and more.

Isaiah 11:2

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

Psalm 111:10

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Proverbs 18:15

The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Ephesians 5:15-17

15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is

James 1:5

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

James 3:17

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

Heavenly Father, You are the God of wisdom Who gives wisdom to those who seek it, just as You granted wisdom to Solomon. I pray for the Spirit of wisdom and understanding to rest upon my pastor and that he will follow Christ’s example of leadership. May he always lead the church with the fear of You, for that is the beginning of wisdom. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Lastly, it is essential always to pray for your pastor to handle the word of truth rightly all the time. That is crucial to pray for because whatever the pastor teaches, the chances are that the church will also embrace it, though as Christians, we have to individually be like the Bereans who check everything they hear to see if it is in line with the Scriptures (Acts 17:11). Always pray for your pastor to be faithful to God’s word; that he shall always treat preaching and teaching with all seriousness because, indeed, it is a serious matter. Pray that your pastor shall not preach diluted biblical teachings that do not tell the truth but, rather, what the people want to hear.

2 Timothy 2:15

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

James 3:1

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.

Heavenly Father, all knowledge and understanding come from You alone, Who is the source of everything. I pray for my pastor that he shall always rightly handle the word of truth and always be a worker approved by You. May he always be faithful to what the Scripture says and always have a good, biblically sound understanding of Your Word. May he always preach the truth, even if it is hard to swallow, and never twist Your Word to suit the people’s passions. May he always choose to preach the truth and be hated rather than preach that which is false and be applauded. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

If you always read your Bible and study it, you will know the essential things that you should always pray for your pastor. Reading your Bible is necessary to know what to pray for your pastor.

What to say to encourage a pastor?

Besides praying for your pastor, you should also honor and encourage him. Whenever you see him in the church, you can approach him and tell him that you appreciate everything he does for the church. Of course, it should be out of a pure intent to show honor and appreciation to him.

Romans 12:10

Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;

1 Peter 2:17

Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

You can also encourage him if he is feeling down. Maybe there are so many problems or challenges regarding the ministry. You can encourage him with a Bible verse and pray for him afterward. Here are some verses that you can encourage your pastor:

Romans 8:18

For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Our pastor is always there leading the church. Everything that he does is for our well-being. These are the ones that God has put in charge of our spiritual well-being. Just as he always takes care of us, we should also be there for our pastor and always include him in our prayers. What is setting aside five minutes (or more) every day to pray for our pastor?