A Prayer Guide for Pastors

Christian leaders are not called to their positions because of rare skill, raw talent, or overwhelming desire. They are not qualified by charismatic personality, the ability to draw a crowd, or skilled rhetoric. Rather, Christian leaders are called and qualified by godly character. In passages like 1 Timothy 3:2-7, Titus 1:6-9, and 1 Peter 5:1-3 we read what a man must be if he is to serve as pastor (or elder, if you prefer). Since these traits are so crucial, it seems good and right for the pastor to pray diligently about each of them. To that end, I’ve prepared a prayer guide for pastors that suggests some ways a pastor can pray that he would exemplify these traits.

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Personally, I have imported these into PrayerMate (the prayer app) and pray for one each day, but you can use them however you see fit. I’ve included files in Word, Pages, and Google Docs formats so you can have your own copy to edit and personalize as you see fit. And even if you are not a pastor, you can still put the list to use. You can either pray these things for your pastors, or pray them for yourself since really the great majority of these traits are not unique to pastors but, rather, are simply to be exemplified by them. As D.A. Carson has pointed out, they are “remarkable for being unremarkable.” Why? Because “the criteria mentioned are demanded of all Christians everywhere. Which is another way of saying, elders are first of all to be exemplars of the Christian graces that are presupposed as mandated on all Christians.”

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