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We are completely puzzled by this presentation. First, the author is a pastor, and apparently everything revolves around him in his church. He is the instigator of prayer as if there was no prayer ministry in his church. He is the leader of evangelism, apparently because no one else is available. He as pastor seems to have no need for, or cannot obtain, anyone in his church to serve, minister, or lead.
He mentions his associate pastor, but we wonder what this man does. He also mentions leaders in item #3, but apparently they don't lead anything. What has led this man to believe he is the CEO of his church, and why is there no one else qualified to lead within his church?
I originally wrote this article for The Focused Pastor, a ministry of Focus on the Family.
The longer I serve in pastoral ministry, the more I see and experience the need for prayer. Just the other day, I was talking through an ongoing issue in our church culture with our Associate Pastor. We are already teaching about it on Sunday mornings and in small groups but have seen little change. But rather than continuing to strategize like I would have when I was younger, I finally shrugged and summarized, “I think we need to keep praying about this.”
It’s not that prayer is a last resort. Nor is it that we won’t continue to think deeply and consider if there’s a different angle we should come from as we lead the church toward growth in this area. It’s simply that I now realize there are some things that will never change without God changing hearts in response to prayer. (This is so true. We will never become a people of prayer unless the Holy Spirit moves in us.)
Pastoral prayer and the heart of God
Jesus taught this to the disciples, ("This?" Apparently the author is referencing his previous statement about God changing hearts.)
1. Pray for the lost to be saved
“Salvation belongs to the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9) The miracle of salvation is one of the things about ministry that brings us the greatest joy. Yet for most pastors, there are seasons of prayerlessness for the lost. (Only for pastors, apparently. This is what we meant when we wondered where the prayer ministry was in the author's church.)
2. Pray for believers to be matured
Besides evangelism, one of our primary missions in pastoral ministry is to mature the believers (Colossians 1:28). This is one reason that God gave you to your church (Ephesians 4:12)! (Let's quote:
3. Pray for the leadership to lead humbly
One of the dangers of our calling is that we could lead our churches (and even have growth or what appears to be success) and yet not please the Lord or reflect Him if we lack humility. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) One of the best ways to cultivate humility in ourselves and the leaders in our churches (Up to now it's been all about the pastor. But apparently there are other leaders who aren't pastors. We wonder what these leaders do?)
4. Pray for the church to grow in joy
One of the marks of a mature church is a deep sense of joy. We can pray for God to give our churches joy. Then, when unbelievers visit, they will want this joy that the world cannot offer (Luke 2:10). We can pray for God to give our churches joy that is not surface-deep but rather deep like a glacier, because it is joy in God! We can pray that God would give our church joy that is Spirit-produced as we worship the living God on Sunday mornings together (Psalm 4:7).
One of the callings of pastoral ministry that has an apostolic pattern in Paul is to work with your church members for their joy (2 Corinthians 1:24). (The author needs to proof-read this sentence again.
5. Pray for the glory of God to be the goal
God’s glory is the ultimate goal of ministry (Romans 16:27). So, it is in tune with God’s purposes to spend time praying for God to be glorified in our churches.
In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 3, he prays for supernatural strength for them to understand the depths of the love of Christ. Then he prays a prayer for God’s glory to be seen in their church through God doing more than they can imagine: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). (??? Paul was not praying. He told them what he was praying for them, from vs. 16 to vs. 19. Vs. 20 and 21 is not prayer either, it's a doxology of sorts to wrap up his thought.)
Second, he is giving advice to other pastors, and the problem is that pastors aren't praying enough. Again, why not teach the congregation to pray?
Third, the prayer advice he gives actually has nothing particular to do with pastorship, it's actually advice that belongs to every Christian.
Though the author does quote some relevant Scriptures, he teaches as if pastors are unique and special. Now perhaps he set out to advise pastors without realizing that it isn't actually advice for pastors. More likely, he has a skewed view of pastorship, one that makes him the top dog, and everyone else are underlings.
This is simply bad Bible teaching.
I originally wrote this article for The Focused Pastor, a ministry of Focus on the Family.
The longer I serve in pastoral ministry, the more I see and experience the need for prayer. Just the other day, I was talking through an ongoing issue in our church culture with our Associate Pastor. We are already teaching about it on Sunday mornings and in small groups but have seen little change. But rather than continuing to strategize like I would have when I was younger, I finally shrugged and summarized, “I think we need to keep praying about this.”
It’s not that prayer is a last resort. Nor is it that we won’t continue to think deeply and consider if there’s a different angle we should come from as we lead the church toward growth in this area. It’s simply that I now realize there are some things that will never change without God changing hearts in response to prayer. (This is so true. We will never become a people of prayer unless the Holy Spirit moves in us.)
Pastoral prayer and the heart of God
Jesus taught this to the disciples, ("This?" Apparently the author is referencing his previous statement about God changing hearts.)
who were frustrated and baffled by a ministry situation. They had done all they could, but it just seemed they were at a dead end. They had a desperate father who needed ministry and a little boy who was extremely ill due to demonic oppression. But they also had religious leaders arguing with them (Mark 9:14). Jesus later explained to the disciples privately why their leadership was impotent: “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:29) (This is a somewhat strange characterization of the Biblical account. In actual fact, the Transfiguration had just happened, and Jesus, Peter, James, and John were rejoining the other disciples [vs. 14], who were arguing with the religious leaders. Jesus asked what they were arguing about [vs. 16].
It was the father who answered [vs. 17]. He told Jesus the disciples couldn't drive a demon out of his son, so Jesus drove it out [vs. 26].
Later, the disciples asked why they couldn't drive it out [vs. 28], and that's when Jesus told them that prayer was the answer [vs. 29]
This was not about frustration, bafflement, or impotent leadership. It's not about any sort of leadership at all. Jesus did not tell them, "your leadership is faulty, you should have prayed." Jesus was teaching about power ministry.)
No matter what the challenges are in your church right now, remember what Jesus told that father: “All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23) In prayer, we believe and ask God to help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). Here are five things that will only happen in your church by prayer.
No matter what the challenges are in your church right now, remember what Jesus told that father: “All things are possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23) In prayer, we believe and ask God to help our unbelief (Mark 9:24). Here are five things that will only happen in your church by prayer.
1. Pray for the lost to be saved
“Salvation belongs to the LORD.” (Jonah 2:9) The miracle of salvation is one of the things about ministry that brings us the greatest joy. Yet for most pastors, there are seasons of prayerlessness for the lost. (Only for pastors, apparently. This is what we meant when we wondered where the prayer ministry was in the author's church.)
Jesus came “to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10) So, you can expect that He wants to save people in your community. Some years we plant seeds, water, reach out to the community, and just don’t see the fruit. But praying consistently that God will save the lost reminds us that we are reliant on Him for salvation. It also gives God glory when unbelievers turn to Christ.
Sometimes, when I have noticed that I am lacking in compassion or prayer for the lost in our community, I will go write my sermon for a few hours in an area where I know a lot of unbelievers tend to gather. Your local coffee shop or library could be where God breaks your heart to pray regularly for the lost in your community. Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of saving the lost!
Sometimes, when I have noticed that I am lacking in compassion or prayer for the lost in our community, I will go write my sermon for a few hours in an area where I know a lot of unbelievers tend to gather. Your local coffee shop or library could be where God breaks your heart to pray regularly for the lost in your community. Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of saving the lost!
2. Pray for believers to be matured
Besides evangelism, one of our primary missions in pastoral ministry is to mature the believers (Colossians 1:28). This is one reason that God gave you to your church (Ephesians 4:12)! (Let's quote:
Ep. 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up...
The author rightly notes that pastors are gifts to the Church. But there are four other offices, one of which is evangelist. But in the previous section the author placed the burden of evangelism on the pastor.
Even worse, the author doesn't even mention these other offices. He seems to think that the only office left is pastor. This is very odd.)
There are truths you will mine out of Scripture this year that could be exactly what someone in your congregation needs to take that next step of faith or obedience. Yet, without prayer, it is like planting seeds every Sunday and in every counseling session and never watering them. Prayer is the water and fertilizer that God uses to bring spiritual fruit out of the preaching of the Word. Just imagine what God could do in the hearts and lives of your congregation, if He answers your prayers for their spiritual maturity. Marriages may become joyful again, parents may get back to discipling their kids, church members may serve, people may come to church hungry to be fed. (The author's biblical documentation disappears. Where does the Bible say that a pastor must pray that his sermon takes root in his congregation? Why is the pastor doing counseling sessions? Why is the pastor the teacher? It's not that such thing are necessarily unbiblical or wrong, but the author needs to actually teach from the Bible and not his opinion.
Lastly, what if the "next step of faith or obedience" in a maturing member of the congregation is to desire to lead in evangelism, or teaching, or prayer ministry? Is the author able to understand that the maturing Christian is possibly someone maturing into leadership?)
Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of maturing the believers in your church!
Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of maturing the believers in your church!
3. Pray for the leadership to lead humbly
One of the dangers of our calling is that we could lead our churches (and even have growth or what appears to be success) and yet not please the Lord or reflect Him if we lack humility. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) One of the best ways to cultivate humility in ourselves and the leaders in our churches (Up to now it's been all about the pastor. But apparently there are other leaders who aren't pastors. We wonder what these leaders do?)
is through prayer. In the very act of prayer, we acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers or all the power to do what only God can do.
In my ministry, it is often after prayer that God has shown me blind spots or brought an answer to a ministry need through someone I never would have expected. Jesus could have demanded service, yet He wielded a towel and basin. We lead like Jesus if we are growing in humility. Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of making you and your church leadership humble leaders!
In my ministry, it is often after prayer that God has shown me blind spots or brought an answer to a ministry need through someone I never would have expected. Jesus could have demanded service, yet He wielded a towel and basin. We lead like Jesus if we are growing in humility. Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of making you and your church leadership humble leaders!
4. Pray for the church to grow in joy
One of the marks of a mature church is a deep sense of joy. We can pray for God to give our churches joy. Then, when unbelievers visit, they will want this joy that the world cannot offer (Luke 2:10). We can pray for God to give our churches joy that is not surface-deep but rather deep like a glacier, because it is joy in God! We can pray that God would give our church joy that is Spirit-produced as we worship the living God on Sunday mornings together (Psalm 4:7).
One of the callings of pastoral ministry that has an apostolic pattern in Paul is to work with your church members for their joy (2 Corinthians 1:24). (The author needs to proof-read this sentence again.
Now the author makes a whopper of a claim, that the pastorship follows an "apostolic pattern." There is no such thing. Let's quote the passage he cites:
2Co. 1:23-2:1 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm. 2Co. 2:1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.
The author yanked this out of its context, where Paul was admonishing the Corinthian church. He had been very hard on them when he last came in correction, so rather than return to this church and bang heads again, he wanted them to reconsider his ministry to them in a joyful way instead.
Also, we want to note that the author has now claimed four of the five offices from Ephesians 4:11 for the pastor: Pastor, teacher, evangelist, and now apostle. This leaves only prophet. Will he claim this one as well?)
This is an area that my church has seen a lot of growth in over the past decade. One of my greatest joys in ministry now is to see the joyful fellowship happening during snack time on Sunday morning after worship. Change can happen through prayer. Brothers, pray for God to do the miracle of your church fellowship growing in joy!
5. Pray for the glory of God to be the goal
God’s glory is the ultimate goal of ministry (Romans 16:27). So, it is in tune with God’s purposes to spend time praying for God to be glorified in our churches.
In Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church in Ephesians 3, he prays for supernatural strength for them to understand the depths of the love of Christ. Then he prays a prayer for God’s glory to be seen in their church through God doing more than they can imagine: “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). (??? Paul was not praying. He told them what he was praying for them, from vs. 16 to vs. 19. Vs. 20 and 21 is not prayer either, it's a doxology of sorts to wrap up his thought.)
What a prayer to echo for your church! Brothers, pray for the glory of God to be the goal in all things in your church!
Just as I was recently talking with our Associate Pastor about a challenge in our church and we remembered to pray about it more, we also have recently seen several direct answers to prayer. Things that seemed impossible have been accomplished by God.
What answers to prayer could you be thanking God for a few months or a year from now? Start with praying for the salvation of the lost, believers to be matured, humble leadership, joyful fellowship, and the glory of God to always be the goal! (good advice to any Christian, not just pastors.)
Just as I was recently talking with our Associate Pastor about a challenge in our church and we remembered to pray about it more, we also have recently seen several direct answers to prayer. Things that seemed impossible have been accomplished by God.
What answers to prayer could you be thanking God for a few months or a year from now? Start with praying for the salvation of the lost, believers to be matured, humble leadership, joyful fellowship, and the glory of God to always be the goal! (good advice to any Christian, not just pastors.)
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