How to Pray for the Pastoral Search Process
When Christ was ministering to the crowds, his response was compassion and teaching. He did not tell the disciples to pray for those people. Instead, he said to pray for laborers (Matthew 9:34).
We should never forget that looking for a pastor is, first of all, a spiritual exercise. Everyone in our congregation has a part in this process. The most significant way for our church family to participate is to commit to prayer. I would like to suggest three areas that you might put at the top of your prayer list regarding our pastoral search.
Pray for our church.
It is one thing to seek a man who will be the pastor; it is another thing to be the right church.
- Pray that Grace Baptist Church (GBC) will continue to seek the Lord in every aspect of its ministry. Pray that we will give attention to the most important responsibilities of the ministry. That worship will be vibrant, our witness will be visible, and our fellowship will be genuine.
- Pray for perseverance. The search process can take time, but patience is a great teacher because it can produce growth and maturity (James 1:4).
- Pray for unity. As we seek to find our next pastor pray that we, as a congregation, would put the most important things first.
Pray for the man of God’s choosing.
The Lord already knows who that person is, and we need to pray for him as we go through this process.
- Pray that he will be open to the work the Lord is doing at GBC and that he will be excited about the opportunities here.
- Pray that this opportunity would be a spiritual journey that will mark him in his trust in the Lord and provide an example to those at GBC of the importance of following the Lord.
- Pray that the Lord will continue to use him where he is, as he honors the Lord by proclaiming His Word and faithfully serving in his present ministry.
- Pray that this would be an adventure of faith for his whole family, as they seek together to serve the Lord in another place.
- Pray that the Lord will prepare his heart for what is a mystery to him but not to his Lord.
Pray for the Elders and the Pastoral Search Committee.
Those serving in the search for our Senior Pastor need God’s guidance.
- There are so many aspects involved in the search committee’s work in just preparing for the search. Pray that our commitment to the task will stay strong and that we will be timely in the way that we accomplish each of our responsibilities.
- Pray that we will put first things first. Finding our Senior Pastor is not just an organizational responsibility; it is a spiritual duty. Pray that we would continue to seek God in every aspect and that each of the elders and each member of the search committee will seek the Lord’s help.
- Pray for strong unity in the process. Pray we will work together in a way that demonstrates love and honors all the members’ input.
- Pray that our choices will reflect Godly wisdom. That we will be sensitive to the direction of the Lord as we look at potential candidates and make final recommendations to the elders and then to the congregation.
*This article is an adaptation of an article by Chris Brauns