Starting a prayer ministry at a church can be a powerful and meaningful way to engage members of the church community in the practice of prayer and to create a space for people to come together and lift one another up in prayer. Here are some steps to consider as you begin to plan and launch a prayer ministry at your church:
Identify the purpose and goals of the prayer ministry. Before you begin, it's important to understand why you want to start a prayer ministry and what you hope to achieve through it. Some possible goals might include providing a space for people to share their prayer requests, encouraging church members to pray for one another, and creating a sense of community through shared prayer.
This article will not focus on the question of “why have a Pastor Appreciation Day.” We believe a special day to honor those who are serving in leadership is a powerful boost to both leaders and laity and offer the following ideas.
The Bible tells us 1 Timothy 5:17 – Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
Just the other day, I read a post from a Pastor in a private group that shared his heartache after a board member approached him following a service. The news out of the deacon's mouth went something like this: “I'm sorry Pastor, we were supposed to recognize you today, but no one remembered to pick up a card or get a check written.”
Most Pastors would say “that's okay” and muster up a faint smile, then move on in silent heartbreak.
I realize the vast amount of people who will read this article are in fact, Pastors and I'm “preaching to the choir” so to speak. Many are not Pastors who can start the process to make sure Pastor's Appreciation Day is observed every year.
Below are a few steps to assist with the process. There are many more, but hopefully, this will speak to someone's heart to step out and be a blessing to your Pastor(s) and family.
I know this sounds like an upside down topic but bear with me as I share with you 5 Reasons Pastors Do Not Lead their Churches. Many senior pastors all over the country have the title of Senior Pastor/Leader but many do not have the authority to truly lead the churches they serve. The consequences of this lack of leadership at the local church level are too devastating to ignore.
Many churches are run by outstanding pastor/leaders. Too many, however, forfeit leadership either because of the pastor’s own propensity to not lead or the church’s propensity to usurp leadership from them. Whichever the case, the church suffers.
Here are the five (5) reasons senior pastors don’t lead their churches.
John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (We can have freedom in Christ!)
While pondering what to write about for today’s blog post, I couldn’t think too well because of what seemed to be a constant chirping from the garage.
Knowing that I had just mowed the lawn and had left the door open for a while, I had little doubt that a bird had flown into the garage and had now become an occupant of a place God never intended for little birdie to occupy.
Getting up quietly, I opened the door to go into the garage while the main door was still closed… quietness. No chirping was to be heard anywhere, so I came back to the desk and within a matter of minutes, you guessed it… chirp, chirp, CHIRP! CHIRP!
I opened the main garage door, and even though it sat there within a foot of freedom, all it could do was continue to chirp! I picked up a piece of cardboard to see if I could “shoosh” it out, but it just flew into the garage more.
Some time ago, we came across a graphic that was so powerful we shared it on our Facebook page and in turn, generated a large number of shares. Evidently there something about Ministering to the Minister that struck a nerve.
Without a doubt, this graphic was one that many leaders as well as laity identified with and wanted to get the message out about the need to “minister to the ministers.”
1 Peter 5:2 (NKJV)2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
While we are not the originators of the graphic, we were able to find the source of the picture as far as we know, and it is here.
The story is presented in a way to reflect well on animals, and while there is nothing wrong with that, those in ministry know it speaks of a far deeper meaning.
While the dog being comforted is not the “shepherd” of the flock, in reality, the dog does represent the shepherd who is working hard to protect and minister to the flock. I've even heard that the dogs watching over a flock could also be representative of deacons or elders who are doing their best in partnership with the shepherd to protect the flock.
As we know, illustrations such as this can only go so far. Within this one picture, far more than a thousand words are spoken to those who are in ministry leadership today.
Also, we realize not ALL of those entrusted with the care of the flock is in it for the right reasons and at times can be out of order themselves. For the most part, though, I have found in my experience in ministry that the vast majority of Pastors and Church Leaders have a great desire to help and protect the flock God has placed in their care.
Here are a few thoughts, and please know that I write as a Pastor with over 40 years of ministry experience, serving as a Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor and for many years now, as a Senior Pastor.
hic was one that many leaders as well as laity identified with and wanted to get the message out about the need to “minister to the ministers.”