In honor of Pastor Appreciation Day on October 11, we hope this article by Amy Barham will encourage you to commit to pray for your pastor shepherding your church.
“Promoting pastor well-being” was listed among the top five priorities of the church in Lifeway Research’s 2025 “The Way Forward Insight Report.” As church members, praying for the men who have answered the call to shepherd God’s flock presents a special privilege with biblical precedent. The apostle Paul asked for and received believers’ prayers (Eph. 6:19; Phil 1:19). Both he and James instructed believers to pray in every situation (Phil. 4:6-7; Jas. 5:13–18). Who better to pray for than our spiritual leaders? As we present their needs to God, let’s consider the areas of a pastor’s life that need our attention in our prayers.
Ways to Pray for Your Pastor
Pray for his prayer life.
Yes, pray for your pastor’s prayers. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, prayed tirelessly throughout His ministry, from calling His first disciples (Luke 6:12-13) to commissioning them before His return to heaven (24:50-51). He woke early to pray (Mark 1:35), stayed up late to pray (Luke 6:12), prayed for Himself (John 17:1-5), prayed for His disciples (vv. 6-19), and prayed for His future disciples (vv. 20-26). And He prays for us now (Rom. 8:34). God has given our pastors spiritual authority (Heb. 13:17), and they need to pray just as Jesus did so that they may shepherd just as He did. So, pray for your pastor, that he may have the faith that Jesus instructed His disciples to pray with, and that whatever they ask for in prayer they will receive (Mark 11:24).
Scripture to pray for your pastor: 1 John 5:14.
This is the confidence we have before him: If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Pray for his health.
Your pastor’s health includes, of course, his physical health—after all, he likely visits hospitals and ailing church members. And between caring for congregants, writing sermons, and overseeing staff, he probably gets little rest. So, pray that God provides abundantly for his physical needs, and that He supplies opportunities and motivation to take care of himself with exercise and proper nutrition. But also pray for your pastor’s mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Pray that he renews his mind instead of conforming to the patterns of this world (Rom. 12:2), that he surrenders his anxieties and concerns to “the mighty hand of God” (1 Pet. 5:6-7), and that he trusts Christ’s sufficiency in all his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9–10).
Scripture to pray for your pastor: 1 Peter 5:10.
The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little while.
Pray for his hobbies.
Your pastor exists for more than just serving his congregation. He may have too full of a schedule right now to do anything else, but as God’s image-bearer, he must also enjoy the talents, skills, and creativity God has given him that fall outside his duties as pastor. If you don’t know whether he plays pickleball, collects stamps, or bakes sourdough, ask him! He may delight at your curiosity, and you might find a new way to connect with him as a person. Pray that God provides him time and means to enjoy a hobby, whether with others or in solitude.
Scripture to pray for your pastor: Ecclesiastes 2:24–25.
There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?
Pray for his family.
Too many pastors’ families get the leftovers of their husband or dad’s time after he has run himself ragged attending to all the church’s needs. But Paul pointed out that if a pastor falls short of managing his own family, what business does he have taking care of God’s people (1 Tim. 3:5)? So, as church members, we must desire our pastor’s family to take higher priority than us on his list of responsibilities. Therefore, pray for your pastor’s unity with his wife—that he loves her as Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25-33). Pray also for your pastor’s effective demonstration of the Father’s love for his children (6:4).
Scripture to pray for your pastor: 1 Timothy 3:4.
He must manage his own household competently and have his children under control with all dignity.
As you pray for your pastor, also consider ways to pray for your pastor’s wife.
Pray for his friendships.
Having godly men who know your pastor outside of his ministry, who will lift him up (Eccl. 4:10), encourage him in the areas listed above (Heb. 10:24), and support him in his need (Prov. 17:17)—without any work agendas—will feed his soul. Pray that God provides such men in his life, and that they will initiate with him so he knows they care.
Scripture to pray for your pastor: Proverbs 18:24.
One with many friends may be harmed,
but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.
Pray for his work.
Almost half of the pastors who participated in a Lifeway Research Study reported that the demands of their jobs exceeded their ability to handle them. In other words, your pastor may feel out of his depth. But we know that God equips those He calls (Heb. 13:21). Pray that your pastor depends completely on the Holy Spirit to complete the work God has called him to (Phil. 2:13). Pray also that the Spirit will renew his strength, and he will avoid burnout (Isa. 40:31; Gal. 6:9-10).
Scripture to pray for your pastor: Ephesians 3:16
I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit.
Recruit fellow church members to pray for your pastor with you regularly, whether together or separately, and watch expectantly for God’s faithful response, for “the prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect” (Jas. 5:16).
