1) Pray for your pastor.
He may not ask you for it. He may seem strong and courageous and “with it” all the time. But underneath that is a fragile, desperate soul often squeezed by the pressures of serving God’s people. So pray for faithfulness, refreshment, wisdom, creativity, and humility.
2) Pray for God’s spirit to move in the hearts of people in Hicksville.
In our community, something like 85% of people are unchurched, likely unconverted. That’s a huge mission field. And it seems that with every passing day the church is becoming less of a factor in people’s lives. Pray that your church would be a lighthouse, a place where people discover the eternal truths of the gospel, where the Word would shine and the Spirit would convict hearts to repentance. Sometimes we get so program-oriented that we forget to pray for a mighty moving of the Spirit.
3) Pray for unity among God’s people- among the churches.
The devil loves to divide and conquer. He loves to sow seeds of strife in a church. He loves to prey on the natural, human, sinful tendencies of God’s good people. Unity has to be intentional. It’s not natural. It must be a spirit-connected thing. It’s fragile. And here’s a secret. If you are praying for church unity, you will be spending less time focusing on the hurts and faults of others that moves to destroy that unity.
4) Pray for the church members.
Don’t just pray for the pastor; as if he’s the only one who is on the front lines, as if he’s the only important member serving your local body. He isn’t. Pray also and
earnestly for the volunteer staff, for the leadership team — elders, deacons,
team leaders, members. Pray for their families, their spirituality, and their
faithfulness. Pray for God to enrich and refresh them and give them strength
for His work.
