The pastor rose that morning in significant need. He was sick—had been for days. His wife was away working. The sky was overcast and featureless. The pastor felt disheartened, lonely. “Lord,” he prayed, “send someone to pray for me today—in person!”

It was a long shot. He lived in an isolated location. He expected no visitor. But at mid-morning a neighbour he hadn’t seen for months came by. This was a Christian man, and he sensed something about the pastor’s spirit. Suddenly his arm was around the pastor’s shoulders, and he asked the perfect question: “Could I pray for you?”

“Could I pray for you?” Sweet words for any of us—including your pastor. It’s certain your pastor could use at least the normal dose of prayer and encouragement that all of us crave, yet some pastors go week after week with little visible sign of this benefit.

Pastors are spiritual caregivers. They spend themselves for people around them. It’s a work that is both rewarding and taxing. There are times when ministry is upbeat, but there are also times when disappointment is daily fare. Pastors in the spotlight sometimes fail greatly; pastors in the background sometimes exhaust themselves and quietly fade away.

Between the ideal of successful ministry and the reality of daily experience falls a shadow. It is the shadow of Satan’s battlefield—a battle in the heart and a battle in the world. Research on pastors and their spouses shows that frustration and discouragement are common, yet pastors generally believe they must present an image of strength no matter how they feel.

This is where you come in! “Pray for us,” wrote Paul to the believers. 1 Thessalonians 5:25. The same Paul who testified “I know whom I have believed” also wrote about times when he felt downcast. We can sense the struggle of his spirit. “We are hard pressed and perplexed. . . . No-one came to my support. . . . I had no peace of mind. . . . Come before winter, bring my cloak.” As Paul asked the believers to pray for him, so God asks us to pray for our pastors.

How can members pray for their pastor? First, pray for your pastor in private every day—and from time to time remind your pastor that you are doing this. Second, gather at appointed times with other people of prayer and pray together for your pastor and—when possible—with your pastor. Third, arrange for a prayer team member to pray on the phone or in person with your pastor at least once a week. For effectiveness and to safeguard, this prayer team member should be the same gender as the pastor, or perhaps a senior church member.

Fourth, strongly consider replacing the usual 15-second prayer prior to the worship hour with a genuine time of prayer—at least five minutes and preferably more. If the elders are not keen on this, let prayer team members lead it. In any case, involve prayer team members. Pray for the anointing Spirit, pray that Jesus will be lifted up, pray that people will be saved. This time of prayer is more important than the organisation, the music and everything else, unless we’re willing to take issue with Jesus—“My house shall be called a house of prayer.”

There’s an extra benefit in this time of spiritual anointing—and that is the difference it will make in your pastor’s preaching!

Finally, be alert to opportunities for concerted prayer for your pastor—family crisis, loss, change, illness, discouragement, decision-making. Develop an environment in your church in which it is safe for your pastor to share personal needs and challenges with at least a few selected people.

Our Lord earnestly asked his disciples, “Stay here and watch and pray with me.” Prayer for our spiritual leaders is not an option. It is a calling, and it is a privilege that reaps enormous blessing for ourselves and our congregation.

Recommended reading: E. M. Bounds, Complete Works (also Classic Collection)—chapters entitled “Prayer and the House of God”, “The Preacher’s Cry: ‘Pray for Us!’” and “Preachers Need the Prayers of the People.”

This article first appeared in modified form in Mid-America Outlook, December 2003. Copyright © 2009 by Ed Gallagher (South Pacific edition). / Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.