Church leaders are the ones who have been called by God to shepherd His flock and to lead them in the way of truth and love. They have a great responsibility and a great privilege to serve God and His people. But they also face many challenges and temptations in their ministry, such as discouragement, fatigue, criticism, opposition, spiritual warfare, and more. That is why they need our prayers.
Praying for our church leaders is one of the best ways to support them and to show them our appreciation and respect. When we pray for them, we are also praying for ourselves, because their well-being affects the health and growth of the church. We are also praying for God’s kingdom, because their faithfulness and fruitfulness advance His glory and purposes in the world.
Here are 20 powerful prayers that you can pray for your church leaders, whether they are pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, missionaries, or any other servants of God. You can use these prayers as they are or adapt them according to your specific needs and situations.
1. Prayer for Wisdom
Lord, I pray that You would grant wisdom to my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the source of all wisdom and You give it generously to those who ask You (James 1:5).
Help them to seek Your will and Your word in every decision they make. Help them to discern what is good and pleasing and perfect in Your sight (Romans 12:2).
Help them to apply Your wisdom in their relationships, their communication, their administration, their counseling, their preaching, and their teaching. May they be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). Amen.
2. Prayer for Strength
Lord, I pray that You would strengthen my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the God of all power and might, and You give strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29).
Help them to rely on Your grace and not on their own abilities or resources.
Help them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10). Help them to endure hardship as good soldiers of Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 2:3).
Help them to be faithful to the end and to finish the race with joy (Acts 20:24). Amen.
3. Prayer for Protection
Lord, I pray that You would protect my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the Lord of hosts, the God of angel armies, and You are a shield to those who trust in You (Psalm 28:7).
Help them to put on the whole armor of God so that they can stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11). Help them to resist the devil and he will flee from them (James 4:7). Help them to be alert and sober-minded, knowing that their adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Deliver them from evil and from every evil attack (2 Thessalonians 3:3). Amen.
4. Prayer for Humility
Lord, I pray that You would cultivate humility in my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the King of kings and Lord of lords, yet You humbled Yourself and became obedient to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). Help them to follow Your example and to humble themselves under Your mighty hand (1 Peter 5:6).
Help them to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than themselves (Philippians 2:3).
Help them to be gentle and humble in heart, like You (Matthew 11:29). Help them to clothe themselves with humility toward one another, knowing that You oppose the proud but give grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Amen.
5. Prayer for Love
Lord, I pray that You would fill my church leaders with Your love, especially [name]. You are love and You have demonstrated Your love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Help them to abide in Your love and to love You with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength (John 15:9; Mark 12:30).
Help them to love one another as You have loved them (John 13:34). Help them to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44).
Help them to love their neighbors as themselves (Mark 12:31).
Help them to love with deeds and in truth, not just with words or tongue (1 John 3:18). Amen.
6. Prayer for Joy
Lord, I pray that You would fill my church leaders with Your joy, especially [name]. You are the source of all joy and You have given us Your joy so that our joy may be complete (John 15:11).
Help them to rejoice in You always and to be thankful in all circumstances (Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Help them to count it all joy when they face various trials, knowing that the testing of their faith produces perseverance (James 1:2-3).
Help them to fix their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). Amen.
7. Prayer for Peace
Lord, I pray that You would give my church leaders Your peace, especially [name]. You are the Prince of Peace and You have left us Your peace, not as the world gives (Isaiah 9:6; John 14:27).
Help them to trust in You with all their heart and not lean on their own understanding. Help them to acknowledge You in all their ways and You will make their paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Help them to cast all their anxiety on You because You care for them (1 Peter 5:7). Help them to be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let their requests be made known to You.
And Your peace, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard their hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Amen.
8. Prayer for Faith
Lord, I pray that You would increase the faith of my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the object of our faith and the giver of every good gift (Hebrews 12:2; James 1:17).
Help them to believe in You and Your promises, even when they do not see or understand Your ways (Hebrews 11:1).
Help them to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Help them to have faith as small as a mustard seed, so that they can move mountains by Your power (Matthew 17:20).
Help them to fight the good fight of faith and to take hold of the eternal life to which they were called (1 Timothy 6:12). Amen.
9. Prayer for Hope
Lord, I pray that You would fill my church leaders with Your hope, especially [name]. You are the God of hope and You have given us a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (Romans 15:13; 1 Peter 1:3).
Help them to hope in You and Your word, which are faithful and true (Psalm 130:5; Revelation 19:11).
Help them to hope in Your unfailing love, which never ceases and never fails (Psalm 33:18; Lamentations 3:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13:8).
Help them to hope in Your glorious future, which is prepared for those who love You (Romans 8:18; 1 Corinthians 2:9). Amen.
10. Prayer for Holiness
Lord, I pray that You would sanctify my church leaders, especially [name]. You are holy and You have called us to be holy as You are holy (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16). Help them to be set apart for Your purposes and to live according to Your will (2 Timothy 2:21; Hebrews 10:36). Help them to put off the old self with its sinful desires and to put on the new self, created to be like You in true righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:22-24). Help them to pursue holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). Amen.
11. Prayer for Unity
Lord, I pray that You would preserve the unity of my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the God of peace and You have made us one body in Christ (Romans 15:33; 1 Corinthians 12:12). Help them to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3). Help them to agree with one another in what they say and to be perfectly united in mind and thought (1 Corinthians 1:10). Help them to bear with one another in love and to forgive one another as You have forgiven them (Colossians 3:13). Help them to live in harmony with one another and to honor one another above themselves (Romans 12:16; 10). Amen.
12. Prayer for Vision
Lord, I pray that You would give my church leaders a clear vision of Your plan and purpose for Your church, especially [name]. You are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, and You know the end from the beginning (Revelation 22:13; Isaiah 46:10). Help them to seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness first and foremost (Matthew 6:33). Help them to have a passion for Your glory and a burden for the lost (Psalm 115:1; Romans 9:1-3). Help them to catch a glimpse of Your vision for Your church and to communicate it effectively to others (Proverbs 29:18; Habakkuk 2:2-3). Amen.
13. Prayer for Courage
Lord, I pray that You would fill my church leaders with courage, especially [name]. You are the Lord of hosts, the God of angel armies, and You have not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-discipline (Psalm 46:7; 2 Timothy 1:7).
Help them to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid or dismayed, for You are with them wherever they go (Joshua 1:9).
Help them to speak Your word boldly and to testify to the gospel of Your grace (Acts 4:29; 20:24).
Help them to overcome evil with good and to resist the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony (Romans 12:21; Revelation 12:11). Amen.
14. Prayer for Grace
Lord, I pray that You would shower my church leaders with Your grace, especially [name].
You are the God of all grace and You have saved us by Your grace through faith in Christ Jesus (1 Peter 5:10; Ephesians 2:8-9). Help them to grow in Your grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Help them to receive Your grace in time of need and to find mercy and help from You (Hebrews 4:16).
Help them to extend Your grace to others and to be gracious in their speech and conduct (Colossians 4:6; Titus 2:11-12). Amen.
15. Prayer for Anointing
Lord, I pray that You would anoint my church leaders with Your Holy Spirit, especially [name]. You are the God who gives the Spirit without measure and You have poured out Your Spirit on all flesh (John 3:34; Acts 2:17).
Help them to be filled with the Spirit and to walk by the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16). Help them to be led by the Spirit and to bear the fruit of the Spirit (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:22-23).
Help them to exercise the gifts of the Spirit for the common good and to build up the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Ephesians 4:11-16). Amen.
16. Prayer for Healing
Lord, I pray that You would heal my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the Lord who heals and You have borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Exodus 15:26; Isaiah 53:4). Help them to trust in Your healing power and to seek Your face for their physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being (Psalm 103:2-3; Jeremiah 17:14). Help them to confess their sins and to pray for one another, so that they may be healed (James 5:16). Help them to receive Your comfort and peace in the midst of their pain and suffering (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; John 14:27). Amen.
17. Prayer for Provision
Lord, I pray that You would provide for my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the God who supplies all our needs according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Help them to be content with what they have and not to love money or the things of this world (Hebrews 13:5; 1 Timothy 6:10; 1 John 2:15-17). Help them to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness and trust that You will add all these things to them (Matthew 6:33).
Help them to be generous and ready to share with others, knowing that You will reward them for their good deeds (1 Timothy 6:18-19; Hebrews 6:10). Amen.
18. Prayer for Guidance
Lord, I pray that You would guide my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the Good Shepherd and You lead us in paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake (Psalm 23:1-3).
Help them to follow Your voice and not to listen to the voice of strangers (John 10:4-5).
Help them to acknowledge You in all their ways and You will make their paths straight (Proverbs 3:6).
Help them to seek Your counsel and direction in everything they do (Psalm 32:8; James 1:5).
Help them to walk in the light as You are in the light (1 John 1:7). Amen.
19. Prayer for Fruitfulness
Lord, I pray that You would make my church leaders fruitful, especially [name]. You are the True Vine and we are the branches. Apart from You, we can do nothing (John 15:1-5).
Help them to abide in You and to bear much fruit for Your glory (John 15:8). Help them to be faithful in sowing the seed of Your word and to reap a harvest of souls for Your kingdom (Mark 4:14-20; Luke 10:2).
Help them to produce the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:11).
Help them to be fruitful in every good work and to increase in the knowledge of God (Colossians 1:10). Amen.
20. Prayer for Blessing
Lord, I pray that You would bless my church leaders, especially [name]. You are the God of all grace and You have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ (1 Peter 5:10; Ephesians 1:3). Help them to experience Your favor and goodness in their lives (Psalm 90:17; Numbers 6:24-26). Help them to be a blessing to others and to share Your love and grace with them (Genesis 12:2; Matthew 10:8). Help them to inherit the blessing that You have prepared for those who love You (1 Peter 3:9; Matthew 25:34). Amen.
I hope these prayers will inspire you to pray for your church leaders regularly and fervently. They need your prayers more than you know. And God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us (Ephesians 3:20). To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
