Prayers for church family

One thing I am learning as I get older is just how much I care about and appreciate my church family.  My church is very active in helping those in it wherever it can.  If you are part of a church then I think you will agree that it is so important to pray for those in your church family.  There are many different areas of life that we all go through, some good and some bad, but prayer is always a great thing!  Here are 6 prayers you can pray for your church family!

For Our Pastors

Dear Father In Heaven,

I can’t say enough words to thank You for the men you’ve placed in pastoral roles in my church.  I pray that You would continue to mold them into the children You have called them to be.  Grow their intellect.  Empower them to be bold.  Give them peace in the midst of difficult sermons to preach.  Lead them Father, as they continue to lead the congregation for You!  Lord, You are sovereign over all things and I pray that You will open the hearts of this congregation as our leaders lead us in song and sermon.  Thank You for them, Father!  Amen

Your Close Brothers/Sisters

Dear Lord,

Thank You for leading me to my church family!  I am surrounded by a few extremely close brothers and sisters that I love with my whole heart.  I pray that as we get older and closer that we will never lose sight of what brought us together and that was You, Father.  I pray that You watch over them and keep them safe, Lord.  May we always be accountable to one another and never demean one another but always encourage each other in the times of blessing and of trials.  I thank You for my brothers and sisters, Lord!  I love You!  Amen

Those In Conflict

Oh Lord,

The church has been the same since its beginning.  There have been disputes among believers since the beginning.  Paul opposed Peter in Galatia. (Galatians 2:11-14) Paul reminded the church of Philippi to do nothing out of rivalry (Philippians 2:3).  There is a reason why You are in charge, Father.  We could never keep order in the church without Your presence there.  Father, I pray for those in conflict right now that they would not give the devil a foothold in their lives, but that they would come together in Your Name to resolve any conflicts between them.  I pray that You will be glorified in everything they do.  I pray this in Your Son’s precious Name!  Amen

Those Whom Are Ill

Father In Heaven,

I pray for those who are hurting in my church family today.  Lord, some have minor health problems while others have some very serious ones.  I pray that You will be with them and heal them, Father.  You are the Great Physician and I believe in Your power to heal!  Lord, please give peace to those who are in the midst of serious health issues.  Father, I pray that they turn to You and know that You are right there beside them in their time of crisis.  May Your will be done in their lives this day.  Amen

The Workers Are Few

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. (Luke 10:2)

Dear Lord,

Our congregation is struggling so much.  The ones who are leading are exhausted because they are being stretched so far.  I pray that You will convict others to rise up and help lead.  We need more worship leaders, teachers, greeters and other positions to be filled.  Lord, so many want to be fed the Word of God but they won’t raise a hand to help carry the flock.  I pray that You will bring about a passion in the hearts of those who are sitting by idly knowing that they could be doing something to grow and nurture the church.  I pray for strength for the ones that are giving so much to keep the church running.  Be with them, Father.  Amen

Expanding And Growing

Father,

We are in an exciting time in our church!  Our family is growing so much and I have seen personally so many things happen for Your glory here!  We are at a crossroad and it looks like an expansion is necessary.  Father, I pray for Your wisdom to overflow into the congregation as we hold our congregational monthly meeting to talk about this.  May we not expand the church for our own pride or accomplishments.  You are the One who has accomplished the growth of this church.  You are moving big time right now and we all need to focus on You and not ourselves.  Give us wisdom as to what to do in this expansion.  May we build exactly what You are leading us to build.  I give You all the praise in this, Lord!  Amen

Conclusion

The church has many functions and it is a job for us all to be in prayer.  Whatever issues your congregation is facing, pray about them.  Pray for your close brothers and sisters.  Pray for those you don’t know well.  Just as we are washed by the Word, we can cover the church congregation with prayers and petitions before God.   May God bless you as you continue to live a life worthy of the calling!

Read Derek Hill’s personal testimony here: From the Muck and Mire to a Higher Calling

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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“Prayer meetings were the arteries of the early church. Through them, life-sustaining power was derived. The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-o-meter, and from it, we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God is near a church, it must pray. And if He is not there, one of dying first tokens of His absence will be a slothfulness in prayer!” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

When is the last time you prayed for your church body? What about your pastor? Staff? Leadership? Have you prayed for your Sunday School teacher? Have you interceded on behalf of issues taking place in your church or decisions that need to be made?

Our churches are under the attack of the enemy like never before. Our leaders and each of our brothers and sisters in Christ need our prayers. We are the Body of Christ and we must lift one another up! Let’s use these prayers for the church – both your local church and those around the world. 

A Prayer for Good to Prevail over Evil

“‘As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.’ Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Genesis 50:20

Lord, what the enemy means for evil against our church body, we believe You can use for good. Remind our hearts of this. When we are being attacked and crushed from all sides, remind us of Your faithfulness to use everything for Your good and Your glory. May we not fear but trust in Your provision for our church family. May we not only be readers of Your Word but believers and doers. Increase our faith, Lord.

A Prayer for Unity as a Church Body

“I, therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:1-3

God, help our church body to walk in a manner worthy of the calling You have given us. Help us in all our interactions with one another to have humble and gentle hearts. Grant us patience for one another, bearing with one another in love. Grant the Body of Christ unity. May we walk humbly with You, God, allowing You to show us our wrongs.

A Prayer to Seek the Lord

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place.” 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

Lord, You have told us in Your Word that You hear our prayers. We are crying out to You, we are humbling ourselves before You and seeking Your face. We come together as a church body to seek You. We repent and turn from our wicked ways, thank You for hearing us. Thank you for Your forgiveness and healing.

A Prayer to Pursue Peace

“So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.” Romans 14:19

Father God, You desire peace and unity and encouragement for our body of believers. Help us, Lord, to pursue what makes for peace and for building one another up. To pursue the things You will lead to peace and unity. Give us discerning hearts to know Your will and give us the courage to be obedient. Lord, we know that without You and Your Holy Spirit indwelling each of us, we cannot do any of these things. But, with You and for Your glory, grant our body peace and unity.

A Prayer to Follow Jesus

“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” Luke 9:23-24

Lord, You have given us what seems like an impossible task with this passage. You have asked us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow You. Even when our spirits are willing, the flesh is weak. You know our hearts, Father. Help us, with Your Holy Spirit, to examine our hearts and hear from You. The longer we walk with You, the more we look like You. We desire to become more and more like You, less selfish and more selfless, willing to deny ourselves in any and all situations. You have told us that when we lose our life for Your sake, we will save it. Save us from ourselves, God.

As we lift up these words for our churches, let us come before God with humility and a willingness to obey. Let us put others first and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we seek God first, putting aside our own desires. May we become intercessors for our brothers and sisters in Christ. May we pray more and criticize less. May we be encouragers and uplifters.

Candace Crabtree is just a broken mama thankful for grace and new mercies every morning. She and her husband live in East Tennessee where they homeschool their 3 kids. Candace also enjoys teaching piano, coffee, good books and blogging at His Mercy Is New. On her blog, she shares encouragement for weary women from God’s Word along with resources for learning to pray the Scriptures. 

Publication date: July 7, 2016

This article is part of our larger Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the words to pray.

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A Prayer for Unity in Our Church Family

Scripture Reading:

Psalm 133, I Corinthians 13

Reflections of the Heart:

“I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”

I Corinthians 1:10

Scriptural Prayer:

Our Father, we thank You for our Church Family.  Thank You for calling each of us to serve Your Kingdom through this wonderful church. Thank You for using our individual gifts and talents to manifest Your Kingdom here on earth as it already is in heaven.  Lord, we are thankful for the freedom to worship You, our God.  Thank You for Your bountiful blessings.  Thank You for increasing Your presence, power, anointing, and abundance in our Church Family. You are great and greatly to be praised. You are to be feared above all gods. The earth is Yours and everything in it; the world and all its people belong to You. You laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.  Lord, no pagan god is like You!  None can do what You do.

Loving Father, we declare that we will love You with all our hearts, souls, minds and strength.  As a Church Family, we confess that we will love one another, as ourselves.  As Your children, we proclaim that we have all put on Christ, like putting on new clothes and we will walk in unity and love with one another. It is because of this love that we exhibit for each other that people will know that we are Your disciples.  Your Word tells us that if we love You, we must also love our Christian brothers and sisters, too.  Therefore, we declare that we will not look out only for our own interests, but we take an interest in each other’s needs.  We declare that we will live in harmony with each other and resist division.  We will be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. We declare that as a Church Family we will turn away from evil, and do good; we will search for peace and work to maintain it.  We confess that we will encourage and build each other up.  Above all things, we decree that we will put on love which is the bond of perfection.

Holy Spirit, show me how I can promote unity within our Church Family today by:

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Holy Spirit, we ask You to fill us with the knowledge of Your will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Help us to walk worthy and fully pleasing before You.  As a Church Family, help us to be fruitful in every good work and to increase in Your knowledge. Teach us how to live together in unity. Walk us through the steps of rebuilding loving fellowship between us. Help us to continue to obey Your command to “love our neighbor as ourselves” so that we will not self-destruct by backbiting and devouring one another. Give us a willing heart to allow You to guide our lives so that not do what our sinful nature craves. Show our leaders how to mend the broken relationships and restore balance to our Church Family. Please strengthen us and help us to represent Your Kingdom in the earth. Holy Spirit, synchronize the heart of every church member and unify our spirits to receive and submit to the vision for our church. Please empower us to give of our talents, gifts and resources to manifest Kingdom change in our city.

Merciful Father, forgive our many sins. We admit that at times we have sinned against you and against one another.  Forgive us for holding onto grudges and for seeking vengeance upon our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Forgive us for leaning toward our own understanding and failing to acknowledge You in all our ways. Forgive those amongst us who are being false witnesses, pouring out lies and sowing discord in our Church family. Forgive those of us who have stood by passively allowing sin and deception to go unaddressed. Forgive us for not heeding the warnings of the Holy Spirit and being hesitant to obey Your commands. Lord, forgive me for (list any sins that You have committed). Holy Spirit, remind our Church Family of those they need to forgive and help them to be quick to forgive. Help us to release past and present offenses and to be willing to forgive one another just as God has forgiven us.  As for me, Holy Spirit, bring to my remembrance those I need to forgive. (Take a moment and ask the Holy Spirit to show You names or faces of people that You may need to forgive. As He shows You, say aloud, “I forgive name of person(s).” Now, trust the Lord to heal any wounds in Your soul caused by unforgiveness.)

Noble Father, as a Church Family, help us not to yield to temptation; but deliver us from the evil one.

Sovereign King, You are the visible image of the invisible God.  You existed before anything was created and You are supreme over all creation.  Through You, everything was created in the heavenly realms and on earth.  You made the visible as well as invisible things.  Thrones, kingdoms, rulers and authorities in the unseen world were all created through You and for You.  You existed before anything else and You hold all creation together! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture References for the Written Text:  Matthew 6:10, Psalm 96:4, Psalm 24:1-2, Psalm 86:8, Mark 12:30-31, Galatians 3:27, John 13:35, I John 4:21, Philippians 2:4, I Corinthians 1:10, Psalm 34:14, I Thessalonians 5:11, Colossians 3:14, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 6:19, Matthew 6:13, I Timothy 6:15-16

Today I will trust God to:

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