Praying for leaders

In almost every letter that he wrote, Paul asked his friends in the churches to pray for him. Today we had the opportunity at our Team Leader's meeting to spend time praying for each other.

It is important to pray for people in church leadership. There are a whole range of reasons:

• They need health and energy to lead
• They need God's guidance for their work
• They are the most susceptible to temptation because of proximity to people and finances
• There are pagan and satanic influences that wage spiritual warfare directly against Christian leaders
• If a leader falls it has the most impact
• They have the most influence, and this must be godly
• They are the most susceptible to be the targets of criticism and gossip
• In Australia we culturally and habitually cut down leaders (the 'tall poppy' syndrome)
• Leaders carry greater responsibilities, and
• Leaders will be held more accountable (James 3:1)

Please pray for the leaders in our church. Pray for each of the teams of volunteers that they lead. Pray for sound succession planning and for sound leader recruitment. Pray for God's leading and protection. Even next time you feel like criticising a leader in our church - pray for them.