It may be something that you don’t think about much. We pray while we are in church, but how often to you pray for your church? I will admit it, I don’t do it nearly as much as I should. I have attended two different churches as an adult, and it has been a great blessing. I didn’t always realize that prayer for our churches was important, but it is such a big part of what we can do to serve as a congregation.
When we started going to church as a family many years ago, I kind of learned as I went. I had attended church growing up, but as I got older, I stopped going with my parents. I had not been to many small group meetings, I had not gone on any missions trips, and I really had never served at any church I ever went to before I got married.
My husband is the kind of person who needs to help. He wants to help set up, tear down, and everything in between. I did a lot of things with him, and it was so nice to be helpful.
I remember when we first started going to the first church, I wished I could sing with the ladies on the worship team.
I had not ever done any formal singing of any kind. And I do mean none. I did not sing in choir at school, and I never sang for anyone. I was pretty much just singing alone in my car. But, I had this inner desire to sing with the team, among the musicians, up where it was loud, and where you knew your part before you needed to sing for real so when the time came, you could just let go and sing.
I had mentioned it to my husband, but I had never really thought about doing anything about it.
I don’t recall if I had any warning or not, but I do remember the day that the worship leader called me on the phone and asked me to come in and talk with him. My husband had apparently approached him and told him I wanted to be on the team. I was shocked! But, I was also very excited. Honestly, I thought it sounded wonderful. Excited, I met with him, but my enthusiasm suddenly took a backseat when, during the meeting, he asked me, “Can you sing a little bit for me?”
You see, I had not considered the fact that he would want to hear me out loud before he had me join with the rest of the team. It may sound ridiculous, but I really did not expect to have to sing on my own….for anyone! I was really much more comfortable singing backup! Silly, I know.
Well, I did sing for him that day, and long story short, I joined the team. I ended up finding a joy in music ministry I never could have imagined, and it is something I still do today, 15 years later. I have my husband to thank for getting me involved.
I want to encourage anyone who is new to their faith community. Sometimes, when you step in and get involved, you find out that it is part of your calling.
Part of being on that team was praying together.
In many churches, it is a common practice to pray for the people who are part of the service. It makes sense, when you think about it. What a great opportunity to ask God to be with the group of people who are coming together to present the message.
We can pray for everyone serving, the congregation and the new attendees.
Day 23- Praying for your faith community/ your church
The music ministry team certainly appreciates your prayers. Sometimes, it is hard to get everyone together often enough, and they can always use a few heads bowed to support them in their Sunday worship.
There are many other people keeping things going on Sundays and all through the week.
The administrative team could use your prayers too. There are many people involved in the bookkeeping, the preparations, the food service (even the one making the coffee), the sound, and the media. Then there are the ones cleaning and doing building maintenance, refilling the soap dispensers, shoveling the sidewalks, handing out the bulletins, caring for the kids in the nursery, the youth ministry team, etc.
There is also a pastoral staff, who spends time all week serving the people in the congregation, putting together the message, doing marriage and wedding preparations, performing various other services, and so much more.
The pastoral team needs our prayers.
As a congregation, we are blessed to have pastors who are available all day and night, for family emergencies, phone calls, and visits. Remembering your pastor when you pray is so important. They are under attack regularly. You may not even know when your pastor is working through a difficult time. They know that their ministry to their congregation is so important. Most pastors have people to turn to when they are feeling stressed, worn out, or are having a hard time, but we need to remember to pray for them.
Pray for your pastor’s heart. They are handling quite a large load. The message they give each Sunday is likely something they spent a lot of time praying over. It is very draining to serve. Ask God to protect them from times of great distress, and ask God to continue to fill them with a fresh word from week to week.
The people in your church need your prayers too.
Your congregation, large or small, is filled with a variety of people. The church we go to right now is small, and we know most of the people there pretty well. With a little effort, it would be easy to come up with special prayers for each family.
If you are part of a larger community, maybe you only know a few of the members. You can pray for them as you feel the Lord leading. I spent time at a large church too. It is a little harder to get to know people, especially if you are more introverted. I’m so thankful my husband is so outgoing. I am not sure who I would be today if I didn’t meet all the people I met because of his need to get involved. If you aren’t one to do that, I understand. I understand, because that’s who I was too.
Perhaps, you have noticed someone new in the back the last few Sundays. Pray that he/she feels safe to get to know some of the members in your community, and that he/she finds somewhere to call home.
Prayer is important.
You don’t have to clean up paper plates and put out hot dog buns to serve your church or community of faith. Praying is really important too. Your church can always use another prayer warrior. Pray for the church goers, the workers, and even the people who are still thinking about coming inside. Serving on your knees is just as important, and always helpful.
If you are part of a smaller group that meets outside of the congregational meeting, you can pray for those people today too.
If you meet consistently, you know the prayer needs of that group. Maybe you can send a message to the people you meet with and ask if they have any special requests today. Sometimes it helps to get a prayer journal started when the group is larger, to keep those requests handy. If you are not sure of any specific needs right now, you can lift that group of people up to God. He knows their names. He knows what they need prayer for today. Just ask Him to bless those people and cover them in His enduring love until you gather together again.
Maybe you aren’t part of a faith community right now.
Maybe you are looking for a new church. You might have just moved into the area and you’re still looking for something. Or are you just ready for a change? Have you been away from church a long time? Whatever your situation, take today to pray that God leads you on.
Sometimes, we feel ready to move on to a new church.
Can I be honest with you for a moment? If you are considering moving to a new church, you are not alone. I have heard people tell me things like that before. And I’ve been there too.
It is not uncommon to feel like going somewhere new.
It does sometimes happen, for a variety of reasons. But it’s never a good idea to go it alone.
It’s a hard decision to make, and it should not be made lightly.
Leaving a faith community is best done when you feel God calling you to move on. If you walk away from your support group in the church you currently attend, you sometimes find yourself struggling because you don’t have that support when you need it. No church is going to be exactly the way you want it all the time. Remember all the positive aspects about where you are going now. Remember the things you really appreciate about that community and what you like about the church you go to.
Take the time to pray about it today
Prayerfully consider any changes. The best decisions are made when we know God is leading us.
If you do have a church you attend, or a faith community that you are part of, such as a small group or prayer group, let’s take the time to pray for them today together.
My prayer for today:
Dear God,
I ask you to be with the men and women who support my church. Protect them from harm, help them to stay emotionally and physically healthy. Please be with everyone who is preparing for Sunday service. Please put angels around them and help them to know what they need to do this week.If anyone in my church needs special prayers, I ask you to put them on my heart this week, and I pray that you would lead them to find someone to talk to, or lead them to share their needs with me if I am the one you are calling to minister to them. God, help me to be patient, and give me the words to say if you want me to help them.
Amen 
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