1. Focus your prayers on the daily topic listed in this guide. Meditate on the day’s biblical passages and let the Holy Spirit speak to you through them.
2. Pray through this guide until God unmistakably provides our church with the pastor He has chosen to lead His people.
3. Continue to pray for the members of our pastor search committee (listed below).
Ray Coffman, Cheryl Lumbert, Cleve Grissom, Sharon Ferrell, Mindy Brooks, Webb Wright, and Dominick Orlando III
40 DAYS OF PRAYER:
Day 1
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to wholeheartedly trust the Lord while searching for a pastor.
Pray for the search committee to trust the Holy Spirit’s leadership.
Day 2
Scripture Reading: Revelation 2:1-7
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to return to her first love, Jesus Christ.
Pray for the church and search committee to hear the Spirit clearly throughout the pastor search process.
Day 3
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Prayer Prompts: Pray for unity and peace in the church while searching for a pastor.
Pray for a strong sense of unity among the search committee as they review and discuss potential pastoral candidates.
Day 4
Scripture Reading: John 15:1-8
Prayer Prompts: Pray for church members to continually abide in Christ and produce much fruit that glorifies the Father during the interim period.
Pray for members of the search committee to remain close to Christ.
Day 5
Scripture Reading: John 15:9-15
Prayer Prompts: Pray for church members to abide in the love of Christ and love one another with the love of Christ.
Pray for God to bond the church and future pastor together in love.
Day 6
Scripture Reading: John 15:16-17
Prayer Prompts: Pray for a season of fruitful ministry as the church prepares for her next pastor.
Pray for the search committee to be blessed with answered prayers.
Day 7
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:11-13
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee and the church to hope in God and seek Him wholeheartedly with the realization that He is in control of the church’s future.
Day 8
Scripture Reading: Psalm 139:23-24
Prayer Prompts: Pray for members of the search committee to have hearts that are pure as they work through the pastor search process.
Pray for our future pastor to maintain a pure life before God.
Day 9
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 6:10-11
Prayer Prompts: Pray with the understanding that searching for a pastor is primarily a spiritual process, so spiritual warfare will be present.
Pray for God’s protection on the search committee and the church.
Day 10
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:1-2
Prayer Prompts: Pray for your future pastor and his family to be strengthened by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Pray that our future pastor will be a faithful disciple-maker.
Day 11
Scripture Reading: James 1:5-8
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee to seek God’s wisdom as they review resumes and prepare to contact potential pastoral candidates.
Pray for church leaders to seek God’s wisdom in the interim period.
Day 12
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:9-12
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our future pastor and his family to be certain that it is God’s will to transition to a new field of ministry.
Pray the Father will be glorified in the pastor search process.
Day 13
Scripture Reading: Acts 2:41-42
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to reflect the six elements of a healthy church both in the interim period and when the new pastor is called serve (worship, discipleship, ministry, fellowship, evangelism, and prayer.)
Day 14
Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:1-6
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to be filled with life through the Holy Spirit.
Pray for the church to be strengthened to carry out the vision God has for her.
Day 15
Scripture Reading: John 13:34-35
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee and the church to be obedient to Christ’s command to love one another.
Pray the church’s Christ-like love will be seen by the world.
Day 16
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 3:20-21
Prayer Prompts: Pray the power of Christ would be known in and through the church and that all glory would be given to Him throughout the pastor search process.
Day 17
Scripture Reading: Psalm 51:10-12
Prayer Prompts: Pray for each member of the search committee to stay close to the Lord through hearts that are continually cleansed by Him.
Pray for our next pastor to keep a cleansed heart before the Lord.
Day 18
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4:1-5
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our future pastor to faithfully preach the Word of God.
Pray the Lord gives the church a hunger of the Word of God and receptivity to the sermons that are preached by the new pastor.
Day 19
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 13:17
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our future pastor to faithfully shepherd the church and for members of the church to willingly and joyfully place themselves under his servant leadership.
Day 20
Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:9
Prayer Prompts: Pray for each member of the search committee to have an overwhelming sense of God’s presence and guidance as they work through the steps of the pastor search process.
Day 21
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 2:2-6
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our future pastor to seek God’s wisdom in every area of life and decision making.
Pray for the search committee to be attentive to the Lord’s wisdom.
Day 22
Scripture Reading: James 4:1-12
Prayer Prompts: Pray for church members to humble themselves before the Lord and seek His cleansing power in order for revival to come.
Pray for the search committee to continually submit to God’s will.
Day 23
Scripture Reading: John 17:20-23
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to be unified so that the world will be impacted with the gospel and the Father will be glorified.
Pray for the search committee to be unified in their decision making.
Day 24
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:15
Prayer Prompts: Pray for a pastor who is able to rightly divide the Word of God.
Pray for the search committee as they listen to sermons of potential pastoral candidates.
Day 25
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 33:3
Prayer Prompts: Pray that a burden for deep and urgent prayer permeates the church not only as we seek God’s will for a pastor, but also as we seek God’s vision for the church.
Day 26
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 3:1-7
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our next pastor to be a man who exhibits Christ-like character both publicly and privately.
Pray for our future pastor’s family as they transition to a new work.
Day 27
Scripture Reading: Colossians 3:12-17
Prayer Prompts: Pray or our church to grow in love toward one another.
Pray for unresolved conflict to be worked out and for reconciliation among any broken relationships in the church.
Day 28
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15-23
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our future pastor to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of Christ.
Pray for the church to look to Christ as the Head of the body.
Day 29
Scripture Reading: Revelation 3:14-22
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to fight against lukewarm spirituality.
Pray church members repent of a lukewarm spirituality and become filled with a zeal for Jesus and His Kingdom work.
Day 30
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the church to be committed to biblical worship.
Pray for the search committee to be confident that they are following God’s will as they make decisions regarding our future pastor.
Day 31
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:1-4
Prayer Prompts: Pray that our future pastor shepherds the church in a biblical and Christ-exalting manner.
Pray for our future pastor’s walk with Christ.
Day 32
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:5-7
Prayer Prompts: Pray for mutual respect and humility between the church and our future pastor.
Pray for the church to follow the leadership of our future pastor.
Day 33
Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 5:8-9
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee to remain humble before God and that they will not be anxious, but trust God’s leadership.
Pray that the church will stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Day 34
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 5:15-16
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee to make wise use of their time during their meetings.
Pray for the Lord to reveal His will to our future pastor.
Day 35
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:6-9
Prayer Prompts: Pray that in times of discouragement, the search committee and the church will seek the Lord diligently and have confidence that He is at work bringing the church and future pastor together.
Day 36
Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:24-29
Prayer Prompts: Pray that when the time comes to extend a call to our next pastor, God will make it unmistakably clear to the future pastor and church.
Pray for the Lord to work powerfully in the church to make disciples.
Day 37
Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 2:24-26
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee to discern if potential pastoral candidates possess the biblical qualities of a servant of the Lord.
Pray for the church to affirm these qualities in our future pastor.
Day 38
Scripture Reading: Galatians 6:9
Prayer Prompts: Pray for the search committee to not grow weary in their work.
Pray that the search committee and the church will be able to see God’s hand at work bringing us and our future pastor together.
Day 39
Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-11
Prayer Prompts: Pray that Christ’s attitude of humility and servanthood permeates both the search committee and the church during the pastor search process.
Day 40
Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:18-20
Prayer Prompts: Pray for our church to be a Great Commission church that makes disciples.
Pray that our future pastor will be a Great Commission leader.