The Voice of the Church

by Preston Buchanan

In a congregation, ministers provide obvious and unique examples of servant leadership. They guide us in our Christian development. As members scattered in various congregations today, we can reflect on the role that our ministers play in our lives and in shepherding the flock. And we can also call on God to help the ministry be more effective in their efforts of preparing a people.

When God blesses the ministry, they become more effective in helping us become better Christians. That blessing comes back to the congregations. As we improve spiritually, physically and emotionally, we can then better serve the needs of the Church in our given duties within it.

For example, developing patience may improve our interaction with other members. Developing discernment will help us make better choices in our lives, ultimately strengthening the Body of Christ. With the ministry guiding our development as Christians, we must ask ourselves, "Do I pray for the ministry?"

In the letters of Paul, it is not uncommon to find him asking the scattered congregations to pray for him and the work. Sometimes Paul requested specific prayers (2 Corinthians 1:11). Other times, he merely said, "Pray for us" (1 Thessalonians 5:25).

What Do We Pray About?

We know that the ministers are to spiritually edify the Church. Pray for that. We know that ministers need good health to keep up with their high-stress jobs. Pray for that. We know that we do not always see eye to eye with our ministers, which can cause feelings of emotional and personal disconnect. The Church is to be unified (1 Corinthians 12:25), so we should pray for that as well.

Finally, we should pray for the future. Pray that the Lord sends ministers to unify and edify us—ministers to prepare us for works of service until the return of Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:44, 46). Pray for each man being called into the ministry, a position in the Body of Christ that has been "assigned to him and to which God has called him" (1 Corinthians 7:17, New International Version). It is a calling made by God, not by man, and a position that only God can overturn.

Take a few moments during your daily prayer simply to pray for our current ministers and those being called to the ministry. Pray that the ministry will be blessed and empowered to attend to the needs of our Church, that the Church might be healthy and grow. Pray that the ministers to come are given the tools necessary to shepherd the upcoming generations effectively. Doing so will strengthen the Body of Christ. UN