Some of us pray for Kentucky Baptist churches daily, or at least occasionally, the following prayer: That every KBC church will be a thriving church and that every leader will be a cared for leader.
The heart behind that prayer is the conviction that churches were meant to thrive – to do well – impacting their communities with the gospel. The second part of the prayer is the desire to see pastors in Kentucky be cared for by the churches they serve, the associations they are part of and by their state convention.
Prayers of blessings have their roots in Scripture. Psalm 84:12 reminds us, “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” Another familiar blessing text is Number 6:24-26 where the prayer of blessing is stated, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”
Here are five prayers of blessings to pray for your local church.
1. Ask God to remove obstacles to their growth and unity: In Acts 6, the reader sees a growing church. Then a conflict arises within the congregation. A solution is applied and implemented and then, in verse seven, the church is growing once again. It seems that growth was natural for the early church, but the evangelistic impact of the church was hindered by an internal conflict. One way we can pray for every Kentucky Baptist church is that God will remove the obstacles, internal or external, that stifle growth.
2. Ask God to give them faithful and effective pastors: At all times in Kentucky there are nearly 300 churches without a pastor. Some of these churches have capable interim pastors, but others rely on week-by-week pulpit supply. One of the most effective ways to pray for churches is to ask God to give them pastors who will faithfully preach God’s word, skillfully lead His people and lovingly shepherd the flock. Churches need pastors and pastors need churches. Let’s pray that God will give faithful pastors to all of our sister churches.
3. Ask God to add to their number regularly: Acts 2:47 describes the early church as having favor in their community and the second half of the verse reads, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Imagine local churches having such favor that God was drawing people to them day by day and that the celebration of baptisms was a regular part of their services. We can pray to that end.
4. Ask God to provide for their needs: Churches are not all about money, as some cynics complain, but money is important for the funding of ministry and missions. Author and speaker John Piper is cited as saying, “All the money needed to send and support an army of self-sacrificing, joy-spreading ambassadors is already in the church.” There is no doubt that God’s people can be used to fund not only the work of the local church, but also a global gospel advancing enterprise. Pray that God will work through His people to provide for the needs of the church and its mission.
5. Ask God to increase their impact: Jesus exhorted His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Imagine what would happen if each local church developed a God-honoring strategy to impact their community, their county, their state, their country and the world with the gospel. The impact would be beyond anything we have ever seen. Let’s pray together that God will make it so.
The local church is God’s plan for advancing His gospel and promoting human flourishing on earth. Let’s all pray together that every Kentucky Baptist church would be a thriving church and that every leader would be a cared for leader.
Dr. Todd Gray 