31 Days of Prayer for the Pastor Search
Dear Millcreek Community Church Family,
Thank you for taking the time to pick up this prayer guide. As your Elder Team, we believe this is a time of great importance in our church’s history. We have been given the opportunity to seek God’s face and ask for His wisdom in determining whom He has called to be the next pastor of MCC.
We thank you for trusting our leadership. This is a task that we do not take lightly. We know we are in need of supernatural discernment as we journey through this process and are asking you to join us as we pray through this season of preparing for our next pastor and his family. James 5:16 states, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” With this in mind, we need to be right with God and come to Him with a clean conscience so that our prayers are not hindered.
We are seeking God’s will for MCC. We covet your prayers during this season of transition and change. For that reason, we ask that you utilize this prayer guide to cover the Elder Team, the congregation including church staff, and the future pastor of our church. We want to build unity and have clear knowledge of God’s will for our future pastor.
Listed below are the names of the Elder Team. We ask that you please pray diligently for each Elder. It is our hope that you will involve your children in this prayer process. If our children can understand the power of prayer in their lives now, it will have a profound effect on their lives as adults.
Thank you for praying as we seek wisdom and discernment of God’s will.
MCC Elder Team,
Tim Bates, Vitaliy Lisichenko, Sam Meyer, Dewitt Moffatt, Rob O’Connell, Brad Wingler, Dave Zebrak
Day 1 – Filled with the Spirit
Psalm 66:18, John 15:5, Ephesians 5:18— Pray for deep spiritual cleansing and fullness of the Holy Spirit in each member of the Elder Team. Pray this for each elder by name—Tim, Vitaliy, Sam, Dewitt, Rob, Brad, Dave. Spirit-led thoroughness is essential.
Day 2 – Knowledge
Colossians 1:9—Pray for God to fill the Elder Team with knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and for strength.
DAY 3 – UNITY
Amos 3:3, Matthew 18:19, Ephesians 4:3— Pray for powerful unity and oneness in spirit within the Elder Team.
DAY 4 – DIRECTION
Isaiah 55:8-9 — Pray for God’s clear direction in how resumes are examined, and interviews are conducted. Ask God to bring the right person to the attention of the Elder Team.
DAY 5 – WISDOM
James 1:5-6— Pray for the Elder Team to have God’s wisdom in all the questions and information they share with the prospective pastor.
DAY 6 – DISCERNMENT
1 Corinthians 2:10-16 — Pray for the Elder Team to have wisdom and discernment for the unique characteristics and traits most needed for our church in a pastor.
DAY 7 – GOD’S TIMING
Ephesians 5:17— Pray for the Elder Team to have no timetable but God’s. They must be determined to find God’s perfect will in God’s perfect time.
DAY 8 – PROTECTION
Ephesians 6:10-12— Pray for the prevention of Satan’s influence in misleading or rushing the Elder Team (One of Satan’s tactics is deception). Pray for a powerful hedge of protection around the Elder Team and their families.
DAY 9 – GUIDANCE
Proverbs 11:14— Pray for God’s guidance in how the future pastor is presented to the church.
DAY 10 – GOD’S WILL
Philippians 2:3-11— Pray that the Elder Team will seek God’s will for the church above their own desires.
DAY 11 – SEEK GOD
Jeremiah 29:13, James 4:8— Pray the pastor search will be a time the church learns to seek God Himself more than just a new pastor. Pray that the church would be drawn closer to Jesus, to obey Him as the true head of the church.
DAY 12 – CLEANSING AND RENEWAL
Psalm 66:18, Psalm 139:23-24— Pray for a powerful move of congregational cleansing and renewal. Pray for God to remove anything that doesn’t honor Him.
DAY 13 – CONSISTENCY AND FOCUS
Revelation 2:1-4, Revelation 3:15— Pray for strong consistency and focus on the present ministry of the church. Pray for God to grant great power to our Elders, preachers, and to our staff.
DAY 14 – LOVE AND UNITY
John 13:34, John 17:21— Pray for a miraculous sense of love and unity among all members of the church. Pray for help to surrender any bitterness or division within our church family.
DAY 15 – GUIDANCE AND STRENGTH
Psalm 32:8, Isaiah 41:10— Pray for guidance and strength for the church from which our new pastor comes.
DAY 16 – PREPARED FOR GROWTH
Ephesians 4:1-6— Pray that we will be prepared to make the necessary changes to embrace a new day of ministry. Pray for God to prepare us to change and grow with graciousness and unity so we can be the church He has called us to be.
DAY 17 – PATIENCE
Hebrews 6:12— Pray that we will patiently await God’s timing and settle for nothing less than His perfect will. Ask God for His mercy in giving us a true man of God and a great leader.
DAY 18 – HUMILITY
Philippians 2:3-11— Pray that all church members will humbly set aside individual expectations for the new pastor and decide in unity who God has called to lead MCC.
DAY 19 – PREPARED HEART
Isaiah 42:9— Some churches struggle with wanting a pastor who is like their previous pastor. Others desire someone who is just the opposite. Pray that all would be receptive to God doing a new thing in the congregation and accept His perfect will above our own desires.
DAY 20 – TRUST
Hebrews 13:17— Pray that the church as a whole would trust the Elder Team through the process of finding a new pastor. Pray that the congregation would trust that the Elder Team is being led by the Spirit as they search for the man God is bringing to MCC and that there would be no division.
DAY 21 – BOLDNESS
2 Timothy 4:1-5— Pray that God would increase our next pastor’s passion for preaching the Word of God and he would boldly proclaim the truth.
DAY 22 – LOVE
Philippians 1:3-11— Pray that God would give our next pastor a love for our church and strength to leave his current position. Pray that God would make His will known to him and his family.
DAY 23 – FAMILY
Colossians 1:9-12— Pray for our next pastor’s family. The new pastor may be married or single, may have children or not. Pray that God would strengthen the new pastor and guide his family as they are led toward ministry at MCC.
DAY 24 – FERVENCY
Romans 12:9-13— Pray that God would prepare our new pastor to always have great zeal and passion for serving the Lord in his ministry. Pray for God’s strength in his weakness and may he be a faithful servant.
DAY 25 – CONFIDENCE
Romans 12:1-2, Ephesians 6:16— Pray for the future pastor and his family to have absolute certainty in their sense of call to our church. He must know God’s direction.
DAY 26 – GUIDANCE
Proverbs 16:9— Pray for God’s strength and guidance in the pastor’s former church. Pray that those with whom he is currently ministering would trust God’s plan for his servant in leading him to a new location of ministry.
DAY 27 – VISION
Amos 4:13— Pray that the new pastor will have a clear vision for how to minister to the people of MCC and the surrounding community. Pray that many will become followers of Christ and grow to love God, love others and make disciples through his ministry at MCC.
DAY 28 – TRANSITION
Luke 12:22-31— Pray that the new pastor and his family will be able to smoothly transition to our church. This would include the needs of his wife and children in making new friends. Pray that they will feel they have always been with us.
DAY 29 – SYNERGY
Psalm 133— Pray that the new pastor would be able to work effectively with the Elder Team, church staff, and other ministry leaders that are already serving at MCC.
DAY 30 – RELATIONSHIPS
Joshua 1:8-9— Pray that God would protect the new pastor’s heart as he prepares to leave his current ministry and move to a new ministry. Pray that the stresses of moving, meeting new people, maintaining relationships, etc. would not interfere with his need to continually develop his relationship with God. Pray that God would give him and his family peace knowing they are in God’s will.
DAY 31 – GOD’S GLORY
Romans 11:36— Above all, pray that God’s will would be done, and His name would be glorified through the entire process of finding a new pastor for MCC. Pray that God’s work would be visible to everyone so that we would continue trusting the One who richly provide.
Please continue to pray after the 31-day devotion is finished by starting again at the beginning of the prayer guide with Day 1.
We covet your prayers every day during the pastor search process. If you decide not to start over with Day 1, please continue to pray for the Elder Team, church staff, the congregation, and the future pastor. We ask that you pray for unity, for no division, for protection from the evil one and for God’s will to be done. Please include your children in praying for our church, for the Elder Team, and for the future pastor. We want everyone to see that prayer works in knowing God’s will for our church and for every phase of one’s life.
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE PASSAGES ON PRAYER
2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 9:10; Psalm 25:3; Psalm 32:6; Psalm 34:4; Psalm 37:4; Psalm 55:17; Psalm 65:2; Psalm 84:7-11; Psalm 115:1; Psalm 141:2; Proverbs 2:6; Isaiah 30:19-21; Jeremiah 33:3; Matthew 5:16; Matthew 19:26; Matthew 26:41; Mark 3:25; Luke 21:36; John 14:13; John 15:7; John 17:20-21; Romans 8:26; Romans 12:21; Romans 15:13; Ephesians 3:20; Ephesians 4:12; Colossians 1:9-12; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:1; Hebrews 11:16; Hebrews 10:22; James 1:5-7; James 4:2; James 5:16; 1 John 3:8