Pastoral Prayers at Parkway
We’ve recently begun to include a “Pastoral Prayer” during our Sunday worship gathering at The Parkway Church. Since this is a new element to our service, we thought it would be helpful to provide a brief explanation of the nature of a Pastoral Prayer, its importance for Christian worship, and the role of the congregation in such a prayer.
What is a Pastoral Prayer?
A Pastoral Prayer is a corporate prayer of supplication led by a pastor. Now, those are some big fancy words. Let’s break it down a bit.
First, a Pastoral Prayer is a corporate prayer. By “corporate” we mean it’s something the whole congregation does together. It is not simply a pastor praying while everyone else listens. The congregation prays as one. The pastor leading the prayer will use “we” and “us” language to capture this reality. Though only his voice is heard, the whole church is engaged together in spirit with the words said on stage.
Second, a Pastoral Prayer is a prayer of supplication. “Supplication” means it’s primarily focused on making requests of God. There are many kinds of prayers (praise, thanks, confession, lament, etc.) but a Pastoral Prayer involves lifting up our needs and petitions to the Lord. We are appealing to him to grant what we ask. We might ask God to care for the widows in our church, or to advance the gospel through the missionaries we support, or to give wisdom to our governing officials, etc. The point is, we are asking our God to do something that he alone can do.
Third, a Pastoral Prayer (as the name implies) is normally led by a pastor. Those charged with the shepherding and oversight of the congregation should typically be those leading such a prayer. The pastors (or elders, the words are interchangeable in the Bible) are spiritually responsible for the church, as those who will give an account (Heb. 13:17). Thus, the pastor is bringing the whole congregation before the Lord with these requests. That doesn’t mean he’s some kind of super-priest with unique access to God (all Christians are priests! cf. 1 Pet. 2:9), it’s simply a reflection of his role as an undershepherd. Pastors are charged with the responsibilities of preaching the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4), so it seems best for corporate prayers to be led by those to whom God has given this duty. The Pastoral Prayer also has a teaching function: it gives the congregation a model of how to pray. In this way, it’s part of the elders’ responsibility to “be an example to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3).
At Parkway, our Pastoral Prayers will follow a general and intentional outline. We’ll start by praying for global needs (e.g. pressing world events, international missions). Then we’ll pray for issues more locally relevant to us (e.g. partner churches and organizations). Finally we’ll lift up the needs in our own church community (e.g. the morning’s sermon, members going through difficulties, local evangelism). This outline is meant to reflect the kinds of things we should be praying for together.
Why is a Pastoral Prayer Important to our Worship Gathering?
In some sense, it should be obvious why it’s valuable to include a Pastoral Prayer in our worship service. God commands his people to pray. God delights in answering the prayers of his people. So of course we should be praying!
In addition, however, the Bible itself provides us with examples of Pastoral Prayers. Perhaps the most famous example is what we’ve come to call “the Lord’s Prayer.” Have you ever noticed that the Lord’s Prayer is a corporate prayer? Jesus teaches his disciples to pray together: “Our Father…give us…forgive us…lead us…deliver us” (Matt. 6:9-13). Jesus expected his people to gather together and pray–a Pastoral Prayer is a means of fulfilling that expectation.
In the book of Acts, we find prayer was a normal part of the early church gatherings (Acts 2:42). In the epistles, we find Paul praying on behalf of individual churches (e.g. Eph. 1:15-23). Church history has followed this biblical pattern as well. Our desire at Parkway is to join in our rich spiritual heritage where corporate prayer is a key and intentional part of corporate worship.
What’s the Congregation’s Role in a Pastoral Prayer?
It’s important to remember that, while a Pastoral Prayer is normally led by a pastor, the whole congregation is joined together in the prayer. It’s the church’s prayer, not the prayer of one man. So we encourage you to think about the words being prayed and to engage your heart with the requests – as if the prayer were your very own.
With a variety of needs involved, a Pastoral Prayer may last a little longer than you’re accustomed to praying. The goal, however, is not to “heap up empty phrases” (Matt. 6:7), but to be intentional about bringing our needs to the Father. In longer prayers, it can be normal for minds to wander a bit. If yours does, just bring it back, refocus on the words, and reengage your spirit with them.
One practical way we hope you engage with the Pastoral Prayer is by affirming the prayer with a collective “Amen” at the end. The word “Amen” comes from a Hebrew root that means truly or so be it. It’s an expression of agreement and unity. So, by saying “Amen” together, we’re signifying the fact that we’re all joined together in lifting up these requests to God. We are taking collective ownership of the prayer. So, when the pastor says “Amen” at the end of the prayer, the congregation should respond with a hearty “Amen!” of their own.
May the Lord answer our prayers as we gather together and worship him!