Part four of the Church Membership series. From 1 Timothy 3 and Ephesians 4, Pastor Nana Boadum shows that pastors and leaders are gifts from God to the body — gifts the enemy has deliberately set snares for — and calls every member to a daily commitment: I will pray for my church leaders.
The seven movements
- Pastors are gifts, not professionals. Like salvation and the Holy Spirit, the leaders Christ gave — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers — are gifts for equipping the saints and edifying the body (Ephesians 4:11-12).
- The standard is high. Blameless, husband of one wife, temperate, hospitable, able to teach, ruling his house well (1 Timothy 3) — a reminder that the men and women appointed over us need prayer support, because striking the shepherd scatters the sheep.
- What pastoral ministry does for you. Equips you for the work of ministry, edifies, unifies, stabilizes — growing the whole body into Christlikeness, not into copies of the pastor.
- Be planted, not just inspired. Ten virtual pastors are no substitute for a local church — chosen by revelation, understanding, and alignment, not proximity.
- The snare of the devil. 1 Timothy 3:7 names a deliberately engineered trap for pastors — set so the fallout wounds the faith of many. It can even arrive disguised as a spiritual-sounding "revelation."
- How to pray. His family. His protection. His physical and mental health. His discernment. Three to five minutes a day is within every member's reach.
- The fourth pledge. "I will pray for my pastor every day… Because my pastor cannot do all things in his own power, I will pray for his strength and wisdom daily" — sealed with Matthew 6:13: deliver us from the evil one.
Walk away with this
Put your pastor and leaders on your daily prayer list — family, protection, health, discernment — and watch the whole body benefit from a shepherd kept strong.