10 Powerful Prayers to Pray for Your Pastor’s Family

I never thought I’d be married to a pastor.

Growing up in the Catholic church, I had no concept of what it would be like to be a pastor’s wife or the challenges ministry could hold for a pastor’s family. 

Now that my husband has been serving in ministry for 15 years, I’ve learned how essential it is to be prayed over by our congregation.

I’ve been asked more than a few times by church members how they can pray, not only for my husband but for our entire family as well. And we are definitely in need of prayer!

So today I’m sharing 10 powerful prayers that you can pray for your pastor and his family. 

These 10 specific, special prayers are focused on different areas of your pastor’s ministry, as they relate to both the day-to-day church life and family life. 

They contain principles from Scripture that will bless and encourage them, even when they aren’t aware that you’re praying. That’s the power of the Word of God!

Recognizing that there are women who are also pastors, remember that it’s my husband who is the minister, so the way I phrase the prayers is going to match with my experience (the pastor and his wife and children, etc). You can always tweak them to your needs :)

Below each prayer is a corresponding Bible verse that you can speak over your pastor’s family. 

Why should we pray for our pastors? 

I can tell you as a pastor’s wife that I am so grateful for the prayer support of our church family and God’s people in our lives who lift up our family and ministry. 

There’s a reason the Bible gives a very strong imperative to pray for our spiritual leaders (and their loved ones): they face unique struggles and need our support!

Committing to praying for your pastor’s family is one of the best things you can do as a member of your congregation. Scripture says that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16, KJV)

What does that mean? It means that when a Christian man, woman, or child prays, those prayers have great power. 

Not because of what we are doing but because of the power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, who “intercedes for us with words beyond what we can express.” Romans 8:26

Praying for your pastor and family (as well as those that surround them) can help bring about a more joyful, productive, and lasting ministry. 

Faithful pastors are essential for the growth of the body of Christ (as are faithful congregation members, but we’re focusing on praying for your pastor and family in this post!). 

There is no way my husband or I could have made it through ministry challenges without the power of prayer of the people around us. That’s why this topic is so important to me. 

Use these suggestions during your personal or church prayer time. Pastor Appreciation Month would be a great time to start but you can incorporate these ideas into your regular prayers at any time of year.

You may also like: 7 Prayers for Your Pastor

10 Powerful Prayers for Your Pastor’s Family (with Bible Verses)

1) Pray for God to bless your pastor and his family.

Heavenly Father, I praise you for the blessing that my pastor and his family have been to me. Thank you that they belong to this church body. Please bless my pastor’s family as they go about the tasks of each day. Give my pastor’s children hearts that are turned to you. Give my pastor’s wife encouragement, mercy and grace and help her to seek the will of God in her own life too. Bless their efforts in ministry. Bless their home life. Bless their finances as you see fit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Verse: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26 NIV

2) Pray for God to do good work in the public ministry of your pastor and his family.

Dear God, I know that ministry comes with its ups and downs. Show yourself strong on my pastor’s behalf and make his family’s ministry profitable. Do good work in the hearts and minds of those they come into contact with, either in the church or in the community. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Bible Verse: For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. 2 Chronicles 16:9 KJV

3) Pray for a loving and caring ministry environment.

Dear Lord, when ministry work causes my pastor and his family to feel alone, remind them of how much they are loved and cared for. Help me as a member of this church to show grace and love to my pastor, his wife and children. Raise up strong and understanding church leadership to serve alongside my pastor so we can all work together for the good of others. Amen.

Bible Verse: So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV

4) Pray for personal growth in your pastor and family’s life outside of church hours.

Dear Jesus, today I’m praying that my pastor and his family would experience personal growth in their lives outside of the church. Help them find close friends that can relate to their experiences. Bless their everyday actions, that they may glorify You. Help them to cultivate a strong marriage. Give their children hearts that follow after You. Lead them to make wise decisions for their family. In Your Name, Amen.

Bible Verse: It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not addicted to wine or pugnacious, but gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money. He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 1 Timothy 3: 2-7, NASB

A personal note: The passage in 1 Timothy 3 I’ve listed is so essential for those in ministry leadership. There are a lot of ways in which the devil attacks the minister’s family, to ruin his witness and his family’s life and even dull his own heart to the truth. Please pray this passage over your pastor and his family!

5) Pray for spiritual growth and direction for your pastor’s family.

This is a little different than personal growth!

God of Hope, I thank you that you have brought my pastor into ministry. I know that it is a challenging profession. I pray today that he and his family will experience spiritual growth as they pursue ministry within our congregation. Give them direction and a spirit of wisdom when they seek your will. Help them to be encouraged in their personal devotional life and be able to focus on You even in busy seasons. 

Bible Verse: Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3, NASB

6) Pray for your pastors’ ministry to grow and mature.

In your church, you may have more than one pastor and each ministry fills a different need and takes on a different role. Surround your congregation with prayer, that it may grow and flourish according to God’s plan and purpose!

Dear Father, may my pastor’s ministry work mature over the years. Bring people alongside him to provide advice and wisdom. Bless my pastor’s family as they engage in ministry as well. Give them discernment to know when to be involved and when to pull back. We desire our church to grow according to your plan. Help us as a congregation to support their efforts and to remember to pray for Your will to be done.

Bible Verse: According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry…1 Timothy 1:12 KJV

7) Pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to shine through in your pastor’s preaching and teaching.

O Lord, show the power of your Holy Spirit as my pastor shares the word of truth. Give him focus during his sermon preparation so he can hear clearly what You want him to say. When my pastor’s family is involved in teaching God’s Word, bless their efforts as well. Help those who are listening to hear the message of the gospel and receive it with joy.

Bible Verse: And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:4 NLT

8) Pray for the stresses they may face as a family on a daily basis in ministry work and at home.

Lord, you are the God of peace. May your peace be with my pastor’s family no matter what circumstances they are facing today. Though I may not understand, help me to know how I can come alongside them. Bless each one with good physical health. Give them grace and mercy and encourage them during times of stress or sorrow. Amen.

Bible Verse: Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

9) Pray for protection against the schemes of the devil and the world.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray that you will protect my pastor and pastor’s family from the “roaring lion”, the devil, who is seeking to devour them. Help them daily to put on the full armor of God to fight against temptations. Help them stand firm on the truth and faithfully wear the shield of faith so they may be protected against the arrows of the enemy. Help them to be spiritually alert and ready for the challenges of life that come their way. Amen.

Bible Verse: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:10-11

10) Pray that the pastor and his family would rely on the power of God each day.

O Lord, today I pray that you would show the Your power in the life of my pastor’s family. Bring the Holy Spirit alongside them as a comforter and healer. May Jesus dwell in their hearts and teach them daily. Let the joy of the Lord be their strength. Help my pastor and his family to be on fire for you with the Spirit leading and guiding them. Amen.

Bible Verse: I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17 NASB

BONUS PRAYER

11) Pray that your pastor and family would seek the will of God daily so they know that they are going in the right direction and are in the right place.

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us our pastor and family. Help them to seek your will in their lives so they will know if and when it is time to take a different path. Provide wisdom that comes from above so they can trust in your direction to serve wherever they are called in the kingdom of God. Thank you that you have called him here to do the work of the Lord. Thank you that you are the good shepherd that leads His sheep. Amen.

Personal note: Sometimes we don’t realize that there may be a time where our pastor is called somewhere else or into another role within his current ministry. Though as a pastor’s family we are never actively planning to leave to do something else, It’s great to have God’s people praying for our family in this area so that we make the best decision at the right time for our family!

Bible Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

How can I encourage my pastor?

Now that you’ve prayed over your pastor’s family, what else can you do to encourage your pastor (and his wife and kids too)?

• Ask them for specific prayer requests. You never know what they might be dealing with that they may not feel comfortable sharing to the entire congregation.
• Treat them to a night out for pastor appreciation month. Money can be tight in ministry and even if it’s not, just giving your pastor an “excuse” to go out may be just what he and his wife need. Maybe they are too shy to ask for childcare, so don’t forget about offering that too! (I speak from personal experience!) :)
• Tell them how much they are appreciated. I know even with my own friends, I don’t say thank you as often as I should. Sometimes we think about how grateful we are for someone but forget to verbalize it! 
• Be there for them in difficult times. Pastors can experience burnout (and the family can too) when they are constantly giving of themselves to members of the congregation, their own family, and the community.

What other ways can you think of to pray for your pastor’s family? Share in the comments!