40 Days of Prayer
For our Pastor Search Committee
40 Days of Prayer
Thank you for taking the time to pick up this prayer guide. 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 First Baptist Pine.

As you enter these 40 days of prayer, the key will be prioritizing your time with the Lord. It does not matter what it looks like, when you do it, or where you meet with Him. It just matters that at some point everyday over the next 40 days, you pray.
 
The goal of our 40 days of prayer is to seek God’s direction and wisdom in a unified effort. Throughout this plan, you will find that each day will prompt you with daily scripture(s) to meditate on and the words to pray which support a particular theme. Praying over the scriptures as a congregation will keep us focused and unified as we grow individually in our intimacy with Christ. As we pray for the church, the next pastor, and the Pastor Search Committee, we also encourage you to ask God to clearly reveal His vision and next steps for your life and the ministry He wants to use you in. Through this we hope you will be able to see what He sees, work where He’s working, build what He’s building and go where He’s leading.
 
Also, can we suggest you team up with your family, discipleship group, small group, or a few friends to join you in this journey? It will be beautiful to experience these 40 days with your brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our hope that those of you who have children will involve them in this prayer process as well. If our children can understand the power of prayer in their lives now, it will have a profound effect on their lives as adults.
 
Listed within the guide are the names of the Pastor Search Committee. We ask that you please pray diligently for each member. Thank you for praying as we seek wisdom and discernment of God’s will.
 
James 5:16 states, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” 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. Begin your prayer time with praise, gratitude, and confession.
 
God, get us ready to do what only You can do!
 
-Your Prayer Team
 
Daily Prayers for the Church:
Day 1 – Jeremiah 29: 13, James 4:8 — Pray the pastor search period will be a time the church learns to seek God Himself more than just a new pastor. “Lord, teach us to draw closer to Jesus and trust Him as the true head of the church and not in man.”
 
Day 2 – Psalm 139:23-24 — Pray for a powerful move of congregational cleansing and renewal. “Father, please cause this to be a time of deep cleansing and renewal in our church. May we always be the church You have called us to be. It is all about You and not us.”
 
Day 3 – Revelation 2:1-4 — Pray for strong consistency and focus on the pre sent ministry of the church. “Please grant great power to our guest pastors and to our staff. Protect us from any spirit of being lukewarm. Protect us from the evil one and remind us that we serve Jesus, not a pastor.”
 
Day 4- John 13:34, John 17:21 — Pray for a miraculous sense of love and unity among all members of the church. “Help us surrender all bitterness, division, and anger within our church family. Lord, empower us to love one another with a patient, forgiving love.”
 
Day 5 – 1 Corinthians 1 :10 — Pray for great unity in calling our new pastor. “Lord, help us to receive him and his family with deep love and renewed commitment. Grant us a powerful sense of revival and spiritual awakening as we move into the future.” Pray for grace, guidance, and strength for the church from which our new pastor comes.
 
Day 6 – Ephesians 4:1-6 — Pray that we be prepared to make the necessary changes to embrace a new day of ministry. “Lord, we understand that a new pastor always means changes. Help us to be prepared to change and grow with graciousness and unity so we can be the church You have called us to be.”
 
Day 7 – 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 8 – Philippians 2:3-1 1 — Pray that the Pastor Search Committee and all church members will set aside individual expectations for the new pastor and decide in unity who God is calling to lead us to be the church God has called us to be.
 
Day 9 – Isaiah 42:9 — Some churches struggle with wanting a pastor who is like their previous pastor. Others wish someone who is just the opposite. Pray that all would be receptive to God showing us new things in the congregation and accept His perfect will above our own desires.
 
Day 10 – Hebrews 13:17— Pray that the church would trust the Pastor Search Committee through the process of finding a new pastor. Pray that the congregation would trust that the Pastor Search Committee is being led by the Spirit as they search for the man God is bringing to First Baptist of Pine there would be no division.
 
Day 11 – John 15:9-15 — Pray that the church members will abide in the love of Christ and love one another with the love of Christ. Pray for God to bond the church and future pastor together in love.
 
Day 12 – Jeremiah 33:3 — Pray that a burden for deep and urgent prayer permeates the church not only as we seek God’s will for a pastor, but also as you seek God’s vision for the church.
 
Day 13 – Revelation 3:14-22 — Pray for the church to fight against lukewarm spirituality. Pray church members repent of a lukewarm spirituality and become filled with a zeal for Jesus and His Kingdom work.
 
Day 14 – John 1 5:1-8 — Pray for church members to continually abide in Christ and produce much fruit that glorifies the Father during the interim period.
 
Day 15 – James 4:1-12 — Pray for the church to humble themselves before the Lord and seek His cleansing power for revival to come.
 
 
Daily Prayers for the next Pastor:
Day 16 – 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 17 – 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 be known to him and his family.
 
Day 18 – Colossians 1:9-12 — Pray for our next pastor’s family. Of course, the new pastor may be married or single, may have children or not. God knows all of that. Pray that God, who knows who they are, would strengthen and guide the new pastor’s family as they are led toward ministry at our church. Give them peace in knowing God’s will.
 
Day 19 – Romans 12:9-13 — Pray that God would prepare our 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 faithful in prayer.
 
Day 20 – 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. Pray also for protection from the evil one and for our future pastor and his family.
 
Day 21 – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 — 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 22 – Amos 4:13 Pray that the new pastor will have a clear vision for how to minister to the people of First Baptist of Pine and the surrounding community. Pray that many will come to know Jesus through our church.
 
Day 23 – 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. Also involved would be physical needs such as housing, schooling, etc., that must be settled upon when moving to a new area. Pray that they will feel they have always been with us.
 
Day 24 – Psalm 133 — Pray that our new pastor would be able to work effectively with the church staff, committees, deacons, and others that are already serving at First Baptist of Pine.
 
Day 25 – 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 26 – Colossians 3:12-17 — Above all, pray that God’s will would be done through the entire process of finding a new pastor. Pray that the Holy Spirit will give everyone involved in this process wisdom and peace. Pray that God will show us whom He is calling.
 
Day 27 – Romans 10:15, Matthew 28:19-20 — Pray that our pastor will be committed to personal evangelism and the equipping of our congregation to seek the lost.
 
Day 28 – 1 Corinthians 9:27, Romans 15:18-19 — Pray for a fresh divine anointing on the pastor’s ministry as he continues God’s work at First Baptist of Pine.
 
Day 29 – Hebrews 13:17 — Pray for our future pastor to faithfully shepherd the church and for members of the church to place themselves willingly and joyfully under his servant leadership.
 
Day 30 – 2 Timothy 4:1-5 — Pray for our future pastor to faithfully preach the Word of God. Pray the Lord gives the church a hunger for the Word of God and receptivity to the sermons that are preached by the new pastor.
 
 
Daily Prayers for the Pastor Search Committee:
Pastor Search Committee Members
Mark Christensen, John Anderson, Andy Ward, Cookie Leslie, Cris Melser & Kat Everett.
 
Day 31 – Psalm 66:18-19, John 15:5, Ephesians 5:18 — Pray for deep spiritual cleansing and fullness of the Holy Spirit in each committee member. Pray this for each member by name.
 
Day 32 – Colossians 1:9 — Pray for God to fill the committee with knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and for strength.
 
Day 33 – Amos 3:3, Matthew 18:9, Ephesians 4:2-3 — Pray for powerful unity and oneness in spirit within the committee.
 
Day 34 – Isaiah 55:8-9 — Pray for God’s clear direction in how resumes are examined, and interviews conducted. Ask God to bring the right person to the attention of the committee.
 
Day 35 – 1 Corinthians 2:10-16— Pray for the committee to have God’s wisdom in all the questions and information they share with the prospective pastor. Spirit-led thoroughness is essential.
 
Day 36 – James 1:5-6 — Pray for the committee to have wisdom and discernment as to the unique characteristics and traits most needed for our church in a pastor.
 
Day 37 – Ephesians 5:1 7 — Pray for the committee to have no timetable but God’s. They must be determined to find God’s perfect will in God’s perfect time.
 
Day 38 – Ephesians 6:10-12 — Pray for the prevention of Satan’s influence in misleading or rushing the committee (one of Satan’s tactics is deception). Pray for a powerful hedge of protection around the committee and their families.
 
Day 39 – 1 Corinthians 1:10, Acts 2:1 — Pray for God’s guidance in how the future pastor is presented to the church. Pray that there would be no division among the committee or the congregation — only unity.
 
Day 40 – Philippians 2:3-11 — Pray that the committee will seek God’s will for the church above their own desires.