On the pastor's prayer life

Prayer is crucial to the pastor's ministry.

Isn't it odd that one of the great dangers pastors face in guiding the spiritual lives of others is neglecting their own?

Amidst the endless demands on the pastor's time, cultivating one's own spiritual life sometimes feels like another item on the to-do list. But it is the lifeline that connects you to God, nourishes your soul, and makes you an effective pastor.

This is why the Church Fathers, who laid down the foundation and outline of pastoral theology, often stressed the importance of pastors living as moral examples for their flock. They recognized that a robust spiritual life enhances our preaching, validates our authority, and sustains us through every challenge.

Origen’s Counsel

Origen, a third-century Church Father, offers profound insights in his treatise On Prayer to help pastors cultivate a vibrant and transformative prayer life. He urges us to integrate prayer into daily life, to prepare our hearts for prayer, and to seek spiritual nourishment in prayer.

1. Pastor, integrate prayer into daily life

Prayer must permeate every aspect of a pastor’s life. “He prays without ceasing who combines prayer with right actions, and makes his actions a form of prayer. For the saying ‘pray without ceasing’ can only be accepted by us as a possibility if we may speak of the whole life of a saint as one great continuous prayer.”

A rich, meaningful prayer life is not confined to sermon preparation, a quick utterance before you stand to deliver the Word, or opening and closing church meetings. If that's the extent of my prayer life, then I'm not serious, I'm just phoning it in and skipping over one source of great power for ministry.

Gregory of Nazianzus

This is crucial, particularly during those busy seasons when the demands of ministry keep you hopping from sunrise to well after sunset. Yet, in the midst of the crush, every phone call, visit, counseling session, meeting, administrative task, and time in study becomes an offering to God when bathed in prayer.

Origen urges us to engage in formal prayer at least three times daily, drawing from biblical examples such as Daniel, who prayed three times a day, and Peter, who prayed at midday. Anchor your days in God by designating specific times—morning, noon, and evening—for focused prayer. This practice fosters consistency and sanctifies the entire day; it helps ward off spiritual famine, compassion fatigue, and burnout.

2. Prepare your heart for prayer, pastor

This venerated Church Father warns us against praying without first preparing our hearts.

"One who is about to enter upon prayer ought first to have paused awhile and prepared himself to engage in prayer throughout more earnestly and intently, to have cast aside every distraction and confusion of thought, to have bethought him to the best of his ability of the greatness of Him whom he is approaching."

In practice, this might involve finding a quiet space and reading a short passage of Scripture to center your thoughts on God’s majesty. Begin by meditating on Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God,” to shift your focus to the divine presence, away from any pressures of the moment. Prayer becomes a reverent conversation with the Lord rather than a rushed obligation.

If you cultivate a habit similar to this, you will deepen your spiritual resilience. You position yourself to lead from a place of authentic communion with God.

3. Seek spiritual nourishment in prayer

Origen saw the petition for "daily bread" in the Lord’s Prayer as a request for spiritual sustenance. He explains, “We must pray to be made worthy of [the supersubstantial bread], and to be nourished by the Word of God, which was in the beginning with God, so that we may be made divine…”

This means that prayers for wisdom, understanding, and spiritual growth should be our priority. If we mostly pray about temporal things like finances, attendance, church growth, or dealing with that irascible member, we're shortchanging God, our church, and ourselves.

The Pastor's Call to Vibrant Prayer

The pastor's spiritual life is nurtured through prayer, scripture, fellowship, close relationships, family, and service. Prayer is the heartbeat, a blessed privilege that transforms us into closer representations of Christ. It positions us to bless our family, friends, and the church.

Pastor, if you've been lax, if you've been phoning it in, listen to the wisdom of a great man of God and act accordingly. Embrace prayer as a continuous, reverent conversation with the One who loves you and who called you into His service. Commit to a regular rhythm and practice of prayer--morning, noon, and evening. Before praying, take a few moments to focus your heart and mind. Then, open your heart to God.

© Lavern E. Brown, 2025. All Rights Reserved