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| A 40-Day Prayer Calendar for a Pastoral Search | ||||||
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | |
| Day’s Reading: | Proverbs 3:5-7 | Revelation 2:1-7 | Ephesians 4:1-6 | John 15:1-8 | John 15:9-15 | John 15:16-17 |
| Prayer for/that: | …our congregation to trust the Spirit’s leading; that our leaders, especially, would listen for Him and trust His prompting. | …our congregation to return to her first love, Jesus; that our leadership would hear from Him clearly during the search. | …our congregation to continue in unity and peace; our leaders would strongly sense among themthe unity that only Jesus can bring. | …our congregation and leaders to always abide in Jesus & bear much fruit to God’s glory during this “in-between” time. | …the people of our congregation to remain in Jesus’ love for and with each other; that we and our new pastor would be bound together by Him. | …this interim season of ministry to continue bearing spiritual fruit glorifying God; that our leaders would see answered prayers in their lives. |
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10 | Day 11 | Day 12 | Day 13 |
| Psalm 139:23-24 | Ephesians 6:10-11 | 2 Timothy 2:1-2 | James 1:5-8 | Colossians 1:9-12 | Ephesians 6:18 | Acts 2:41-42 |
| …our leaders’ hearts would be pure while working through this search process; that our future pastor’s heart and life would be pure before God. | …we would understand searching for a pastor is primarily spiritual, therefore spiritual attacks will come; for God’s protection while we search. | …our future pastor & family to be strengthened by God’s grace; that our future pastor would be a spiritual example worth following. | …our leaders to seek and experience God’s wisdom while reviewing resumes and contacting candidates. | …our future pastor be convicted it’s God’s will to make a ministry transition; that God would be glorified by ALL – by us, by candidates, by people “left behind.” | …we would pray in the Spirit and not just from our own agendas; that we would persevere and be alert to God’s answers to our prayer. | …our congregation would reflect the 1st church’s health in discipling, prayer, ministry, worship, fellowship, and witnessing. |
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 14 | Day 15 | Day 16 | Day 17 | Day 18 | Day 19 | Day 20 |
| Revelation 3:14-22 | John 13:34-35 | Ephesians 3:20-21 | Psalm 51:10-12 | 2 Timothy 4:1-5 | Hebrews 13:17 | Joshua 1:9 |
| …we would all fight spiritual apathy, we would continually repent of lukewarm spirituality, and pursue both God and the lost with zeal like Jesus. | …our leaders to be obedient to Jesus’ command to love each other; that His love would be seen in us by the lost and watching world. | …the power of Jesus to be known in and through this church body and that all the fame, credit, glory would be His through this search process. | …each person in leadership would stay close to Jesus, hearts cleaned by Him; that our new pastor also have a clean heart before God. | …our new pastor to faithfully share the Word of God and the love of God. | …our new pastor to faithfully lead & love the people of this body and of the Church; that we rise up with new leadership & serve alongside. | …our leaders to be strengthened by God and sense overwhelmingly His presence and guidance. |
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 21 | Day 22 | Day 23 | Day 24 | Day 25 | Day 26 | Day 27 |
| Revelation 3:1-6 | James 4:1-12 | John 17:20-23 | 2 Timothy 2:15 | Jeremiah 33:3 | 2 Kings 6:14-17 | Colossians 3:12-17 |
| …us to hold firmly to the message of Jesus; that our congregation would be full of the life of the Spirit & enabled to pursue God’s vision for us. | …we would always humble ourselves before God; that He would bring revival to us as we draw near to Him. | …unity in our body so the world will hear the Good News of Jesus through us; that our leaders would remain united in decision-making. | …a pastor who rightly handles and teaches the Word, and our search team as they look for such a leader. | …us to feel a deep and urgent drive to pray for God’s will to be done in our search and for God’s vision for our church to be realized. | …we would see as only God can enable; that our steps would be directed by God; that we would have His protection. | …our congregation to grow in love toward each other; that any broken relationships in the church would be reconciled. |
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 28 | Day 29 | Day 30 | Day 31 | Day 32 | Day 33 | Day 34 |
| Revelation 3:7-13 | Romans 12:12 | Hebrews 10:19-25 | 1 Peter 5:1-4 | 1 Peter 5:5-7 | 1 Peter 5:8-9 | Ephesians 5:15-16 |
| …God to open doors for us and that we would see such open doors; that we would persevere and non-believers would see God’s love on and in us. | …we would be confident in the hope God gives, patient when we encounter hurdles in the search, and faithful in prayer as a body. | …we remain committed to biblical worship; that our leaders would boldly go to into God’s presence in worship, seeking wisdom. | …our future pastor to lead people in God-honoring, biblical ways; that our future pastor’s walk with Jesus would not falter. | …deep respect, an attitude of serving and great mutual humility between our congregation and future pastor. | …our congregation would be alert to the activity of the [one & only] enemy and pray for other congregations engaged in pastoral searches. | …our leaders’ meetings would be Spirit-directed, time spent effectively & efficiently; that God would reveal His will to our new pastor. |
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Day 35 | Day 36 | Day 37 | Day 38 | Day 39 | Day 40 | |
| 1 Timothy 3:1-7 | Ephesians 1:15-23 | Philippians 2:1-11 | Galatians 6:9 | Isaiah 55:6-9 | Matthew 28:18-20 | |
| …our new pastor would exhibit the character of Jesus in public & private; the new pastor’s family would have God’s favor as they transition here. | …our new pastor to grow in the wisdom & knowledge of Jesus; that our church would look to Jesus alone as the Head of His body. | …Jesus’ attitude of humility & serving soaks into us all – leaders, people, pastor – both during and after the search. | …our leaders would not be weary in their work because we know and see God’s hand in answered prayers and the “harvest” that only He gives. | …we would continue seeking God diligently and trust that He alone is bringing together our body and our future pastor. | …our congregation always embrace our Great Commission; that our future pastor will be such a leader, doing the Great Commission, an example that we eagerly follow. | |