012: Systematic Pastoral Prayer

In episode 012 of the Leading Your Church Podcast, Rich Cochran emphasizes the importance of prioritizing personal and pastoral prayer as a church leader. Pastors and church leaders should set aside time to pray for the people in their congregation on a weekly basis.

Rich highlights the significance of pastoral prayer, which involves interceding for the people in the church and seeking God's guidance for their lives. He also emphasizes the importance of personal prayer, which involves cultivating a close relationship with God and seeking His direction for one's own life.

Rich suggests several practical ways to create a system and habit for weekly prayer. One such way is to set aside a specific time each week to pray for the people in the church. This can be done individually or as a group. Additionally, he recommends keeping a prayer journal to track prayer requests and progress.

The importance of following up with people after praying for them, both to check in on them and to see how God has answered their prayers. He suggests setting up a system for follow-up, such as assigning a specific person or group to reach out to those who have been prayed for.

As pastors and church leaders, prayer must be a priority. By setting aside time for personal and pastoral prayer, cultivating a close relationship with God, and following up with those who have been prayed for, church leaders can lead their congregations with wisdom and discernment.