CONGREGATIONAL PRAYERS

 - Pray that the pastoral search period will be a time the church continues to learn to seek
God Himself, more than just a new pastor 
(Jeremiah 29:13; James 4:8)
"Lord, teach us to draw closer to Jesus and trust Him as the true head of the Church."

 - Pray for strong consistency and focus in
the present ministry of the church
(Revelation 2:1-4; 3:15)
"Please grant great power and strength to our guest preachers and our staff.
Protect us from any spirit of lukewarmness or losing of our passion for missions. Remind us that we serve Jesus, not a pastor."

 - Pray for the amazing sense of love and unity among all members of the church
to continue to thrive. Help any bitterness, division, or anger within to be surrendered
and that healing is pursued where needed.
(John 13:34; 17:21)
"Lord, empower us to love one another with a patient, forbearing love."

 - Pray that we will patiently await God’s timing with pure hope and desire for nothing but His perfect will. 
Ask God for His mercy in giving us a true man of God as a great leader for our congregation
(Hebrews 6:12)
"Pray that we are prepared as a church of God, to humbly be guided by the Holy Spirit
​in how we are to reach our community and those people who remain lost."

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​​PRAYERS FOR THE PASTORAL SEARCH TEAM

• Pray for deep spiritual cleansing and fullness of the Holy Spirit in each team member (Psalms 66:18; John 15:5; Ephesians 5:18).
• Pray for discernment, wisdom and strength for our team chairman (Matthew 15:14).
• Pray for powerful unity and oneness of spirit within the team (Amos 3:3; Matthew 18:19).
• Pray for God’s clear direction in how resumes are collected, examined and interviews are conducted. Ask God to bring the right person to the forefront of the team (Proverbs 14:12; Isaiah 55:8-9).
• Pray for the search team to have God’s wisdom in all the questions and information they ask and share with the prospective pastor. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16).
• Pray for the team to have no timetable but God’s. The team must be determined to find God’s perfect will in God’s perfect time (Ephesians 5:17).
• Pray for the future pastor and his family to have absolute certainty in their sense of call to Bethany. 
• Pray for the prevention of Satan’s influence in misleading or rushing the search team. Pray for a powerful hedge of protection around the committee and their families.
• Pray for God’s guidance in how the future pastor is presented to the church. Pray for the church to have unity in his call to our church (1 Corinthians 1:10; Acts 2:1).​​