Prayer – Part of the Job Description
If you’re in full-time ministry, part of your job is prayer. But for many of us, it’s the part we quietly neglect. Most in full-time ministry would agree that their work includes the ministry of the Word and pastoral care.
- Ministry of the Word — studying, preparing sermons, teaching, and preaching
- Pastoral Work — caring for people, meeting for coffee, deliverance sessions, and general counselling
But too often, the prayer component of a full-time minister’s calling is neglected.
The early church faced this exact tension. In Acts 6:2, the apostles said it would “not be right… to give up preaching the word of God” to handle what could have been the first ever church split. After appointing the first deacons to handle those issues, they declared:
“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” (Acts 6:4)
Did you notice? The apostles listed prayer first before preaching. For them, being devoted to prayer was as central to their job as proclaiming the Word. Which means for those in full-time ministry today, prayer is not extra — it’s in the job description.
In a sense, you are paid to pray.
Jesus’ Example
In Mark 1:35–37 we read:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up, went out, and made His way to a deserted place; and there He was praying. Simon and his companions searched for Him, and when they found Him they said, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’”
Time and again, as Luke 5:16 also shows, when the crowds and the demands of ministry came looking for Jesus, He was found praying. Not preparing a sermon. Not counselling someone. Not networking over coffee. Praying.
If Jesus — the Son of God — prioritised prayer over visible ministry tasks, then full-time ministers today can’t afford to treat it as optional.
“So You’re Saying Just Pray All Day?”
No. Full-time workers should still work hard at preparing solid sermons, doing pastoral visits, counselling, deliverance, and leadership development.
The problem is that these activities are tangible and measurable — so we often use them as the main gauge of our effectiveness, while quietly neglecting prayer. We can’t imagine saying “no” to a meeting or coffee with a leader but will easily say “no” to a block of prayer time.
Prayer is not wasted time — it’s the foundation that makes every other ministry task effective.
Schedule It or Lose It
One of the devil’s subtle lies to ministers is that prayer should be done “in your own time” or “when you get a gap.” Ministry life, however, has an endless supply of “urgent” things — visits, admin, sermon prep, counselling.
If prayer is not blocked out in your calendar, it will always be the thing you intend to do but never get around to.
Scripture shows us examples of set prayer rhythms:
- Acts 3:1 — Peter and John went to the temple “at the hour of prayer.”
- Daniel 6:10 — Daniel prayed three times a day, as was his custom
- Psalm 55:17 — “Evening, morning, and noon I utter my complaint and moan, and He hears my voice.”
What you schedule reflects what you value. If prayer isn’t a priority in your calendar, it reveals how much you truly rely on God.
As E.M. Bounds famously said:
“A preacher who is not praying is playing; a minister who is not praying is straying. We have many who can preach, but few who can pray.”
What Do I Pray About?
If you’re ready to schedule prayer but don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas:
- Intercession — Standing in the Gap
Bring specific people, families, and situations before God, asking Him to intervene, comfort, heal, or provide. For example, you might pray for a struggling marriage, a young believer’s faith to be strengthened, or wisdom for someone facing a big decision.
Why it’s valuable: Intercession invites God’s power into places you could never reach by human effort, and it shapes your own heart with compassion.
- Wisdom — Guidance for Leadership
Ask God to show you how to lead the church, what to preach, which leaders to invest in, and where to focus resources.
Why it’s valuable: Ministry without God’s wisdom easily drifts into busyness without fruit. Prayer for wisdom aligns your leadership decisions with heaven’s priorities.
- Prophetic Sensitivity — Listening for God’s Prompting
In prayer, be still and let the Holy Spirit bring people or situations to mind. Pray for them specifically, and if you sense a prophetic word, encouragement, or Scripture, follow through and share it.
Why it’s valuable: It trains you to hear God’s voice and respond in real time, making your ministry Spirit-led instead of agenda-led. Often, this kind of prayer results in timely encouragement that deeply impacts someone’s walk with Jesus.
- Discernment — Seeing What Busyness Hides
Pray for the ability to notice the quiet needs, hidden struggles, and spiritual battles in your congregation. Busyness can make you blind to these things, but prayer sharpens your awareness.
Why it’s valuable: Discernment protects the flock. You’ll be able to address issues before they grow into crises, and you’ll shepherd people more personally and effectively.
The Power of Prayer
Some leaders struggle with the idea of spending a significant amount of their work hours in prayer, but to see it as unproductive is to overestimate our own ability and underestimate God’s. Prayer is not a side activity — it is the channel through which God moves in and through His people.
Through prayer we partner with God so that:
- He builds His church (Psalm 127:1)
- He opens doors for ministry (Colossians 4:3)
- He strengthens believers (Ephesians 3:16)
- He fights battles we cannot see (Ephesians 6:12, 18)
Often, God only moves when His people pray (James 4:2 — “You do not have because you do not ask”). At times, the reason a person, family, or ministry situation remains unchanged is simply because no one is bringing it before Him.
As leaders, we are called to stand in the gap and pray even when others won’t (Ezekiel 22:30). Part of our responsibility is to intercede on behalf of those who are too weary, too distracted, or even too stubborn to pray for themselves.
Prayer is how we open the door for God to lead, heal, and build. When you make prayer central to your ministry, you’re not neglecting your responsibilities — you’re fulfilling them.
Final Challenge
Before you plan another week of ministry tasks, schedule your prayer times. Guard them as fiercely as you would a leadership meeting or a preaching slot. Make them visible in your calendar.
And remember: You are not pausing the work to pray — you are going to the place where the real work is done.
Think 180 