As the pastor goes, so goes the church. As the church goes, so goes America.
With all I am, I believe this. Pastors and churches are very important to the future of America. In light of this, please consider these three things:
1. Pastors and churches, we need you to lead the way.
Whether it is taking the gospel to your community, leading a prayer observance for the National Day of Prayer or seeing your community prosper, lead the way! Your community, your state and our nation will never surpass the health, conviction and leadership of the pastors and churches in America.
2. Ministries and denominations, invest in pastors and churches.
This past week, Jeana (my wife) and I had the incredible privilege to lead and invest in pastors and wives of some of the largest churches in America. They are incredible people and they desire to grow, to be challenged and to be all God wants them to be in life and ministry. They also want to make a difference in America and across the world.
Ministries and denominations, I am convinced that your long-term value will be determined by how effectively you invest in pastors and churches. If our pastors are not healthy, our churches will not be healthy. Ministries and denominations have the incredible challenge and overwhelming privilege to invest in pastors and churches. There is nothing like it. Do it!
3. Churches, pray for pastors. Pastors, pray for churches. Pastors and churches, pray for America.
Every church in America needs to pray for their pastor. Recently, I was in the First Baptist Church of Dallas, speaking to the Pastor’s Prayer Partners. Three hundred men pray for their pastor, Robert Jeffress, regularly. In this banquet setting, their spouses joined them. What a massive group of laypeople praying for their pastor!
Pastor, pray for your church. If you will pray for your church, you will not get so discouraged that you will want to quit or become negative about the church you are called to serve. Praying for your church will change them, but more importantly, it will change you.
Pastors and churches, pray for America. This is the right thing to do. Find a moment in worship to call upon your entire church to pray for America. With all that is going on in our nation, we need to pray. Pray for America! If you do not know how to pray for America, take the time to listen to and watch the 2018 National Prayer for America.
Unquestionably, pastors and churches are important to the future of America. Now is the time to lead and to pray.
Ronnie Floyd is the senior pastor of Cross Church in Springdale, Arkansas, past president of the Southern Baptist Convention and founder of the Cross Church School of Ministry. This article was originally published on Floyd’s blog at RonnieFloyd.com.