Monday Morning Manna: But Does He Know How to Pray?

I’ve been around a lot of pastor-less churches as they conducted their search for a new pastor. Interesting the questions they ask. Can he preach? How well does he relate to people? Can he appeal to the younger generation? How about the senior adults? Can he manage a staff? Is he good at organization? What is His vision for the church? Seldom have I heard a search committee ask, does he know how to pray? The most often used verb in the ministry of Jesus was the verb, “to pray.” When the disciples finally got around to asking Jesus to teach them something, it was, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Pastoring a church, even a small one, is not a task that anyone can do alone. So a successful pastor will know to ask for help. But whom does he ask? “You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss” (James 4:2-3). If you find yourself looking for a pastor, ask many questions, but don’t forget, “does he know how to pray”?
Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.