The Pastoral Prayer
Understanding Our Worship at FBC
Let’s address the obvious first: my prayers are long. In fact, that might be an understatement—one that’s likely met with the classic “Ya think?” But have you ever stopped to consider why my prayers tend to be lengthy? Is there a pattern to them? Do they serve a purpose beyond the moment, offering edification or instruction in our gatherings?
Before we dive deeper, let’s step back. What exactly is a pastoral prayer, and why do we begin our services with what might seem like an eternity-long (okay, perhaps a slight exaggeration) prayer? These are important questions, and in this second article of Understanding Our Worship at FBC, I’ll address them. In part one, I explored why we begin our services in silence rather than with shouts, and why that silence is followed by the call, “Hear the Word of the Lord.” If you haven’t read that article yet, I encourage you to do so before continuing. But if you have, let’s dive into today’s topic: the pastoral prayer—why it’s called that, its structure, and its purpose in our worship.
What’s in a Name?
While the term "pastoral prayer" isn’t explicitly found in Scripture, the Bible is full of exhortations that emphasize the pastor’s responsibility to pray. For example, in Acts 6:4, the apostles address a crisis of division in the church by instituting what could be seen as the office of deacon (though the term is not directly used here). The situation unfolded as follows:
“Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.’” (Acts 6:1-4)
In other words, while the crisis was significant, the apostles—later to be replaced by elders—understood that their primary responsibility was to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. Paul, writing to the young pastor Timothy, urges:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions.” (1 Timothy 2:1-2a)
Later, in 1 Timothy 2:8, Paul expresses his desire that “the men should pray.” James, in instructing the church about caring for the sick, says the elders should pray over the ill (James 5:14a). Prayer, then, is a vital ministry and responsibility for pastors among God’s people. A pastor is not only a preacher of God’s Word but also a pleader for God’s people. Peter reminds the church that pastors are under-shepherds to the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2-4). And in Romans 8:34, Paul tells us that Jesus is interceding for the people of God. If this is true for the Chief Shepherd, how much more should Christ’s under-shepherds prioritize prayer—both privately and publicly during our gatherings?
For these reasons, I, along with many others throughout church history, often refer to the opening prayer of our gatherings as the “pastoral prayer.” The pastoral prayer in our public gatherings serves as an extension of the pastor’s responsibility to pray for, edify, and instruct God’s people. This is why, if I am not leading the prayer, one of the other elders will.
The Structure of the Pastoral Prayer
Now, let’s talk about the prayer itself. Why is it so long? Is there any rhyme or reason to its structure? The answer is: Yes! In fact, you may have already noticed a pattern. I follow a basic acrostic that has been used for a long time. In other words, I’m not reinventing the wheel here. The structure of my pastoral prayer can be summarized using the acrostic ACTS. No, not the book of Acts, but ACTS stands for:
Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication
The idea is simple: when we begin our time in prayer, we first praise God for who He is. God deserves to be worshiped and praised not because He gives good gifts or answers our prayers, but simply because He is the all-sufficient, all-satisfying, sovereign, and Triune God of the universe. He is pure being (Exodus 3:13). He is beauty, goodness, and excellence. He is holy and transcendent. He is not contained by anything; in Himself, all things are contained.
Imagine walking into the Sistine Chapel, gazing at a painting by Picasso, listening to Mozart’s symphony played by the best ensemble, or savoring a bite of the finest filet mignon prepared by the world’s greatest chef at a five-star restaurant. (Even these illustrations fall short of describing the one we approach in worship.) Now, imagine that after experiencing these masterpieces, the first thing you do is start talking about yourself, scroll through Instagram in the art museum, listen to your playlist during the symphony, or ask where the nearest Chipotle is in the five-star restaurant.
When we approach God without first adoring Him, when we pray without considering His magnificence, it’s like climbing Mount Everest without acknowledging the depth, breadth, and danger of such a lofty mountain. This is why we begin our prayer not with a list of requests, but with a view of God that puts our requests into perspective. Even when a climber summits Everest, it is the mountain’s beauty and power that eclipses the achievement. Similarly, God’s being, beauty, and attributes must trump even our most urgent prayer requests or long-held desires.
Adoration is followed by confession because, quite simply, we all sin. We have all failed to adore God as we ought. We’ve given into unbelief throughout the week. We’ve been indifferent and unimpressed with God and His word, and far too easily impressed by the world and our own selves. We have committed both sins of omission (things we should have done but left undone) and commission (things we have done that we ought to have left undone).
Scripture gives us clear grounds to say that, in our prayer life, if confession and repentance aren’t present, we’re missing the mark. Without confession, we fall into deceit and miss out on the opportunity to feast on the riches of the gospel. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” Confession and repentance—far from hindering gospel joy—enable us to delight in and feast on the promises of the gospel. This is why every confession of sin and repentance is followed by the assurance of pardon, reminding us that it is Christ alone who is the basis of our forgiveness.
Confession is followed by thanksgiving, and thanksgiving is followed by supplication. Scripture tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Paul encourages the Philippians, “The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6).
In other words, prayer without thanksgiving isn’t prayer—at least, not biblical, God-honoring prayer. And for all that we may not have or are still waiting on, we could easily count countless blessings. Finally, we conclude with supplication. Jesus reminds His disciples, “Apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) He also tells them to “pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matthew 9:38). Paul frequently requested believers to pray for him (1 Thessalonians 5:25) and prayed for the churches in specific ways (Ephesians 1:15-23; Colossians 1:9-14). This is why we end our corporate prayer by focusing on requests for one another, for future endeavors, missions, and for leaders at every level.
The Biblical Basis for ACTS
Prayer is the lifeblood of our public gathering. This isn’t a time for mindlessly scrolling; it’s a time for savoring deeply and lingering long in the truth of God, us, the gospel, and asking for things only God, in His infinite power and wisdom, can accomplish. But is there biblical support for the ACTS pattern of corporate prayer, or is it merely a tradition or preference? Can’t we skip some of these elements every now and then, or go out of order for the sake of time?
Two passages offer insight into the biblical foundation for this prayer structure. First, the Lord’s Prayer. The disciples, wanting to learn how to pray, asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray!” And, of course, we’re all familiar with the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13)
Notice how the basic ACTS pattern is present: adoration (“Hallowed be your name”), supplication (“Give us this day our daily bread”), confession (“forgive us our debts”), and further supplication (“deliver us from evil”). Jesus doesn’t say, “Pray this prayer verbatim, word for word.” Rather, He says, “Pray like this”—follow this pattern.
The second passage is found in Acts 4:23-31. While I won’t quote it all here, notice how the believers’ first words were not a request, but a praise of adoration: “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.” (Acts 4:24) It is striking that, while the believers had big needs and big prayer requests to see God do big things among them, they first acknowledged - gazed - at their big God. I pray that as you understand the scriptural foundation and structure of the pastoral prayer, you are motivated, edified, and eagerly anticipate this special time in our gatherings. And perhaps the ACTS acrostic can even help guide your own private prayer life.