Introduction to Leadership Prayers

Leadership Prayers is a book for those people who care enough about great leading and following to think rigorously about it and to open their spirits to do something about it. If you are now leading, want to lead, feel called to lead, are obliged to lead, or are responsible for choosing or guiding leaders, you will find this book valuable.

Leaders do not pray to inform God of what is happening. He already knows. And they do not pray to get him to do what they want. He already wants what is best for everyone involved.

Leaders pray to maintain the right relationship with God. From that relationship between the human spirit and the Spirit of God comes the divine perspective, insight, direction, and courage the leader must have to serve well. To keep from blundering into either hubris or despair requires a special sense of vision and balance that comes in a unique way from the Spirit of God through prayer. Ultimately, prayer determines the leader's effectiveness in what matters most—the eternal matters of the human spirit, including the leader’s own spirit.

Jesus taught us to lead creatively and wisely, but he refused to tell us exactly how to do it. He just said that the Word of God must be our Truth, and that he would leave his Spirit to guide ours. He also told us to pray.

Jesus taught us to lead creatively and wisely, but he refused to tell us exactly how to do it. He just said that the Word of God must be our Truth, and that he would leave his Spirit to guide ours. He also told us to pray.

When we answer the call to lead, we commit ourselves to enable others to see their dream more clearly and somehow make it happen. Thats spiritual business, and it cannot be done well without effective communication with the Spirit of God through prayer. When we lead well, exceptional achievement is possible. That is why we answer the call to lead. It is also why we follow great leaders. And it is why leaders pray so fervently.

By their nature, these prayers live only when they are internalized; they have power only when they are applied to real-life challenges. Skimming over them to get the main ideas will mean little because this is not a nifty new management technique. These are thoughts and prayers about leading people—not by the hand or by the nose or even by the intellect, but through the spirit. Do not let the simplicity of these prayers fool you. If leadership were easy, everyone would be a great leader. Great leadership is from the spirit. The life of the spirit may be simple, even obvious, but it is never easy. 

These are meant to be real prayers for individual leaders or for leadership groups, from the Board to an ad hoc task force. They evolved over many years of hard use while God was teaching me lessons I was not always sure I wanted to learn. They have been tested and confirmed by other leaders and have produced good results in me and the people I care about. | offer them to you as a pragmatic idealist trying to influence a chaotic and threatening world toward the values of the kingdom of God.

"I still read and reread Leadership Prayers and am thankful for it! Dusted off my copy of Leadership Prayers this morning to read through once more, (well worn) wanted to thank you once more for this book. I must have given away a hundred copies or more of this over the years and have had many good comments! Was sharing with a general manager here about employment turn over, keeping good employees, he said, 'I have even prayed, hoping God will hear me and help.' I asked him what he is praying...he stumbled a bit and said he doesn't pray much so it’s always just about helping employees stay... I had one of my personal copied of Leadership prayers left that I have scribbled in. Gave it to him and told him to read first and then turn his reading into a quiet moment between him and God and try to make the written words his own personal prayer...He said he'd try..." -Michael Paddy, Resident Minister at Grand Canyon Community Church