Download the Prayer for church growth: Building faith, unity, & community impact
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Jesus taught us that “every good tree bears good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17) This is true for people as individuals and for churches—whatever is healthy grows and reproduces.
Church growth, however, goes far beyond numbers—it’s about fostering a thriving community where individuals grow closer to God, impacting the world around them. Through prayer, we invite God to lead us in building a spiritually rich and healthy church.
Talking about “church growth” can be a tenuous subject in Christian circles. On one end of the spectrum are pastors and church leaders who love talking about church growth. They want to see more people attending, ministries multiplying, and lives being impacted by the gospel.
On the other end of the spectrum are pastors and church leaders whose palms get a bit sweaty when people talk about “church growth.” They are intimately aware of the temptations and pitfalls of “caring too much about numbers” as a local church and losing sight of developing mature disciples whose lives reflect Jesus.
So who is right—those focused more on numbers, or those who care about depth of faith?
As with many debates, a healthy understanding of church growth is probably somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. In fact, “church growth” is best understood as having both qualitative attributes (growth in Christlikeness) and quantitative attributes (more people in attendance).
Qualitative church growth could be characterized by depth. Church growth is very much about seeing the people already part of the local church grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus.
It’s seeing branches attach more intimately with the Vine (John 15). When a church facilitates people taking their next steps in their walks with Christ in various ways (being baptized, volunteering, giving tithes and offerings, etc.), that is church growth.
Quantitative church growth could be characterized by breadth. Churches should also be interested in helping more people join the community of faith and meet Jesus for the first time.
This is often measured in some real, practical ways, like monitoring weekly attendance, the number of people serving, and giving trends. This kind of church growth may seem “shallow” to some, but both depth and breadth are important and don’t need to be in conflict.
Pastors, church leaders, and Christians of all kinds should pray often for church growth of both kinds. We should pray for and celebrate more people coming to church, and do the same for increasing Christian maturity and Christlikeness in the body of Christ.
So how might Christians pray for church growth? Here are four different categories along with examples of prayers for church growth that you can use.
An important aspect of praying for church growth is praying for spiritual growth and maturity. As briefly explored above, “church growth” is not only about higher weekly attendance numbers and financial windfalls. Church growth is as much about discipleship and sanctification as it is the numbers.
The body of Christ is made up of many members who have different strengths and weaknesses, and these members ought to regularly pray for one another.
Here are some prayers for spiritual growth and maturity you can use:
Prayer 1:
“Heavenly Father, we pray that our church would grow in wisdom, knowledge, and love for You. Help each of our members deepen their faith and live a life that reflects your truth. May we be filled with your Spirit and bear fruit that blesses others and honors you. Amen.”
Prayer 2:
“Lord God, we ask that you open our hearts and minds to receive your wisdom and truth. Help us to grow in understanding and live lives that reflect your love and grace to others. May we be deeply rooted in your Word and empowered by your Spirit to walk faithfully in every season. Amen.”
Prayer 3:
“Father, we pray for every member of our church to experience a deeper relationship with You. Teach us to hunger for your Word and to seek you in prayer daily. May we grow more in Christlike character, bearing fruit that glorifies your name and draws others to you. Amen.”
It is difficult for healthy, sustainable church growth to happen if the leaders of the church are not leaning on the wisdom and knowledge of God for daily management and vision casting for future ministry. So, another way that Christians can pray for church growth is to pray specifically for healthy, biblical leadership and God-glorifying vision among the varied leaders of the church.
Here some examples of prayers you might use for strong leadership and vision:
Prayer 1:
“Lord, we lift up our church leaders to you. Grant them wisdom and vision as they guide us according to your will. May they be strengthened by your Spirit, protected from harm, and lead our church with discernment and boldness to make an impact for your kingdom. Amen.”
Prayer 2:
“Heavenly Father, we pray for our pastors and leaders to have clarity and boldness in their calling. Guide them as they make decisions, and let their hearts remain focused on your mission for our church. Strengthen and encourage them to lead with humility, grace, and faith. Amen.”
Prayer 3:
“Jesus, we lift up our leaders to you. Give them discernment as they navigate challenges and opportunities. Help them to rely on your Spirit for strength and to inspire others with a clear vision for building your kingdom. Protect them from discouragement and fill them with peace and joy. Amen.”
One of the most tangible ways a local church may experience growth is through its local missions and community outreach efforts. Some of the most impactful ministry a local church will ever do is by serving the real, physical needs of the people in its neighborhood.
The heart of Christ is often most clearly seen in the hands of his people. Unfortunately, churches can sometimes struggle to get involvement from their members in local missions and community service work. So praying for this kind of ministry is vital.
Here are some ways you can pray for God to empower your local church in its local ministry and outreach efforts:
Prayer 1:
“Father, help our church be a beacon of hope and love in our community. Guide us in finding ways to serve and reach those in need, reflecting your grace and truth. May our actions point others to you and draw them into your family. Amen.”
Prayer 2:
“Lord God, we ask for your guidance as we seek to serve our community with love and compassion. Open doors for outreach opportunities and help us to meet both spiritual and physical needs. Let our actions reflect your heart and draw others into a relationship with You. Amen.”
Prayer 3:
“Lord, help us to be your hands and feet in our community. Teach us to see the needs around us and respond with generosity and kindness. Use our church to be a light in the darkness, bringing hope and transformation through your love. Amen.”
So much division characterizes our world today. Regardless of country, continent, or culture, people are feeling the pain of anger, hatred, and distrust on a daily basis. The local church is not immune from this problem. And, for obvious reasons, church growth is going to be hindered by a lack of unity and division.
We cannot have growth without unity. So how might we pray for unity and the healing of division in our churches for the sake of the people in them?
Check out these prayers for unity in your local church:
Prayer 1:
“Lord, we ask that you help our church be united in love and purpose. Let us support and encourage each other, honoring the work You’re doing in each of our lives. May we be known by our love for one another, showing the world the beauty of your family. Amen.”
Prayer 2:
“Lord Jesus, we pray for unity in our church family. Help us to set aside differences and focus on the mission you've given us. Let love be the foundation of all we do, and may our unity bring glory to your name and strength to our ministry. Amen.”
Prayer 3:
“God of peace, we ask that you knit our church together in harmony and love. Teach us to forgive one another and to serve with humility. May our unity reflect the beauty of your kingdom and inspire others to seek the love of Christ. Amen.”
Healthy, robust church growth will not happen apart from the favor and the will of God. Churches can grow their budgets, their staffs, and their worship attendance all while growing hollow at the same time. God is not impressed with higher numbers that are not followed by greater intimacy with him. Likewise, God is not interested in his people being closed off and unwelcoming to outsiders.
The local church is called to go out and make disciples, not just build itself up continually. With much prayer and petition, and by genuinely seeking the heart and the will of God, we may all see the qualitative and quantitative growth we want to see in our local churches. May it be so. And may we have the humility to pray bold prayers to God toward that end.
