Prayer For Pastor Leaving Church
Lord God,
Thank you for the extraordinary love, commitment and creativity this wonderful pastor has given this church.
Thank you for the way he/she has served us and given out so much to the ministry we care for.
We pray that he/she would go on to find new treasures each day, and that the blessing of Christ would be upon all that he/she does, forevermore.
Amen.
Eternal God, whose steadfast love for us is from everlasting to everlasting,
we give you thanks for cherished memories
and commend one another into your care as we move in new directions.
Keep us one in your love forever, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gracious God, you have united us all in one body. We give you thanks for the work of Pastor (name) among us. As she/he leaves to a new congregation/ to retirement surround her/him with your Spirit. Give us the courage to release her/him to a new call and bless our remembering of the work that has been done among us. Guide Pastor (name) and us as we continue to seek to share the Good News of salvation through your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
God, whose everlasting love for all is trustworthy, help each of us to trust the future that rests in your care. The time we were together in your name saw our laughter and tears, our hopes and disappointments. We give you thanks for the countless ways our lives have been woven together in the tapestry of your church. Guide us as we hold these cherished memories, but move us in new directions, until that time to come when we are completely one with you and with each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Thank you, God, for the variety of ways your people proclaim your
goodness and lordship. Your love that binds us together is stronger than the
earthly differences that keep us apart. Amen.
Gracious God, we thank you for the gift of your Church. By the
power of your Holy Spirit you have gathered us together in love and made us
your own. Here we are strengthened by your Word, nourished by your Holy
Supper, and encouraged in the journey of faith by our brothers and sisters in
Christ. Continue to pour out your Spirit on us, that we may proclaim the good
news of your love in all that we say and do. Amen
Beloved, occasionally in the life of our church it is necessary to say farewell to
those who must leave us. Today we bid farewell to [Name], a member of our
church family who is departing for an extended period of active duty in the
service of our country. We want to recognize this occasion by sending [him/her]
forth with our blessing.
Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: I hold up all my weakness to your strength, my failure to your faithfulness, my sinfulness to your perfection, my loneliness to your compassion, my little pains to your great agony on the Cross. I pray that you will cleanse me, strengthen me, guide me, so that in all ways my life may be lived as you would have it lived, without cowardice and for you alone. Show me how to live in true humility, true contrition, and true love.