Lead with Prayer

Discover the prayer habits of world-changing ministry leaders that will transform your life and your leadership.

Experienced leaders will tell you that you can’t lead on your own. The pressure, the impossible decisions, the high risks, the temptations, the people, the overwhelming schedule—it’s too much. Some leaders seek outside help. They pray.

Looking for help in their own leadership, entrepreneur Ryan Skoog, CEO Peter Greer, and executive advisor Cameron Doolittle set out to investigate how leaders pray. What do they say to God? How often do they pray, and for how long? Where do they pray? And how on earth do they make time for prayer?

Skoog, Greer, and Doolittle spent three years researching. They logged over one hundred hours of interviews with leaders in six continents who collectively serve in over one hundred countries. They researched or spoke with global entrepreneurs and business executives of Fortune 500 companies, as well as some of the most influential pastors and ministry leaders in the world—leaders such as

• Joni Eareckson Tada
• Francis Chan
• John Mark Comer
• Christine Caine
• David Green
• Mark Batterson
• Among countless others.

Here in this book, the authors share the spiritual habits, techniques, and practices of these world-changing leaders, revealing specific details of their prayer lives. In addition, the book includes prayers for leaders to use in their own prayer time as well as tools for how to cultivate a personal and organizational commitment to prayer.

By allowing these men and women to lead us in prayer, we learn not only how to pray but also how to build a culture of prayer wherever we lead. It is only when our businesses, ministries, and churches pray that they will be transformed.

• "One of the best leaders I know said his life was changed by a single thought: God does not want more prayerless striving from me. Here is wise, deep, practical wisdom for leaders to work from a reality beyond themselves, for results beyond their abilities. If you have ever asked 'Lord, teach me to pray,' this may be your answer."

  John Ortberg, Founder, BecomeNew

• "I've read countless leadership books and prayer books, but Lead with Prayer is unique. Learning from praying leaders who've built thriving cultures of prayer is exactly what we need at this hour. I recommend you go through this book with every team you lead."

  Mark Batterson, NYT bestselling author, The Circle Maker; Lead Pastor, National Community Church

• "Every follower of Jesus that I know would say that prayer matters. Yet so often the pace of life, weighty decisions, and the tired state of our souls have distracted us from living as if it’s true. Lead With Prayer not only reminded me afresh that it is indeed true that prayer matters–it gave me a guide for moving forward in reclaiming prayer as the one non-negotiable in developing lasting fruit in my life. In this book, I was challenged, but not shamed. I was given a plan for prayer, but not a lifeless checklist to mark 'completed.' Lead With Prayer acts more like a gentle, yet firm, invitation to live and lead from a place of divine connection that is available to each of us. Perhaps the greatest thing I can say about this book is that it made me want to know Jesus more deeply. I pray it will do the same for you."

  Jason Mitchell, Senior Pastor LCBC Church, author of No Easy Jesus

• "Perhaps the biggest mistake a leader could make is trying to lead without their greatest tool, and that’s prayer. In Lead with Prayer, Ryan, Peter, and Cameron passionately reveal the transformative power of cultivating a vibrant prayer life within leadership roles. This book serves as a rallying cry for leaders of all kinds to shift their focus from self-reliance and achievement to a dynamic relationship with God. You can be known as a smart leader. You can be known as a visionary leader. But there’s nothing quite like being known as a praying leader. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to lead with purpose, impact, and an unwavering commitment to prayer."

  Ryan Leak, Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author of Leveling Up, Speaker, CEO, Ryan Leak Group

• "Nothing of eternal value happens unless we join God where He is working, and discernment like that comes from being deeply connected to Him through prayer. Lead withPrayer will inspire and move you to cultivate an authentic culture of prayer, first in your own life and then in the lives of those you lead. I can’t think of a more strategic discipline for all leaders to model and multiply."

  Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, President and CEO, Compassion International

• "I grew up in a parsonage in Australia. My small-church, God-loving pastor/father would demonstrate his simple faith by praying. I asked, 'How can you pray for people when you don’t see change?' He answered, 'God has asked me to pray; it is up to Him how He answers those prayers.' After leaving Australia in 1991 and facing a number of crises, we gathered as a family and prayed. We saw miracles! It changed each of our lives forever. Now as patriarch and matriarch of our large multi-generational family, David and I have taken the mantle of prayer modeled by our parents and pray together each night. It is powerful! Lead with Prayer will inspire leaders across the world to pray and…God, who is faithful, will pour out favor and blessing."

  Helen Smallbone, Author of Behind the Lights, co-founder of MUMlife Community, mother of Rebecca St. James and Joel and Luke from For King and Country

• "Not seeking God in prayer before making decisions is the most consistent mistake I see among faith driven entrepreneurs and investors. Self-reliance is as costly today as it was in the days of the good kings of 2 Chronicles, and that’s why I’m so grateful that Ryan, Peter, and Cameron have written this book that’s not just timely but overdue."

  Henry Kaestner, co-founder Faith Driven Entrepreneur and Faith Driven Investor, managing principal, Sovereign’s Capital

• "Prayer is the essential foundation of every Christian leader's journey and the key to unlocking God’s prevailing power. In this book, the authors inspire us, encourage us, and challenge us while providing practical tools from both saints who have come before us, and saints who live among us. May we all rise up as leaders, in every endeavor, to pray more. This book has truly illuminated and accelerated my own prayer journey."

  April Chapman, CEO, Generous Giving