You're a Pastor...You Pray!

Something odd continues to happen to me, something I understand yet am confused about.  The odd thing is, whenever I go to a party, or dinner with family or friends who know of my occupation, I am always requested to pray.

  Yesterday I was hanging around an elder at a church and I did it to him.  I said: "You're an elder, you pray!"  I caught him off guard, but I could sense his awkward pause...not because he didn't want to pray but I suspect because he was thinking: "What makes me different to be the one who has to pray?"

  I walk through that question every time I'm asked to pray because "I'm a Pastor".

  In some respects, I get it: I am praying (or "supposed" to be praying) a lot in my job.  I am (or supposed to be) spending a lot of time with God and His Word.  I am shepherding the flock and sometimes need to teach on prayer and show others how to feel open to a dialogue with God.

  However, I'm confused because aren't we all supposed to be doing these things?  I'm confused because people feel they need to not pray because I'm around...is there fear of my judging their prayer as if I will critique the way they in their own way address the almighty...as if I know the only way to do it and they'll jack it up?  If that's the case...there's some bad theology being taught.

  Could it also be there is a slight weirdness factor and they desire me to pray because they usually don't pray but want to make me feel welcome, or themselves feel better?  I'm sure I've experienced this along the way and it's not terrible for me to then pray un-begrudgingly.

  Yet, when I am in a room with other Christians and this is asked of me, I bristle a bit because it makes no logical sense.  I am a pastor yes.  I pray, yes, I don't mind praying it's just I don't always have to be the one to pray, just because of my station doesn't mean I have a better way of praying for dinner, nor does it mean I am for some reason "holier" then you.  We are all saved under one Lord, one Death and marked by One Spirit.

  Again, I find this phenomenon interesting.  Why do you ask your pastor to pray when he's around?