"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you" (Hebrews 13:17).
Timothy writes to pray "for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity" (1 Timothy 2:2). Not only does Timothy suggest that tranquility and peace is a correlation between us praying for our leaders but that salvation is also; praying for our leaders is good and acceptable unto God, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, v.3-4. This fits with what the Bible says about leaders being the watch towers of souls.
A watchtower differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such as religious pagodas, may also be used as watchtowers.[1] The call to leadership in God's army is a call to accountability; "for they keep watch over souls as those who will give an account."
“Listen to another parable: There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. He leased it to tenant farmers and went away" (Matthew 21:33). When harvest time came he sent servants to collect the harvest but the tenants killed them. Finally the landowner sent his son, surely they will respect him, but they killed him also.
A watchtower was built. If anyone was manning the watchtower it does not say, if so it was not done in the interest of the landowner. Of course this is the story of God sending prophets, to his people, who they killed and eventually he sends his son who they crucify. The scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of the day, failed to man the watchtowers in the interests of God, they failed to watch over the souls. Pray for our leaders, as they man the watchtowers.