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The role and responsibilities of a prayer coordinator in a church setting. The prayer coordinator is responsible for developing and implementing prayer programs and activities, identifying and organizing intercessory prayer groups, and promoting the importance of prayer within the church community. The document also provides suggestions for various prayer initiatives and emphasizes the importance of prayer in the growth and effectiveness of the church.
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Compiled and presented by: Charles Burkeen Director, Member Ministries and Evangelism Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 19800 Oatfield Road Gladstone, OR 97023 (503)850-
HOW TO START A PRAYER
MINISTRY
Matthew 18:16-
3. Set aside a place for prayer.
2 Chronicles 7:12-15, Luke 11:
_4. Make time to pray. Psalms 32:
Ezekiel 22:
6. Make a budget. Romans 14:12, _Luke 16:
Matthew 16:27, Romans 2:
The Prayer Coordinator is an essential element for a praying church. He or she is a person who will help to integrate prayer into the total life of the church and church calendar - at the conference level, and at the local church.
The person (or persons) appointed to this position should possess the following:
One of the first places to begin will be to identify those people in the church who have indicated an interest in intercessory prayer.
Next, the Coordinator should research and evaluate the church's current prayer ministries - both at the conference and local church levels.
Establish a prayer group who will pray, plan, and communicate prayer initiatives.
The Coordinator will work with the pastors in the identification and selection of a respected person in each church to serve as the local church Prayer Coordinator.
Provide for training, suggestions, materials, and networking.
Help in the implementation of plans for prayer partners and/or individuals who are committed to daily prayer for specific people - by name - pastors, teachers, publishing and medical work, church leaders at the Conference, Union, North American Division and General Conference.
Some suggested avenues for exploration could be: Prayer in the Worship Service, Family Prayer, Prayer Telephone Ministry, Prayer Emphasis Week, Prayer Chains, Prayer Partners, Prayer Meetings, Senior Intercessors, Evangelism Prayer Groups, Prayer Retreats, Day of Prayer Activities, and Prayer for specific needs and events.
What resources are available in starting a prayer ministry?
At the early stages, you might look especially for these three resources:
It might also be helpful to attend a conference or seminar on prayer, especially one that deals with organizing prayer ministry.
Schedule a time for planning. But a plan is a flexible tool. Remember that a good ministry plan is dynamic, not static. Things change. A good plan grows out of the vision.
ministry will be carried out. A church might be most concerned about in-depth study and discipleship programs, versus a focus on reaching new pray-ers. Individual prayer, group Bible-study with prayer, and ministry have become central values in many places.
Be sure church leaders understand and approve of the prayer ministry. Better yet, make sure the ministry has enthusiastic leaders who will lead by example. Recognize that people have different backgrounds and levels of Christian maturity, as well as varying schedules and commitments. Design ministries that will be suitable for people at several levels of maturity and prayer experience, and that will accommodate a variety of schedules. There are many creative ways that large and small churches can offer a variety of prayer experiences.
A WORKABLE MINISTRY P LAN
A useful, workable ministry plan includes the following elements:
The mission of the prayer ministry is to pray, teach others to pray, to study the Scriptures together, to provide prayer and ministry opportunities, and participate in the fulfillment of our church's vision and mission, as we are inspired by the Holy Spirit.
fulfillment of the above statement): Some goals might be:
needed to carry out a goal. Objectives might describe a cluster of activities that contribute to a goal. Too many objectives can be difficult to monitor. They need to be reviewed regularly.
help in the development of their own job description. Identify the key positions, and describe the responsibilities. Try to make the job descriptions brief and simple.
plan. Share the plan to seek endorsement. Pray for God's wisdom and timing and for God to prepare the hearts of the presenters and the listeners to receive and embrace the prayer ministry.
P RAYER MINISTRIES
Prayer is exciting and offers many opportunities for ministry. Choose the ministries that suit your church.
Help people grow. Start with something easy. Adapt ideas to fit your needs. Look for ideas from other places.
“I will love you and affirm you no matter what you have said or done. I love you as you are and for what Christ wants to make of you.”
“Anything I have, time, energy, wisdom, myself, finances, are all at your disposal. I give these to you and the covenant group in a unique way."
“I covenant to give a regular part of my time to this group when it decides to meet. I consider that time to be of highest priority on my schedule.”
“I promise to pray for you, to uphold you, and to attempt to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit concerning your needs.”
“I will show myself to you, letting you know who I am as a person in feeling, history, hopes and hurts; in other words, I will need you!"
"I will be honest in my mirroring back to you what I sense and feel coming from you.”
“What goes on in this group stays here. I will say nothing that may be traced back or that could-be injurious or embarrassing to my covenant partners."
"You have a right to expect growth from me so that I may give you the fullness of the gifts which God has bestowed upon me and fulfill my God-created designs. Therefore I will not languish in the process of growth."
HOW TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO PRAY
_1. Recruit from the pulpit
IDEAS FOR PRAYER MINISTRIES
1. Develop a prayer hedge around yourself by getting at least one
person to pray for you.
2. Develop a _prayer hedge around your pastor.
and pray together on a regular basis.
6. Develop a _telephone prayer chain for your church.
pray for: a. Leaders in your community b. Famous people or influential people c. Underprivileged in your community d. Pray for specific groups i. Single parents ii. Young mothers iii. Teens iv. School children v. Preschool children
Praying together not only strengthens our faith, but mutual praying makes the large task of prayer more manageable.
Private prayers are an indispensable part of every Christian's life. It is the highest activity in which any soul can engage.
In personal prayer we dare to look into our heart of hearts to discern those most private problems and issues we need to place before the Lord.
If family worship is neglected, other attempts at prayer are like sprinkling the foliage of a plant with water while leaving the roots dry.
Family devotions should be part of every Christian family's experience.
God has chosen PRAYER as the key by which His church does its work. Through PRAYER we impact the world for God.
Spend time reading promises of God in the Psalms, in the prophets, and passages on prayer located in the New Testament. Check your concordance. (Psalm 119:97)
This is general request for others, praying through the prayer list, the prayer cards, or personal prayer interest on behalf of yourself and others. (Hebrews 4:16)
Specific prayer on the behalf of others. Pray specifically for those requests of which you are aware. (Romans 15:30-33)
Now take the Scriptures and start praying the Scriptures as certain sections of Psalm 119 lend themselves beautifully to prayer expression. (Psalm 119:38-46)
Spend these minutes giving thanks to the Lord for things in your life, things on behalf of the church, things on behalf of your family. (Philippians 4:6)
Take your hymnal and sing a prayer song, sing a praise song, sing a song regarding soul winning or witnessing. Let it be a time of praise. (Psalm 59:17)
Ask the Lord to speak back to you and keep a paper and pen handy, ready to relate the impressions that He makes upon your life. (Psalm 63)
Spend time merging the things you have read from the Word, the things you have prayed, the things you have thanked the Lord for, the things that you have been singing, and see how the Lord brings them all together to speak to you. (I Samuel 3:9-10)
Praise the Lord for the time you have had to spend with Him. Praise Him for the impressions that He has given you. Praise Him for the prayer requests He raised up in your mind. (Psalm 145:1-13)
"I never thought a day could make such a difference," a friend said to me. "My relationship to everyone seems improved." "Why don't I do it more often?" Comments like these come from those who set aside a personal day of prayer. With so many activities—important ones—clamoring for our time, real prayer is considered more a luxury than a necessity. How much more so spending a day in prayer! The Bible gives us three time-guides for personal prayer. There is the command to "pray without ceasing"-the spirit of prayer-keeping so in tune with God that we can lift our hearts in request or praise anytime through the day. There is also the practice of a quiet time or morning watch-seen in the life of David (Psalm 5:3), of Daniel (6: 10), and of the Lord Jesus (Mark 1:35). This daily time specified for meditation in the Word of God and prayer is indispensable to the growing, healthy Christian. Then there are examples in the Scripture of extended time given to prayer alone. Jesus spent whole night praying. Nehemiah prayed "certain days" upon hearing of the plight of Jerusalem. Three times Moses spent forty days and forty nights alone with God.
Having set aside a day or portion of a day for prayer, pack a lunch and start out. Find a place where you can be alone, away from distractions. This may be a wooded area near home, or your backyard. An outdoor spot is excellent if you can find it; but don't get sidetracked into nature studies and fritter away your time. If you find yourself watching the squirrels or the ants, direct your observation by reading Psalm 104 and meditating on the power of God in creation. Take along a Bible, a notebook and pencil, a hymnbook, and perhaps a devotional book. I like to have with me the booklet Power Through Prayer by E.M. Bounds and read a chapter or two as a challenge to the strategic value of prayer. Even if you have all day, you will want to use it profitably. So lose no time in starting, and start purposefully.
Divide the day into three parts: waiting on the Lord, prayer for others, and prayer for yourself. As you wait on the Lord, don't hurry. You will miss the point if you look for some mystical or ecstatic experience. Just seek the Lord, waiting on him. Isaiah 40: promises that those who wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. Psalm 27:14 is