A Manual For The Prayer Coordinator
Compiled and presented by:
Charles Burkeen
Director, Member Ministries and Evangelism
Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
19800 Oatfield Road
Gladstone, OR 97023
(503)850-3500
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The Role and Importance of a Prayer Coordinator in a Church, Exercises of Dynamics
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.
What you will learn
- What are the responsibilities of a prayer coordinator in a church?
- What are some suggested prayer initiatives that can be explored in a church setting?
- What are some creative ways that churches can offer prayer experiences?
- How can a church effectively implement prayer initiatives?
- Why is prayer important for the growth and effectiveness of a church?
Typology: Exercises
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A Manual For The Prayer Coordinator
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-
Contents
- WHY START A PRAYER MINISTRY?
- HOW TO START A PRAYER MINISTRY
- THE PRAYER COORDINATOR
- GETTING STARTED
- COVENANT DYNAMICS FOR PRAYER GROUPS
- HOW TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO PRAY
- IDEAS FOR PRAYER MINISTRIES
- THE PRAYING CHURCH
- BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES ON PRAYER
- PRAYER IN EVANGELISM
- SPEND AN HOUR WITH GOD
- HOW TO SPEND A DAY IN PRAYER
- GUIDELINES FOR THOSE DESIRING ANOINTING
- MAKING YOUR PRAYER LIFE MORE EFFECTIVE
- THE PERSONAL PRAYER AND FRIENDSHIP BOOKLET
HOW TO START A PRAYER
MINISTRY
- _Wait on the Lord. Luke 24:
- Enlist others to pray with you._
Matthew 18:16-
3. Set aside a place for prayer.
2 Chronicles 7:12-15, Luke 11:
_4. Make time to pray. Psalms 32:
- Intercede for others. Isaiah_ 59:16,
Ezekiel 22:
6. Make a budget. Romans 14:12, _Luke 16:
- Train others to pray. Matthew 28:
- Hold each other accountable._
Matthew 16:27, Romans 2:
THE PRAYER COORDINATOR
J OB DESCRIPTION :
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.
QUALIFICATIONS:
The person (or persons) appointed to this position should possess the following:
- a strong personal prayer life
- spiritual maturity
- gifts to organize, encourage, and give leadership in prayer emphases
- a good reputation in the church and the confidence of church leaders
- enough time to attend key pray events
THE WORK OF THE PRAYER COORDINATOR/TEAM:
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.
EXPLORE RESOURCES
What resources are available in starting a prayer ministry?
At the early stages, you might look especially for these three resources:
- A handbook or manual giving principles, ideas, and methods will be valuable.
- A resource person, with some background and experience in prayer ministry and in prayer ministry organization.
- At least one person who is willing to pray regularly for the planning, development, and implementation of the new prayer ministry.
It might also be helpful to attend a conference or seminar on prayer, especially one that deals with organizing prayer ministry.
HOW TO START A 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.
DECIDE ON KEY VALUES. There are a variety of possible values about the way the
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.
DEVELOP A STRATEGY. We need to ask God what form the ministry needs to take.
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:
- A compelling mission statement
- Practical goals
- Clear objectives
- Specific action plans
- Adequate job descriptions for key responsibilities
- A basic organizational chart showing who is responsible to whom
- A simple budget, if money will be spent
TRY TO STATE THE MISSION IN ONE CLEAR SENTENCE. For example:
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.
GOALS PROVIDE SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE MISSION PLAN. For example (and in
fulfillment of the above statement): Some goals might be:
- To encourage people to pray and/or pray more.
- Teach church members and others to pray.
- Develop opportunities for people to become more involved in prayer, Bible study, and ministry.
OBJECTIVES WILL FURTHER DEFINE THE MINISTRY. They might define the steps
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.
ACTION PLANS - will outline the specific steps needed to fulfill each objective.
J OB DESCRIPTIONS let people know what is expected of them. They may be able to
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.
SHARE THE PLAN. Ask for suggestions for improvement and/or confirmation of the
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.
- Begin with the people and groups who will give the greatest support. This will build both confidence and momentum.
- Next, share the plan with the leaders. If the leaders do not endorse the plan, do not present it to the church. Return to prayer, revise the plan, and/or try a different approach for winning support.
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.
START-U P MINISTRIES:
- Staff Prayer
- Prayer Outreach (praying for interests)
- Prayer Cards
- Prayer Apps
- Prayer Calendar
- Prayer List for Special Needs
- General Prayer Chain
- Day of Prayer Activities
I NTERMEDIATE MINISTRIES:
- Prayer Coordinator
- Prayer Vigils
- Prayer Partners
- Teaching Children to Pray
- Prayer Retreat or Seminar
- Personal Prayer Retreats
- Prayer Meeting
- Prayer Small Group
- Senior Intercessors
- Prayer Support Groups
- Prayer Groups for World Missions
- Membership Intercession Ministry
- Pastor's Prayer Support Groups
- Prayer-walking
- Prayer Breakfasts
- Prayer Emphasis Week or Month
ADVANCED MINISTRIES:
- Prayer Team Ministry
- Healing Prayer Ministry
- Designated Prayer Ministers at Church
- Prayer Telephone Ministry
EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF COVENANT
DYNAMICS FOR PRAYER GROUPS
1. The Covenant of Affirmation -- Agape Love
“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.”
2. The Covenant of Availability
“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."
3. The Covenant of Regularity
“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.”
4. The Covenant of Prayer
“I promise to pray for you, to uphold you, and to attempt to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit concerning your needs.”
5. The Covenant of Openness
“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!"
6. The Covenant of Honesty
"I will be honest in my mirroring back to you what I sense and feel coming from you.”
7. The Covenant of Confidentiality
“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."
8. The Covenant of Accountability
"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."
- “I am dead earnest about being in this group and about growing”
HOW TO RECRUIT PEOPLE TO PRAY
_1. Recruit from the pulpit
- Don't allow prayer emphasis to conflict with other_ _major church events
- Print the purpose of prayer in your bulletin/newsletters
- Get groups to sign up for specific prayer times
- Put up a sign up board in church foyer
- Orient new members to your prayer commitment
- Have people commit to a certain term of prayer
- Emphasize special considerations (i.e. convenient_ _times, praying together or single)
- Have "Prayer Captains" to be in charge of prayer for a_ certain day or week. a. They will pick up the sign-up sheet b. They will call to encourage people to pray c. They will thank members for their faithfulness in praying _d. They will keep request and answers up to date
- Make public the results of prayer_
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.
- Start_ a _Prayer Request - Answer book for your church.
- Start secret prayer partners.
- Encourage the members_ of your church to find a prayer partner
and pray together on a regular basis.
6. Develop a _telephone prayer chain for your church.
- Plan_ a _prayer room for your church.
- Plan_ a _prayer retreat/seminar for your church.
- Plan_ a _prayer breakfast for your church or community.
- Plan_ a _prayer potluck.
- Plan prayer concerts/vigils
- Have_ a prayer walk for your community and as you walk
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.
7. ENCOURAGE PERSONAL DEVOTIONS.
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.
8. ENCOURAGE FAMILY DEVOTIONS.
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.
BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVES ON PRAYER
- God's answer is never a forced response. It is purely a gift of grace.
- You seek for God's will in your prayer--and in doing so you marvelously find your path fulfilled, your purposes achieved, and your desires responded to.
- He takes into account every prayer ever offered and is forever involved with us in charting the course of history.
- Here is the hope of our prayer: the kingdom of the enemy will fall and all its false pride will be exposed.
- The more we pray, the more our horizons expand and the more we come to expect from a supernatural, miracle-working God.
- When we short-circuit prayer we give our lives and ministry a secularistic or humanistic framework within which to work.
- Prayer is giving focus to the mission of the church.
- Does God exist to help fulfill our plans, or do we exist to fulfill the plans of God?
God has chosen PRAYER as the key by which His church does its work. Through PRAYER we impact the world for God.
PRAYER IN EVANGELISM
10 THINGS THE HOLY SPIRIT DOES TO EVANGELIZE THE COMMUNITY
THROUGH PRAYER.
- It imparts compassion for the lost
- It brings repentance to the church and community
- It teaches us how to effectively reach our community
- It empowers Christians to witness
- It grants laborers for the harvest
- It guides our outreach
- It gives means and resources
- It gives vitality and life to the church
- It brings UNITY
- It fills us with the love of God
10 WAYS THE HOLY SPIRIT WORKS IN THE LIVES OF UNBELIEVERS
- It woos or draws to Jesus
- It sends witnesses to testify to and unbeliever
- It convicts of sin and guilt
- It convinces unbelievers of truth
- It opens the heart to believe on Christ
- It regenerates or changes
- It seals us in Christ
- It gives new believers assurance
- It develops the character of Jesus in the New Believer
- It incorporates people into the body of Christ
W HY DO WE NEED PRAYER CENTERS?
- It makes it possible to schedule prayer in a systematic way
- It promotes agreement in prayer
- It provides a place to register deeds of God in the life of the church
- It shows ownership of the Churches vision to win the city for Christ
- It gives advantages to evangelism
- It provides a place to practice prayer
- It has and inclusive impact on the church
- It provides a quiet place to hear the voice of God
- It provides a place for prolonged periods of prayer
- It provides a place where people can make a commitment to Jesus Christ
4. READ THE WORD
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)
5. PETITION
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)
6. INTERSESSION
Specific prayer on the behalf of others. Pray specifically for those requests of which you are aware. (Romans 15:30-33)
7. PRAY THE WORD
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)
8. THANKSGIVING
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)
9. SINGING
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)
10. M EDITATE
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)
11. LISTEN
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)
12. END WITH PRAISE
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)
HOW TO SPEND A DAY IN PRAYER
"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.
HOW TO GO ABOUT I T
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.
W AIT ON THE LORD
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