Church Planting: A Prayer Strategy

[Reimagine Curator]

National Pastors' Prayer Network Article #64:

Church Planting: A Prayer Strategy

by Phil Miglioratti

Every church planting leadership team has the opportunity, and responsibility, to build prayer into the DNA of the new congregation. Church planting pastors should learn from those colleagues who have realized the importance of prayer and are struggling to change an already set church culture. 

Our Lord has never commanded us to build a house of preaching and certainly not a house of programs. But He has passionately made it clear that He expects us to become households of prayer for all nations (ethne'). This requires:

• Every strategy to be prayer-birthed
• Every ministry to be prayer-based
• Every activity to be prayer-bathed

Church planting pastors and leadership teams would do well to include these components in their philosophy and strategy of ministry from the very beginning:

Prayer Warriors
 

Every pastor should recruit prayer partners
 

Men (or women for female pastors) who meet with him for Prayer
 

Men & Women who prayer for him weekly
 

Recruit prayer support from partner congregations 

 

Read Prayer Shield 

√ PrayCareShare

 

 

Prayer Walking
 

The pastor should walk various parts of the community daily or weekly
Prayer teams should be assigned specific neighborhoods & hot spots 
 

Prayer in Worship
 

Work diligently at an inspiring and engaging pastoral prayer
 

Inject prayer:
 

•Before the service: Leaders gather for prayer
•During the service: Volunteers pray throughout
•After the service: Train a team to minister at the altar of in a prayer room 
 

Involve the congregation in prayer: 
 

Repeat-after-me prayers
Silent praying (through the bulletin, for example)
Kneeling or standing or moving (to a designated location)
With other church members; praying for identified needs 
 

Prayer Weekend
 

For core leadership
 

Retreat together to pray for God's purpose and plans and power 
 

Prayer Workshop
 

For prayer team and praying people 
 

Training in:
 

The various types of prayer and when to use them
Evangelistic praying strategies
Ministry prayer (healing and strengthening)
 

Prayer Watch 
 

Establish a regular rhythm of prayer among all the members 
 

Daily: teach daily praying for family, church and community 
Weekly: establish Watch & Pray groups
 

Watch – "Lord what are you saying to us through scripture and the events of the week … We want to see what you see as we pray…" 

Pray – "Lord, help us pray the promises of scripture and the purposes of God more than the problems of daily life." 
 

Pastor – Meet with a group of local pastors http://nppn.org/PPG.htm
 

Monthly: Design an exciting, everyone participates, evening of prayer 
 

Quarterly:
 

Invite another congregation to join you in prayer
Schedule a prayer workshop
Bring in a special speaker to preach on prayer 
 

Pastor:
 

Schedule a day of personal prayer
Read a new book on prayer
Retreat with your Pastors' Prayer Group 
 

Yearly: 
 

Call the entire congregation into a week of prayer
Pastor – Attend a major prayer conference and include your designated prayer coordinator

 

NPPNow Blogs
Pastors' Prayer Groups

Prayer Leaders
Praying Pastors
Prayer~Care~Share Strategies
 

[Annetta Works Salley]

GREAT BLOG POST!!! This information is just what need to create a strategic prayer plan. However, when I click on the links the webpages are not available. Please help. Thank you for time and help.

[Reimagine Curator]

I've refreshed the links in the article ...

Apologies for the old/broken links.