Evaluate Your Church
Is Your Church a Praying Church?
One of the greatest hindrances to God moving in a church
is a lack of prayer. If asked, most churches would say, "we
are a praying church." But if churches would really take
the time to figure out where they really were with prayer,
they would be shocked.
Most churches rely on the individual prayers of people
(seldom do people come together to pray) and a very limited
focus to prayers (only prayers offered for the needs
of people in the church—usually health related).
In "Every Church a Praying Church," we want to move
you out of that limited and narrow pattern of prayer.
The early church gathered constantly for prayer—in fact
it started in a prayer meeting. The Christian & Missionary
Alliance basically started in a prayer meeting as well—seven
gathered around a pot-bellied stove to pray down heaven!
If you want to see the Holy Spirit of God move in transforming
power within your own church, then prayer needs to get
front and center in the life of your church. Not people
presumably praying at home, but people coming together
to seek God for His plans and blessings.
The first step is an honest assessment of where you
are, and then you want a vision of where God wants you
to be. Below are some resources that you can use in this
assessment. The Church Prayer Discovery Guide is
an analytical tool, written by long-time Alliance pastor,
Steve Loopstra. It is widely used by pastors, elders,
and church prayer leaders to gain an honest assessment
of the prayer health of their church. We also recommend
two books and a video to you:
The Church Prayer Discovery Guide Used by permission
of Prayer Transformation Ministries (www.prayertransformation.org).
My House Shall Be a House of Prayer (Pray Books 2002) edited by Jonathan Graf and Lani Hinkle. Retail: $7
An introduction that provides a picture of three churches--prayerless,
prayer ministry and house of prayer—will help you analyze
where you are. Then the rest of this 64-page booklet
offers practical helps that can move you toward the house
of prayer model.
The Prayer-Saturated Church (NavPress 2004) by Cheryl Sacks. Retail $20
The book, written by the leading expert in local church prayer, is the most
comprehensive resource for growing prayer in the church
available today. Chapters 5 and 6, "Assessing Your Church's Needs" and "Taking Your Church
to the Next Level" will help you analyze where you are
as a church. The book also comes with a CD loaded with
more than 70 helpful resources to grow prayer in you
church.
PDF Downloads:
"God's Standard"—Download
Now!
Taken from The Prayer Saturated Church © 2004 Cheryl
Sacks. Used by Permission of NavPress/ Pray! Books.
"Seven Marks of a Praying Church"—Download Now!
Taken from The Prayer Saturated Church © 2004 Cheryl
Sacks. Used by Permission of NavPress/ Pray! Books.
Leadership for a Praying Church (Harvest Prayer Ministries) by David Butts. Retail $20
A powerful video that should be viewed by elders, pastoral
staff and other church leaders. An excellent resource
for a leadership or staff retreat, this seminar is taught
by a man who lives prayer in the local church. Butts
is the president of Harvest Prayer Ministries and the
chairman of America's National Prayer Committee. It includes
some of the content from both of the above books.
