Creating a Corporate Culture of Prayer
“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Prayer is the heartbeat of the church! It is essential to our personal spiritual well-being and to the health of the ministry we serve. Any initiative not birthed in the incubator of prayer, and sustained by ongoing prayer, regardless of how ingenious or creative it may be, will wither away and ultimately fail. A prayerless pastor cannot lead a praying church. It will be a powerless exercise. The forces of hell battle relentlessly to distract God’s people from the place and practice of prayer. That alone testifies to its importance. As leaders, we must commit to prayer and equip the followers of Jesus to pray.
In His immeasurable love, God gives us a kind invitation to come boldly before His throne of grace. However, should we ignore that privilege, that same divine ‘tough love’ will allow circumstances into our life, our church, and our culture, which will ultimately bring us to our knees in desperation. The Old Testament chronicles of the nation of Israel repeatedly exemplify that truth. Often, that desperation comes by way of a rapidly deteriorating cultural morality or through a government with an antichrist agenda. There is strong evidence of that process at work in our own nation.
It is the heart of God, the call of our General Superintendent, and a priority of our District Superintendent to see prayer entrenched as a foundational principle and active force in every local church and ancillary ministry in our fellowship.
How does one create and sustain a ‘Corporate Culture of Prayer?’
Here are some suggestions that have helped me along my leadership journey:
Lead by example. It is unfair to expect those we lead to rise beyond our own level of commitment. If prayer is secondary in our lives, it will be less than imperative for our congregation. Those entrusted to our care will ultimately follow those things which we embrace wholeheartedly and pattern relentlessly. If we have not created a personal culture of prayer, we need not anticipate an automatic culture of prayer to emerge in our church. People must see that the leader’s life is inculcated with prayer. It is not sufficient to preach on prayer. It must be modelled on a regular, consistent basis. Prayer must become a spontaneous part of our daily behaviour.
Instruct co-leaders, team members and lay leaders. Emphasize the essentiality of introducing regular prayer in the context of the ministry they represent. Every event, every planning meeting, every conversation on mission and strategy should include a time of unhurried prayer. This is more than simply a prayer for blessing, or a perfunctory ritual. It is a prayer of invitation for the Holy Spirit to direct and energize all that we do.
Provide for prayer time in every service of the church. Prayer should be one of the identification points of the gathering church. It should be highlighted in every corporate service. Inviting multiple people of every age to pray publicly increases both the importance and the number of participants in public prayer. A specific time to focus on praying for one another, and for needs that are present, is never out of place in our services.
Designate a prayer room in your facility. If possible, designate a specific room in the church exclusively meant for prayer. Advertise it often to the congregation. Welcome people to come individually or gather in groups to pray. In my years in pastoral ministry, one of the greatest blessings I had was to witness people in our designated prayer room calling out to God every day of the week.
Commission others to be prayer ambassadors. Allow and encourage your co-leaders, your elders/deacons/department heads and anyone who shows a propensity towards prayer to engage regularly in the ministry of prayer to others. Provide anointing oil and teach them how to use it liberally. Give them prayer assignments outside of the walls of the church. Take key people with you on hospital visitation and other assignments where prayer will have a prominent part. As you pattern prayer for others, they will become confident to go on their own. Expect amazing reports to come back to the congregation. Good reports are always a great incentive to curry even greater passion.
“God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.”
“There are parts of our calling, works of the Holy Spirit, and defeats of the darkness that will come no other way than through furious, fervent, faith-filled, unceasing prayer.”
Al is an experienced pastor and counselor who works out of our ABNWT District Resource Centre in Edmonton as the Pastoral Care Coordinator. A pastor to the pastors, Al is a friend, mentor, and confidante to all.