I asked an SBC Colleague if I could share these insights with you. He is currently Illinois Baptist Prayer Ministry director and served as a pastor and interim Executive Director for the Chicago Metro Baptist Association. He has ministered several times with us in
David Smith, DoM
Thank you David for this opportunity ... I am truly blessed to know that our associational leadership is in dialogue about the issues that will revitalize our 300 year old system of cooperative ministry among congregations. May God grant this learning community strategic insights on how to guide, guard, and govern the work of Christ in our cities and communities.
You know by my mission statement ("connecting people to God through corporate prayer") that saturating congregations and associations with upward and outward (rather than exclusively inward) prayer is of vital concern to me. As I travel our state and connect with three dozen SBC state prayer leaders, I hear more mention and recognition of prayer, and that is encouraging. Implementation? That is another story. Most pastors and directors seem satisfied with small incremental steps, which is possibly better than nothing.
What would I suggest (how nice of you to ask)?
I'd welcome response, pro or con, to what amounts to an expanded outline for an upcoming training session: Prayer That
- We need a change in leadership - A recognition that we (directors and pastors) must be the prayer champion in our context. More than preaching on prayer, we must lead the church (or team or group) into the place of prayer. This is not an administrative position; it is a calling to call the Church to prayer. And to be right in the middle of the praying. Churches (and associations) change when their leader stops talking about prayer and starts leading them into prayer.
- We need a change in our lists - Prayer meetings have died (the rest seem to be on life support) because all we do is pray down-the-list as we predictably go around-the-circle.Our praying needs to be a Spirit-led conversation based on the issues and needs that are on he heart of God, not merely on our hospital list. Churches (and associations) change when they begin to pray for neighbors and neighborhoods, by name and by need (issue need, not merely illness need).
- We need a change in our location - We should never stop praying in our church facilities but we must start praying in unexpected and especially unwelcomed places. Seasons of prayer must be incorporated into every committee and class, every meeting and ministry, every group and gathering. Sessions of prayer must take our people out of their seats and into the streets. Dark corners and hot spots in our communities must be bathed in the light of God that is prayed out from the prayers of his people praying onsite. Churches (and associations) change when they break the holy huddle (necessary for our quarterback to cal the next play) and move the ball down the filed toward victory.
David, I am praying and asking God's people to pray we will have model associations that are led by prayer champions, appoint a prayer coordinator, develop a prayer ministry team, hit the streets with prayerwalks, equip the believers through prayer workshops, gather pastors for a prayer summit, flood their churches with prayer resources ... Why? Because prayer is the one spiritual action we can take that will fuel our worship, our evangelism, our commitment to missions, our everything that makes us Great Commission associations. We marginalize it at our own peril.
Phil Miglioratti
phil@nppn.org
Tune-Up
http://ibsaprayer.blogspot.com/search?q=%22tune+up%22
Resources for Prayer Leadership
http://www.prayerleader.blogspot.com/
Help for Pastors
http://www.prayingpastorblog.blogspot.com/
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