Prayer Service @ Your Church

I'm not sure if this is the best forum for this, but I trust a moderator will move it accordingly if its not.

We are looking at staring a new ministry in our church. We have 2 am services on Sunday. We are going to try and have the men members of the church sign-up for weekends that they will not come to service, but instead pray. They will still come to church, participate in all the normal activities, but instead of going to their usual service, they'd go to a separate room and spend that time in prayer.

Praying for the music and preaching pastors. The service itself, and the souls of those in the services etc. Also possibly praying for the church prayer list (if time permits).

What I'm wondering is, do any of your churches do this? Or have you done it?

We are a church of about 200 in attendance, but we have 38 adult male members who regularly attend. So realistically our groups will be 2 or 3 maybe 4 men per service.

If you've done this thing before, do you have any ideas on how to best pray during this time? Want I want to avoid is getting in there and saying "please be with the pastor. Please save any who are lost. Amen" and then have another 59 minutes to figure out what to do

Any thoughts or input would be helpful.

Thanks

Our church does this and has for about a year. We have rotating groups. The women pray with the women and the men with the men. They have the weekly prayer lists as well as general concerns. I've not gotten involved in that ministry because I teach Sunday School and rotate in Children's church. I'm also part of the Women's prayer group that meets twice a month.

We have seen great growth and great peace in our church even during this time searching for a new pastor.

I'm sure our Minister of Education would be happy to explain to you how they started this, etc. If you'd like to call him, pm me and I'll give you his name and number. He's off on Friday's.

Diane

Were all that sounds good, why not pray on a non-service day so they can attend every service?

They pray DURING one service and attend the other service. We also have 2 services each Sunday morning. They pray for the service, for the music, souls to be saved, etc. Since we have so many members, the teams rotate over several months.


Sunday is 8:30 - 12:30 or even 1:00
4:00- 7:00 p.m.

Tuesday is visitation from 6:00 - 9:00 approx.

Wednesday is prayer meeting and kids clubs. Prayer meeting is 6:30-7:30 ish
Kids have choir at 5:00, supper and then AWANA from 6:20- 7:45

Friday nights we have an after football gathering for the community youth to keep them off the streets and from drinking, etc.

Saturday is Outreach and other visitation times for specific groups.

The women's prayer group meets on Monday nights but not every week......

Diane

Some of the most powerful churches I know of, have made a point of saying that during each service, there have been some faithful men engaged in battle in another room in the church, on their knees, praying for God's hedge around the church as the gospel is preached. I've attended one church in Oklahoma that has a rotating group of men, they don't stay in there the whole time, every few minutes they switch out, that way no one person misses the whole service....You can just about measure any church by how much they're in prayer..

Some of the most powerful churches I know of, have made a point of saying that during each service, there have been some faithful men engaged in battle in another room in the church, on their knees, praying for God's hedge around the church as the gospel is preached

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Amen, Carl! We've had over 100 baptisms a year for the last 3 years. Must be doing something right!

Diane

I would never attend that prayer meeting because I invite people to church and would attend with them.

Any other feedback from churches that are doing this?

We are small and this is not possible. But I greatly commend those who have done this.

We have done this in the past (not now).

If you've done this thing before, do you have any ideas on how to best pray during this time? Want I want to avoid is getting in there and saying "please be with the pastor. Please save any who are lost. Amen" and then have another 59 minutes to figure out what to do.

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I like manuals! What we did was provide a notebook with major prayer areas. I'm trying to remember what those areas were, off the top of my head, here's a partial list. (You'll be able to do a better job during your studies of your churches needs).

1. Pastors - Include his ministry, his family, his witness, todays message etc.

2. Those that serve - The deacons, the teachers, those that seve on committees

3. Missionaries - provide a list that your people can pray through

4. The congregation - that they heaarts might be open to the message of the Holy Spirit...That satan might be bound.

5. The youth, that God may work within their midst and bring them to a holy maturity

6. Finances - that God would bless your congregation and that they would liberally give as God blesses.

Research the prayers in the Bible, particularily the prayers of Paul. Provide a list of his prayers to provide models for your men.

The pastor may give each pray partner a book on prayer that has been particularly helpful to him. This personal touch helps to seal a relational committment. (I know a few that have been helpful and I'll provide them if you would like).

Lastly have a breakfast meeting each quarter to bring new recruits in and to encourage those who are participating. (This was the reason our group petered out, no new recruits).

Rob