Assessing Your Congregation's
Current Prayer MinistryAn
honest evaluation of your congregations' current life of prayer can help you
determine how to grow forward in your prayer ministry to become a mighty force
for your evangelism efforts. Take a moment now to assess the present value
prayer receives in the life of your congregation.
Next each item, evaluate on a scale of 0-10
using this key: 0-2=very seldom; 3-5=seldom; 6-7=often; 8-10=almost always. Add
all scores and divide by 10 for your average.
_____Prayer is understood as a key part of our
pastor/s job description..
_____Prayer is a daily expectation for leaders
of our congregation (council, staff, committee heads).
_____Prayer is seen as critical to the faithful
preaching of God's Word and worship leadership.
_____Prayer seminars are hosted one to two
times a year; at least 10% of our congregation's members attend annually.
_____Prayer opportunities are available for the
congregation and community during the week.
_____Prayer partners pray for our
congregations' staff and their families.
_____Prayer articles appear consistently in our
congregational newsletter.
_____A Prayer Room is available in our church
building and is often used by members.
_____Prayer is available before or after
worship through the ministry of a prayer team.
_____Answers to prayers are made known in the
congregation to thank God and inspire faithful praying.
There are probably few congregations in North
America that would score consistently in the 8-10 range. Like tending a garden,
once the vision for prayer and evangelism has been established, your
congregation, as "soil", must be prepared by tilling it through clear, creative
and frequent communication. Think about the ways that you can make the vision
for prayer known by utilizing the three learning styles: seeing (visual),
hearing (auditory) and hands-on (kinesthetic). Continuous opportunities for
learning about the vision will build a broad-based understanding and an active
practice of prayer within your congregation.
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