Background
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America at the 2003 Churchwide Assembly approved the Evangelism Strategy, "Sharing Faith in a New Century: A Vision for Evangelism in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America," and issued the following call to prayer:

Objective One: Call the Church to Prayer
". . . pray for the renewal of this church so that every member congregation, synod, churchwide, unit and institution might bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ." -- From The Evangelism Strategy, ELCA, 2003

Goal:
"Activate and mobilize this church to pray for renewal that is grounded in the Word." -- From The Evangelism Strategy, ELCA, 2003

Timeframe

Leaders of each congregation will need to determine the time and manner to issue the call to prayer. Some possibilities:

• Rally Day: Truly, rally your congregation to pray. Suggestions for a Rally Day event can be found at A Rally Day Call to Prayer.
• Event: Take some time and gather some people together to pray about a prayer event at your congregation or your community. What would it look like? How might it be designed to appeal to a wide age group? Launch the event. Call a fast. Proclaim a time of prayer through the use of art, music, bulletin boards and other means.

Additional Suggestions:

+ Covenant: Covenant with your congregation to pray with and for each other. Sample: “As a response to all hat God has done in my life, I promise to pray fervently for this congregation that each of us might learn to bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.”
The covenant might be:

• a responsive litany included in Sunday worship
• an individual card that each is asked to prayerfully consider, sign and place in the offering plate.
• a large piece of paper, placed where all can sign it before they leave Sunday worship. A covenant-signing party could be part of the festivities.

+ Newsletters: Write a letter in the congregation’s newsletter, calling for prayer. Include Presiding Bishop Hanson’s Call to Prayer or the Synodical Bishops' Call to Prayer.

Litany: A Call to Prayer

L:	“Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” (Matthew 9:37-38 RSV)
C:	Through Jesus, we are called to pray.
L:	“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:2-3 NRSV)
C:	Through God's Word, we are called to pray.
L:	“Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador.” (Ephesians 6:18-20 NRSV)
C:	Through God’s messenger, we are called to pray.
L:	“Called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America calls upon its members, congregations, synods, churchwide unit, and related institutions and agencies to pray for the renewal of this church so that every member, congregation, synod, churchwide unit, and institution might bear witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ.” (The Evangelical Strategy of the ELCA)
C:	Through Christ's church, we are called to pray.
L:	Jesus said to his disciples, “So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24 NRSV)
L:	Trusting in God’s promise and call, let us pray. Gracious God, Lord of the harvest,
All:	you send us out into fields and streets, neighborhoods and schools, places of work and places of play, and to the ends of the earth. As you send us, send also your Holy Spirit, that we might be renewed, strengthened and empowered to be bold witnesses to the Good News of Jesus Christ; in whose name we pray. AMEN

-- Article written by Robin McCullough-Bade; litany written by John McCullough Bade