Background
History has demonstrated the power of united prayer coupled with anointed, Biblical preaching as two important vehicles that God has used in His sovereignty to bring spiritual awakening to churches, cities, and whole countries. Prayer that is birthed by God comes from deep conviction in the heart of God’s people through the Holy Spirit.
Organization
Like the skeleton in a person’s body, an organizational structure can serve an important function in a growing prayer ministry. The skeleton alone is not enough, however. A dynamic prayer movement needs to be led by the Lord, as Head, and it needs to reach into the hearts of God’s people. Without Spirit-birthed passion, even the best organizational structure will be lifeless and therefore useless. Two models of prayer ministry that God has used mightily through history are the Prayer Watch and Concerts of Prayer. When these two simple approaches are combined for a church, a city, or for an entire metropolitan area, the results can be even greater.
How to Get Started
Each church can hopefully cover at least one 24-hour period on a Prayer Watch. Many congregations may wish to cover more than one day a month. Your initial goal is ensure that the Prayer Watch is filled, twenty four hours a day, with no breaks. Over time, as more congregations get involved, your Prayer Watch may be filled several layers deep.
We encourage every involved church to also conduct their own monthly prayer meeting, or Concert of Prayer. This monthly gathering will bring strength to the people who are engaged in the Prayer Watch. Both the Concert of Prayer and the Prayer Watch will create an environment that strengthens your church members’ prayer lives.
Finally, monthly prayer gatherings will bring vision and renewed passion into all of the churches, and will help bring unity to the prayer movement. As God leads, other prayer efforts, such as prayer walks and prayer chains can be organized.