PRAYING TEAM DESCRIPTION

The goal of the praying team is to:

  • Arrive an hour before Sunday service,
  • Monitor prayer wall and pray for requests,
  • Pray for every seat on Sunday before commencement of service
  • Pray for teams
  • Pray for individuals who pass up for the altar call

Throughout the week, the praying team will pray for requested prayer needs of individuals, teams, members, pastors, and for opportunities to minister to the unsaved. Prayer team will also consider prayer collaboration opportunities, such as a prayer vigil, prayer drive around 1604, etc. 

PRAYING TEAM REQUIREMENTS

  1. Compassion. The core motivation for prayer ministry should be compassion. Jesus was moved to pray not so much by faith but by the compassion that overcame Him for those who suffered.  Matthew 9:36 explains that when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. In the story in which blind men receive their sight, Jesus was again moved with compassion, touching their eyes; they immediately received their sight and followed Him (Matt. 20:29-34).
  2. Expectations. The guidelines for praying team membership are:
    • personal relationship with Jesus Christ
    • a faith outlined by the creeds of the church
    • an active membership in the ongoing life of the church
    • a commitment to an active personal prayer life
    • a commitment to confidentiality of what is said in prayer
  3. Commitment.  Attendance at workshops or training sessions, meeting an hour before service begins
  4. Preparation. Preparation begins the night before.  Ask God to cleanse and prepare you to be a vessel for His ministry to others. A spiritual checklist for praying team preparation should include confession of sin, forgiving the offenses of others, spending time in intimate worship with the Lord, getting a good night’s rest and planning the details of the trip to church the night before. Praying for protection should also be part of the preparation.  This means you need to pray that you will not be adversely affected by any emotional turmoil, transference or spiritual warfare. The goal is to have at least two groups. One group will serve one Sunday and attend the other. Groups will alternate. 
  5. Anointing with oil. Often the sweetest part of the praying team’s ministry is anointing people with oil as taught in the Scriptures. There is something very special and powerful in placing the sign of the cross on a person’s forehead, a mark of sealing that person as Christ’s own.  We don’t just pray for physical healing, we pray for healing in the mind, spirit and soul as well. Every single time we lift someone up, God does do something on some level. There’s a peace or ‘connectedness’ with God. There’s always some kind of healing interaction. On some level, God touches the person being prayed for.  
  6. Sacrifice.  Being on the praying team means sacrifice.  If you’re called to the praying team ministry, you’re not there just to enjoy and receive.  You’re worshiping in a different way. You’re attentive to what God wants to do through you.

PRAYING TEAM DYNAMICS                   

The Praying Team Leader will encounter all kinds of people and various degrees of personalities.  Hence, the following are practical suggestions for dealing with team members:

  1. Be sensitive.  This may be new to the member, so, be patient.
  2. Inspire.  Building an environment to freely be creative is important. 
  3. Mentor.  Be ready to guide, teach and support your team with their ideas. The goal is to help the member grow a sense of ownership to their position and to their church.