Becoming a House of Prayer

Use these ideas to guide your church in becoming a powerful house of prayer.

  1. Prayer is frequently mentioned from the pulpit as a solution to the problem under consideration.
  1. Staff / Leadership have regularly scheduled prayer times (could be part of another meeting) to pray for each other, church and congregational needs.
  1. Our church has prayer as a vital ingredient for outreach.
  1. An emergency prayer chain is in place.
  1. The pastor and key leadership are committed to putting prayer in a visible place in all church ministries.
  1. There is a growing interest for continuing education in the area of prayer.
  1. There are various prayer opportunities other than the traditional mid-week prayer meeting.
  1. We have a prayer team in place that prays during the worship service.
  1. People are praying for each other at unscheduled times.
  1. We have a volunteer position for our prayer ministry.
  1. Often the entire congregation has an opportunity to pray for others during the church service.
  1. Overall, when there is a major decision to be made, prayer is the key ingredient to the process.
  1. We have a prayer room which is used frequently.
  1. We have a way of letting people know about answered prayer.
  1. We have one or more persons who are capable of dealing with people under spiritual attack.
  1. There is a systematic way of compiling prayer requests and praying for them.
  1. Church leadership has a group of prayer partners committed to covering them and their families in prayer.
  1. Our church has identified and is using at least one person with a heart for intercession.
  1. Our people are not afraid to use the term “spiritual warfare” to identify the attacks of the enemy on the ministry and individuals.
  1. We offer opportunities for people to pray with staff or a prayer team at the conclusion of services.
  1. Our members regularly pray with other believers outside of just our own congregation.
  1. We have committed prayer warriors in our congregation who are providing a real prayer covering for all church ministries.
  1. Prayer is seen as the first step in the solution to any problem either within the church or on a personal basis.
  1. Our church regularly sponsors prayer opportunities and prayer teachings for believers from the community.
  1. Teaching articles on prayer appear regularly in our church newsletter.
  1. Our people are excited about prayer and what they are seeing God do in their lives as a result of prayer.
  1. Our members know and are comfortable using several different styles of praying.
  1. Each of the groups in our church are praying for lost people.
  1. Boards and committees take a significant amount of time to pray before conducting business.
  1. Significant prayer events (e.g. Concert of Prayer, etc.) are regularly scheduled to guide the church in focused prayer.

Adapted from Powerhouse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Church That Prays.