“A congregation in our association recently had a ‘prayer saturated’ month instead of their usual week of revival meetings. What does this change accomplish?”

Firstly, by saturating every meeting and activity with a time of praying (some pastors set a time, such as 10 minutes, while others ask for a tithe, say the first 6 minutes of a 60 minute meeting) the entire congregation is involved, not just those who would attend the (revival) meetings.

Secondly, this method requires the leadership of the church to do more than sit through another church service; they must take the lead in bringing people to the place of prayer. They must also think strategically in order to set a focus for the time allotted to praying.

Thirdly, a prayer saturated month can also include one or more special gatherings devoted to introspective prayer aimed at spiritual cleansing.

The hope is for everyone in the church, for at least one month out of the year, to experience a mini-prayer meeting in every class or group or committee they attend. Prayer that calls for an inward look (1 John 1:8-10) has the potential of producing the same fruit traditionally sought through revival meetings.

Typically, a pastor or prayer leader will provide a daily prayer guide or a listing of scriptures that help members focus their prayers on scriptural truth and biblical values, such as Returning To Holiness by Greg Frizzell
http://www.frizzellministries.org/pubs.shtml . Some pastors are even brave enough to pray-oritize a tithe of time in the Sunday worship service.

Hope this helps!

P.S. In between issues of Prayer Leader Online, visit these sites for additional ideas, resources, and the latest news on prayer:

*CPLN Members have access to:  http://www.PrayerLeader.com
Members Only Menu
Praying Pastor: www.prayingpastor.com
IncenseRising (intercession): www.incenserising.com

*Pastor Phil produces several blogs with additional items:
http://PrayingPastorBlog.blogspot.com - Practical helps
http://PrayerLeader.blogspot.com - More ideas & insights
http://NPPNblog.blogspot.com - News from across the globe