Prayer Leader OnLine interviews Dr. Alvin VanderGriend, Prayer Evangelism Associate for Harvest Prayer Ministries

Q. Alvin, many prayer leaders and praying pastors are concerned about the lack of participation in prayer among their church members. Do you share this concern and, if so, how have we gotten to this point in the North American Church?

I agree that there is a lack of participation in prayer among North American churches. I think this has happened for two reasons. First, for the past century most North American seminaries have failed to give ministerial students an adequate understanding of prayer and have failed to help them develop their prayer lives. Consequently, congregations led by these pastors have lacked the leadership required to develop their understanding and practice of prayer.

Second, Christians, influenced by our materialistic and hedonistic society, are prone today to think of prayer as a way to find solutions to problems and to get the good life. When used in this way prayer turns into a monotonous system of begging God rather than a joyful love relationship. When that happens prayer becomes an activity not a joy. Begging is not something people naturally love to do. 

Q. The Church Prayer Leaders Network is just one of hundreds of ministries and networks promoting personal and corporate prayer among Christians. Are we making any real progress?

I see progress. Hundreds of ministries and networks are now promoting personal and corporate prayer. Many books on prayer are being published and read. Internet sites are providing helpful prayer information and teleconferencing systems are networking thousands of people in prayer. Good resources like the Church Prayer Leader Network’s website www.prayerleader.com, Mission America’s Lighthouses of Prayer ministry and Harvest Prayer Ministries’ 40 Days of Prayer initiative are making a difference.

I also see more and more churches providing a variety of times, places and ways for their people to pray. These churches are seeing increasing numbers involved in their prayer ministries.

Q. What do you consider to be the greatest obstacle? The one barrier that has the most potential for a breakthrough?

I think that the greatest obstacle to the development of biblical prayer in the church today is lack of strong prayer leadership from pastors. The most frequent complaint I hear among local church prayer leaders is that their pastors are not supporting them. The level of prayer in a congregation will typically not rise higher than that of the pastoral leaders. That being true, the greatest potential for breakthrough is to provide sound biblical training in prayer for pastors and other church prayer leaders. Prayer conferences put on by CPLN or ministries like Strategic Renewal International have helped many pastors and prayer leader’s breakthrough.

Q. What can you say to help prayer leaders who want to see their congregation learn to love to pray?

I’d say begin with confession. The prophet Samuel said to the people of Israel: “far be it from me that I should sin against you by failing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23). Failure to pray is sin. Congregations that are not “devoted to prayer” (Col. 4:2) are sinning. Sin needs to be confessed. God will not tolerate sin; but He will forgive it--even the sin of prayerlessness. Forgiven congregations are free to move on to new levels of devotion in prayer.

Here are some prayer goals that I think a local church should work at. [Consider inviting the church’s leaders to check those to be achieved in one year, three years and five years—and to add some of their own].

• The church will have a functioning Prayer Ministry Team.
• The church will have written prayer goals that are kept in front of the congregation.
• Prayer needs, answers and opportunities will be communicated weekly to the congregation.
• _____ corporate prayer opportunities will be provided for members each week.
• Our weekend services will be bathed in prayer by (1) a group that prays before each worship service, or (2) a group that prays during each worship service.
• Church staff and board members will spend at least ______hours each week praying for the congregation and its needs.
• All church groups will devote at least a tithe of their time to prayer.
• Intercessory teams will be available to pray with individual worshipers after each service.
• Prayer will be intentionally integrated in every aspect of the church’s life.
• Prayers for the “harvest” will be included in ______ worship services each month.

Q. Which resources have you found most beneficial in discipling people into a love to pray maturity?

Q. The Church Prayer Leaders Network is just one of hundreds of ministries and networks promoting personal and corporate prayer among Christians. Are we making any real progress?

I see progress. Hundreds of ministries and networks are now promoting personal and corporate prayer. Many books on prayer are being published and read. Internet sites are providing helpful prayer information and teleconferencing systems are networking thousands of people in prayer. Good resources like the Church Prayer Leader Network’s website www.prayerleader.com, Mission America’s Lighthouses of Prayer ministry and Harvest Prayer Ministries’ 40 Days of Prayer initiative are making a difference.

I also see more and more churches providing a variety of times, places and ways for their people to pray. These churches are seeing increasing numbers involved in their prayer ministries.

Q. What do you consider to be the greatest obstacle? The one barrier that has the most potential for a breakthrough?

I think that the greatest obstacle to the development of biblical prayer in the church today is lack of strong prayer leadership from pastors. The most frequent complaint I hear among local church prayer leaders is that their pastors are not supporting them. The level of prayer in a congregation will typically not rise higher than that of the pastoral leaders. That being true, the greatest potential for breakthrough is to provide sound biblical training in prayer for pastors and other church prayer leaders. Prayer conferences put on by CPLN or ministries like Strategic Renewal International have helped many pastors and prayer leader’s breakthrough.

Q. What can you say to help prayer leaders who want to see their congregation learn to love to pray?

I’d say begin with confession. The prophet Samuel said to the people of Israel: “far be it from me that I should sin against you by failing to pray for you” (1 Sam. 12:23). Failure to pray is sin. Congregations that are not “devoted to prayer” (Col. 4:2) are sinning. Sin needs to be confessed. God will not tolerate sin; but He will forgive it--even the sin of prayerlessness. Forgiven congregations are free to move on to new levels of devotion in prayer.

Here are some prayer goals that I think a local church should work at. [Consider inviting the church’s leaders to check those to be achieved in one year, three years and five years—and to add some of their own].

• The church will have a functioning Prayer Ministry Team.
• The church will have written prayer goals that are kept in front of the congregation.
• Prayer needs, answers and opportunities will be communicated weekly to the congregation.
• _____ corporate prayer opportunities will be provided for members each week.
• Our weekend services will be bathed in prayer by (1) a group that prays before each worship service, or (2) a group that prays during each worship service.
• Church staff and board members will spend at least ______hours each week praying for the congregation and its needs.
• All church groups will devote at least a tithe of their time to prayer.
• Intercessory teams will be available to pray with individual worshipers after each service.
• Prayer will be intentionally integrated in every aspect of the church’s life.
• Prayers for the “harvest” will be included in ______ worship services each month.

Q. Which resources have you found most beneficial in discipling people into a love to pray maturity?

I carry Cheryl Sacks book The Prayer-Saturated Church with me whenever I do a prayer seminar or consultation and always recommend it. It’s the best think currently available. I also carry and recommend Daniel Henderson’s book Fresh Encounters. Daniel’s emphasis on worship-based, pastor-led prayer is restoring freshness to church prayer meetings. The Praying Church Sourcebook, with its 33 practical strategies for praying churches, is still very useful. Doug Kamstra’s, The Praying Church Ideabook, a kind of companion volume to the Sourcebook is excellent. I am hearing reports that both pastors and their members are finding their prayer lives stimulated and deepened by Love to Pray, A 40-Day Devotional For Deepening Your Prayer Life. Harvest Prayer Ministries’ brand new 40 Days of Prayer initiative based on the Love to Pray devotional is beginning to help churches develop meaningful 40-day prayer campaigns. It has 40-day guidelines, a small group study guide, DVD presentations by national prayer leaders and sermon resources. See www.40daysofprayer.net for these resources.

Editor's Note: All these resources are available to CPLN members at discounted prices in our Member Resource Store.

Q. Alvin, please write a prayer that prayer leaders and praying pastors can say along with you toward helping their members learn to love to pray.

Father, we love You. We praise You as the prayer-hearing God. We thank You for giving us prayer as a way to live in loving fellowship with You. Thank You, Jesus, for modeling prayer so clearly and perfectly for us and for interceding for us before the Father’s throne. Please teach us how to pray as You taught the disciples long ago. And thank You, Holy Spirit, for living in our hearts and helping us know how to pray. Give us the spirit of grace and supplication; and help us hear the Father’s voice.

Fill us, Lord, with the knowledge of Your will. We especially want to know Your will regarding prayer so that we may learn to love to pray as You loved to pray. Help us to build churches that are truly “houses of prayer”. Give us a clear sense of what our church will look like as it become a praying church. Give us patience when things go slowly. Give us faith to believe that You are working even when we don’t see the results. Help us to stand against every attempt of the evil one to diminish prayer in our church.

Hear us Father as we come to You in the name of Your Son Jesus Christ and by the power of the Spirit. Amen