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Lord, I lift up our Women’s Ministry. Encourage our older women to train the younger in family issues. Teach our women to be virtuous—women with gentle and quiet spirits who put their hope in You. Let this ministry produce women who feel Your passion for them and who choose to spend time at Your feet. Train them to contend for the gospel side by side with the men. (Titus 2:4, 5; Pro. 31:10; 1 Pet. 3:4, 5; Ps. 45:11; Lk. 10:38-42; Phil. 4:3)
 
Home arrow September 2006 arrow The Life of a Co-Prayer Leader
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PrayerLeader OnLine Interviews Jim McConeghey a co-prayer leader at Meredith Drive Reformed Church in Des Moines, Iowa

Q. Jim how did the Lord lead you to becoming a prayer leader for your congregation?
About 10 years ago when my wife and I started attending Meredith Drive Reformed Church, we joined an adult bible study class. As the class started a member would lead us in prayer for those in our class, congregation, in the community and in global prayers. She was so peaceful, calm, and reverent while she prayed. I recall thinking that I wished that my prayers could be like that. At this time I only lifted up prayers in private and never aloud.
 

One week at the end of the class the woman told me that she was going to be absent from class the following week and asked me if I would pray during class in her absence. I recall responding with something like "sure . . . I guess so." I was very nervous that whole week and when the class came the following Sunday, I prayed. My voice has never been so shaky; my heart may never have beat so fast or my face become so red. I got through the prayer, hoping that she would never ask me to pray for her again.
 
She did ask again and others have since. Each time I prayed I became more comfortable at prayer. I now consider it a privilege to pray with and for people at any time or place. Time at prayer has brought me to a realization that when I pray, I am simply talking to my Creator, that He is listening and that He in responds to me though His word or by the Holy Spirit as our relationship strengthens.
 
One of our pastors, who has been a blessed prayer mentor for me, asked if I would consider co-leading a Prayer Leadership Team. After much prayer, seeking God's guidance, I felt called to respond "yes."

Q What are your responsibilities as a co-prayer team leader?
Our church has two church buildings, serving our congregation, meeting in two different communities. My co-leader and I coordinate prayer teams for each church. He attends one of the churches and I the other. We serve together on the prayer leadership team for both churches and work with one of our pastors in preparing special opportunities for those in our congregation to join together in prayer.

Q. What are the benefits of co-leadership?
Since my co-leader and I attend different churches for worship services, we realize that the before service and after service prayer formats are different at each location. Because of our individual acquaintances at our churches, by co-leading we can seek unique ways to address the prayer needs and service requirements of each church.

Q. What role or influence does the prayer team have at Meredith Drive Reformed Church?
The prayer teams at both churches are present for pre-service and after service prayer with anyone that has a praise, petition, healing or other needs. Members of the teams from both churches are invited to come together for a monthly time of prayer, focused prayer around a specific focus such as teachers, children, social issues, etc. As these monthly prayer times coordinate with weeks that communion is celebrated in our churches we go out to homes of those that have been ill and were not able to attend the communion service. We divide up in groups of 2-3 and take communion to these people and have a time of prayer with them.

Q. Tell us about the challenges of developing a prayer team for a two-campus congregation.
The prayer teams really seem to work together well as we have a common goal of serving individually and together as a prayer team to lift up both churches, the pastoral staff as they travel between and serve both churches, the children and adult Bible discovery teachers (close to 400 serve both campuses), the Alpha course, those from our congregation involved in mission projects (local, national and global) and other combined church activities.
 
While we have adopted a statement "One congregation meeting in two locations" this still becomes a challenge to find ways to inspire people from each church to come together for common prayer times. It doesn't seem to be that we a different from each other in any way, but possibly more so that just because of the time spend "together" we have created bonds of "family" at each location. We continue to seek ways to combine the two churches through "common ground" events like potlucks, Coffee House events with live music, drama presentations, and Christmas and Easter musicals.

Q. How do you develop a prayer strategy for the entire congregation and how effective are you at penetrating the other ministries with a prayer culture?
As I believe is the case in many churches, we are always seeking ways to encourage those in our churches to make prayer foundational in all they are involved in through church, in their homes, in their workplaces and in the community. Bible discovery teachers are encouraged to open each class in prayer, most meetings in the church open and close in prayer, and congregational meals normally start with prayer.
 
The real challenge is to help people to see and understand the importance and power of a prayer life that is interlaced in each day from the time that their eyes open in the morning to the time that they shut at night. God's ear is always waiting for our prayers, what ever time, what ever the reason and He is faithful and true to respond to each prayer lifted to Him in faith.
 
It is my passion that our churches, not only the Meredith Drive Reformed churches but the churches of the world, to be known as Houses of Prayer as well as worship.
 
Q. What are you and the prayer team doing to encourage the prayer life of those in your congregations?
At two different times during each week, one at each church, a team of 2 to 4 regularly gathers to lift the staff, the congregation, and each other in prayer. One of the groups meets from 6:30-8:30 on Tuesday mornings and the other from 4:30-6:30 PM on Thursday. Members of the congregations are invited to stop by either at the beginning of their day on Tuesday or at the end of the day on Thursdays to join in prayer or to be prayed for.
 
At both churches classes of prayer studies are offered during Bible discovery time each Sunday. This provides a wonderful way for those that attend to strengthen and develop a strong and faithful prayer life.
 
At one of the churches, just opened last December, a dedicated prayer room has been set aside for anyone to use for private or in fellowship of prayer. The room is regularly used for the Thursday eve prayer times, pre-service prayer, and Bible Discovery prayer class on Sunday. It is my personal goal that, at some time, both churches would have prayer rooms set aside for 24/7 prayer.

Q. Jim, you mentioned that one of the pastors became a prayer mentor for you. Describe to us how that worked; how she approached that role and how it shaped you as a prayer leader. Also, what has this taught you about the need for prayer leaders to mentor others.
Pastor Jane has an incredible heart for prayer. She is a "prayer constant" in our church as she seems to always keep the priority of prayer central to the activities of the church. As in many mentoring relationships, I am not sure that she realizes that she has been mentoring me in my personal prayer life and how much of an encouragement she is to me as I seek to lead others to know the peaceful power of prayer. She is a mentor to many in the congregation simply by the prayerful lifestyle that she lives.

I believe that those, in any church, that seek to lead others into a lifestyle of prayer need someone to mentor them and give them experiences in differing opportunities and styles of prayer. I think of this mentoring relationship as much the same as that of a parent/child relationship. As a child grows, he or she watches and learns from their parents. The lifestyle that the parents live can become a lifestyle that they adopt. As leaders are brought up in the church, it is critical that they have someone to "teach" them how to be a leader, to direct them to resources, and maybe most importantly to serve as an inspiration to the leaders. This inspiration is important so that the leaders can be constantly looking down the road of their "ministry" and always reaching for new and fresh goals for their service to the Lord.
 
As with Pastor Jane, those in prayer leadership roles should strive to live a lifestyle built upon the foundation of prayer not only to serve to support others and lead them to prayer but so that others may see and experience the intense relationship with God that is only possible through prayer.

Q. Jim, please write a prayer for prayer coordinators who share your passion to see the church become a household of prayer.

Creator God, we give thanks to You for creating each one of us and gifting us uniquely that we might serve You and enlarge Your kingdom. Father, I pray for those in each church that know the experience, the power and the peace of lifting prayers into Your throne room. May the passion that resides in each of their hearts to guide others into this blessed experience be infectious to those that witness their actions.
 
Mighty God would You bring a revival to our churches? Please bring a revival of knowledge, knowledge that all that we have, all that we are and all that we can be comes from You. Father, with this knowledge please help us to completely understand what Your Son, Jesus was saying when He said "Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (Jn. 16:24).
 
Father, fill the minds of prayer coordinators across this nation and around the world with a constantly fresh inflow of ideas that they might use help others to know and understand that at any time of any day that they can have attention of You, the Creator of the universe, as they might lift prayers of joy, praise, petition, healing or discernment and be able to trust that You will respond to each according to Your will.
 
Loving Father, thank You for this precious time with You in Your throne room. We love You and pray these things in the name of the one that You sent to show us what love truly is. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
 
 
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