Prayer Leader OnLine Interviews Kipper Tadd and Larry Smith of Perimeter Church in Duluth, Georgia

Q. Please describe your role/position (title, etc) and how you relate to the ministry of prayer at Perimeter Church.

Kipper: I am the Director of Pastoral Care/Prayer/Marriage Ministry

Larry: I serve as the lay leader of the church prayer ministry. I also am an elder at the church.

Q. How do your two roles work together?

Kipper: My role is to help equip Larry and the lay ministry team to help Perimeter be a House of Prayer. We share vision/encouragement with my part keeping prayer before staff (over 100), coordinate staff weekly prayer time, assist Larry with infecting church with trained leaders in ministry areas with ability to keep prayer as foundation. Getting Larry and the team into teaching venues (Sunday School-type, Sr. High / Jr. High, at officer dinner-230 elders/deacons, global outreach prayer commissioning, elder half-days of prayer). Basically and prayerfully I seek to bless his efforts in leading our prayer ministry.

Larry: Kipper is the staff member (and church elder and pastor) who is over the prayer ministry. He is an advocate for prayer during staff meetings, planning and day-to-day church activities. We work as a team. Kipper is the main voice within the church staff and we both are the voice to our membership and community. There are times when we both are one voice. Kipper helps in: Advocating prayer, securing a room designated for prayer. He helps coordinate event schedules for: 

• "Harp and Bowl" worship.
• Elder half day of prayer. We bring twenty or thirty elders together every other month to pray with those who are physically or spiritually in need.
• Prayer conferences. As opportunities present themselves, Kipper helps coordinate schedules and funding for prayer team members to attend prayer training .
• Coordinating teams of elders to pray with the sick. 

Kipper also helps with communications to the church about prayer. Bulletin announcements etc.

Q. How do you individually and as a team, work out the vision of the Prayer Ministry?

Vision: “The prayer of the Perimeter Prayer Ministry is that Perimeter would be known as a "House of Prayer." That all that we do, both individually and corporately, would be bathed in prayer. “ 

Kipper: This includes his producing a 60 Day Prayer Journal for our 3800+ members, guiding materials used for over 1,000 of adult members going through discipleship, having a male and female discipleship group on Sunday morning in prayer room to pray for service, senior pastor, God to send more workers for the harvest. Meet at least once a month to see how the Lord is doing on infecting church with prayer.

Larry: First of all we are in agreement that this is God's desire for His church. Everything we do corporately and individually should be based on an intimate relationship with God. (Found in prayer). 

Our foundational meeting is our Tuesday evening prayer meeting. We meet from 7 pm until 9 pm in the church prayer room. We worship, have a brief teaching on prayer, share God stories and pray for the needs of the church. We hold up three things as constants to be prayed for on Tuesday evening:

• Prayer that Perimeter would be a House of Prayer.
• Prayer for our senior pastor. 
• Prayer that God would raise up the workers for the harvest.

Q. What are the various components of the Prayer Ministry and how are they used to connect with different segments of the congregation?

Larry:

• Prayer room. We have a designated prayer room. People know this is the room set aside for corporate prayer meetings. All members can use this room.
• Sunday prayer. 9 am until 10 am. We tap into our men and women's discipleship teams. We invite four discipleship teams a week to come and lift the church up in prayer. The time is led by prayer team members. Each discipleship team is only invited once a year. We have a lot of teams. Attendance runs from 5 to 25 weekly.
• Elder half-day of prayer. We bring 20 or 30 elders together every other month to pray with those who are physically or spiritually in need (James 5:13).
• Prayer for short-term mission teams. Many of our short-term mission teams come to Tuesday evening to be prayed for. We send out about 300 people each year for one-two week trips.
• Prayer conferences. As opportunities present themselves, Kipper helps coordinate schedules and funding for prayer team members to attend prayer training.
• Providing teams of elders to pray with the sick. Anytime. Anywhere. Any place.
• Intimacy With God Class. A 10-week class that meets every Thursday evening for an hour and a half. Heavy teaching on prayer.
• "Harp and Bowl" worship. (A two-hour prayer gathering offered to the church, where we partner with a worship leader.) We host these two to three times a year. All are invited.
• Thursday evening prayer for the worship team. 2-3 prayer team members meet and pray with the worship team as they practice for the weekend services.

Q. What activity or initiative is receiving the most significant response right now?

Kipper: Larry has been asked to teach to over 400 men that meet for equipping at Monday Night For Men (we had prayed for this and Lord recently affirmed).

Larry:  I see responses in Sunday prayer, Tuesday evening prayer, prayer for the sick, and the Intimacy With God class continues to turn out disciples for prayer.

Q. To what extent has church leadership (staff and lay) championed prayer throughout the congregation? (and what have they done that has been most effective?)

Kipper: Our senior pastor models it well with acknowledging he begins each day on his knees as he wakes, surrendering to the Lord, needing to be a clean vessel, for a close personal worship. I have tended to see more by seasons in the staff's lives, sometimes driven by challenges, pain, brokenness and reality of dependence upon Him to do the work of ministry and redemption.

Larry: When we began our second 25 years of service, each member was given a 60-day prayer guide (prepared by prayer ministry) to pray for the church. Our senior pastor taught on prayer for 6-weeks from the pulpit. During our service time our pastors pray for local churches.  Prayer is always a component of our services. During Sunday evening communion, prayer team members are available to pray with those in need. Many of our adult education class leaders have taught and are continuing to teach on prayer. Our junior high students had the opportunity to have an adult prayer partner. We are planning to kick the new year off with a five-week teaching on prayer for our men and women's discipleship teams.

Q. Please identify several principles of prayer ministry that apply to congregations large and small, city and rural.

Kipper:

1. Never give up! God's timing in building passion is awesome. Pray for your leaders, give them good-healthy teaching on prayer.
2. Keep it simple, we try to leave low hanging fruit so we can see new folks continually coming to our venues.
3. Worship is sooo important, don't rush to speak to the Father, prepare.
4. Know as you seek to interact with other churches that you can learn (be teachable) and you model Christ-likeness in sharing (not one-upsmanship), many times in the bible having large numbers did not necessarily impress God! He looks at the heart. Love your intercessors.

Larry: God's House is to be a House of prayer. This is foundational. Not a house of sermons. Not a house of great music. Not a house of great children's programs. But a house of prayer. All the things listed are great and will follow when the foundation is prayer. Without prayer it becomes our plans, our strength not His. We can do great things for the wrong reason. We need to know the Father first.

Seek God in all things by prayer. Jesus said He did not do anything unless He saw His Father doing it first (John 5:19). Prayer is the model of Jesus. Jesus is now sitting at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. When people learn to pray, churches will become what God intended them to be.They will do things out of love for God, instead of trying to work their way into heaven. Elders are to pray for the sick (James 5:13-20). Elders are to give their attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:3-4). Christians are to pray that God would send out the workers (Matthew 9:38).

Q. Please write a prayer on behalf of prayer leaders who serve in a similar capacity.

Kipper: Father, we long to be with You in Heaven, knowing You have called these men and women to serve the high calling of drawing others to Yourself in prayer. I don't begin to claim understanding of Your ways as they are so far above us, while knowing the love You have given us manifested through Jesus, our Lord and Savior, may we always point to You. For any who wonder if anyone notices, may the Holy Spirit touch their heart with the joy of their salvation. We know we are not worthy, You alone are worthy, may they know the power of Your love!

Bless their relationship with their pastor, may they speak blessings over their pastor. Thank-you for Your intercessors, bless them, their families, their churches, communities, may Your Kingdom come and Your will be done. For His Glory.

Larry: Father, Thank You, for calling me to You. You are a wonderful Father. The giver of all good gifts. My rock. My counselor. My all and all. Everything I have, I have from You. Thank You.

Father, teach me how to pray, that I might know You better. Teach me to pray, that I might encourage, teach and equip others. Show me Your glory Father—that I would know You intimately. Teach me to be a good listener. Let me hear Your voice. Father keep me always humble before You. Let my best times, be when I am with You alone in the closet, and not standing before men. Let me always point others to You. Be my strength. Do not let me be discouraged. Give me patience as You build our church into a "House of Prayer." Keep me from temptation. Deliver me from evil. Let all I do, be to Your glory. Amen

Perimeter Church Prayer Ministry
678-405-2114