Prayer Strategy

It has been the strategy of Connect Pointe to focus on a 3-part strategy of Prayer, Care, and Share. Throughout the Capital Region we have seen the church move deeper into Disciples-Making-Disciples as a strategy of sharing the gospel with neighbors, friends and co-workers. With that strategy moving forward in our region, we have a need for an area-wide prayer ministry covering that is equipped and focused on spiritual warfare through prayer.

I am a believer that if the wheel exists, don’t try and recreate it. So Connect Pointe is following the strategy developed by 1Church1Day.org. We are also following the success of the Whatcom County, Washington, prayer initiative that Light of the World Prayer House launched using the strategy of 1Church1day.org. Please take the time to watch the video below about the prayer movement in Whatcom County — I guarantee you will be encouraged!  Below is detailed information on this strategy and what you will need to do to be a part of this prayer movement. One item that is required is for each church to have a prayer coordinator to be a part of this prayer movement team (click on the button below the video to download a job description).

The first element of the three‐fold vision is to establish a canopy of 24/7 prayer, praise and worship in the community. The first step is to find thirty churches who commit to pray one day per month every month (2nd Thursday, 3rd Friday, etc.). Together, these churches will help establish 24/7 prayer and begin setting an atmosphere for God’s abiding presence in our churches and community. Each church is free to divide their 24­‐hour day of prayer as they see fit (usually into 24 one­‐hour segments or 48 30­‐minute segments). Mid­‐size churches can commit to one 24hr day once per week. Larger churches can cover full 24/7 prayer (168 1hr commitments, or 336 30­‐minute commitments). Identifying a local church prayer coordinator to serve the pastor is an essential step in the process.

The committed pray­‐ers can pray from home, with their families, in the workplace, in your local church prayer room, or in a city­‐wide house of prayer. Each pray­‐er is also encouraged to pray for one or two other families in the church to build community and follow Jesus together in prayer. Simple prayer tools can be developed to help the pray­‐ers to know how to pray for an hour, praying Scripture, adding praise, or praying through prayer guides, etc.

Each local church is asked to pray first for their local congregation. The local church prayer coordinator has the responsibility to develop a prayer guide for the local church, working together with the pastor/elders. Second, the prayer coordinator sends/delivers the prayer guide from the 7 strategic teams in the community to the committed pray­‐ers. Third, the prayer coordinator follows up with these pray­‐ers to encourage, train/equip, connect and gather. Fourth, the prayer coordinator meets with the other 30 prayer coordinators/connector once a quarter (minimum) to connect, build trusted relationships, pray and learn best practices from one another.

Strategic Teams

The second element in this three­‐fold vision (24/7 prayer + strategic teams + communication) is to see godly men and women of influence come together in strategic teams to seek wisdom from the Lord, asking the question, “What is the Father’s will for transformation in our community?” This is discovered first from Scripture and the clear biblical witness of each of these spheres of culture. Then these key leaders are asked how to pray for their sphere with an understanding of the felt needs of the community and with the goal of seeing measurable results. We are looking to form 9 teams in all, representing the spheres of society below:

• Government
• Business
• Education
• Media/Arts
• Healthcare
• Family
• Church
• Social Services
• Strategic Missions

These teams will help inform and be informed by the canopy of day and night prayer! It is imperative that we pray in accordance with God’s will and for his renown.  It is important to discover together, “What does transformation in our sphere look like, and how can we measure it?”

Communication

This is the third element of the 3-fold vision of Day2Pray (24/7 prayer +strategic teams + communication) is an effective communication system.

First a prayer guide of informed prayer points from the strategic teams is compiled and sent to the prayer coordinators of each of the 30 local churches every other month. These prayer points should be specific, measurable, and Bible­‐based. We encourage these 30 churches to pray first for their local church and second for the needs in the community.

Second a praise report is developed of answered prayer and increased God activity in the community. This praise report is also sent to the strategic teams and the 30 churches taking a day of prayer once a month to encourage those praying as well as to remind us to give praise and credit to the Lord!

This on­‐going communication between the 24/7 prayer efforts (local church based) and kingdom minded leaders in the strategic teams helps lay down tracks for on­‐going sustainable transformation at the local level. The result is a “canopy” of 24/7 strategic, united, prayer that covers the community and the spheres of society ­‐ every hour ­‐ of every day ­‐ of every week ­‐ of every month