Prayer Team Ministry Guidelines and proceedures

1) Prayer Team on Duty will prepare themselves prior to the beginning of the service. They may join the intercession team at 9:30 or Join with the Worship Team Prayer at 10:20, or Pray on their own.

2) Name badges should be worn by ALL prayer team members if they are available to help on any given Sunday. This will identify you as someone who has been called and appointed to this ministry.

3) One team is to be “on duty” for a Sunday. Other teams should be available as needed.

4) Following the Service the Prayer Team on Duty will go to the Organ Bench or other place as designated.

5) If there is a general call for Prayer ministry during the service, all prayer team members should respond.

Please read and be aware of our policy on Personal Prayer Ministry

NOTES REGARDING PRAYER MINISTRY

Basic format for prayer for healing/reconciliation:

1. Interview

· ask questions to get an understanding of what is being requested. It answers the question “Where does it hurt?” Try to be as specific as possible.

2. Diagnosis

· From the information given by the person and from any impressions from the Spirit through words of knowledge, feelings, etc., seek to answer the question “Why does this person have this condition?”

3. Prayer type

· This answers the question “What does God want to do?” Decide on the type of prayer you will use – intercession, command, etc. Be prepared to accept correction from the individual, from the Holy Spirit, or both.

4. Prayer engagement

· Pray specifically, stopping and asking what might be happening; watch for signs; listen with the heart and spirit; follow up on impressions (hunches); check with prayer back-up; pray with eyes open to see what is happening.

5. Post prayer directions

· Know when its time to stop praying and give instruction; offer steps for continued healing or ways to remain healed – prayer and thanksgiving, resting quietly under the power of the Holy Spirit, acts of mercy and reconciliation, support of Christian friends, reading of scripture, etc.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Touching

If there is a specific area for healing, first get approval from the individual before laying hands on the affected part. Otherwise, hold the hand(s), place hand on head or shoulder, or simply place hands, palms outward, toward the individual during the prayer time (you do not need permission for these actions). The purpose of this caution is to respect the privacy and dignity of the individual – some people may be averse to being touched (this is especially true of abuse victims) because of things or events in their background, or for any number of reasons. We must never violate the integrity of any individual.

Prayer Mechanics

During the time of interview and diagnosis be outwardly aware of the individual, but allow the Spirit to speak to your heart. Try to get the individual to be as specific as possible about the prayer request. If you get impressions about the healing needed, or the problem, gently question (never pry) the individual to further clarify.

If you customarily pray in tongues, do so quietly before the prayer engagement (do not startle the individual; if the individual shows surprise or fear, stop and explain what is happening), for it is often through the means of tongues that the Spirit gives the prayer counselor discernment and enlightenment.

If during prayer engagement you get an uneasy feeling that you are missing something vital to the healing, stop, seek direction from the individual and from the prayer back-up. If your prayer back–up gets an impression (it doesn’t matter if it sounds silly or irrelevant) ask the individual if it means anything to her/him. If it does have meaning be sure to find out further what is involved – it may be extremely helpful to the total healing/reconciliation, or it may be a vital hindrance to the healing process. If it has no meaning (or none that is clear to the individual) then give it to the Holy Spirit for discernment, and continue the prayer.

REMEMBER, the Lord wants complete healing and reconciliation for all, and will provide us with the aids so that God can accomplish God’s purposes. Nothing is too hard or too unimportant for the Lord to heal or forgive.

Some more guiding principles about Prayer

My friend Moses Jorge, from Kenya one day commented as he looked into our deep freeze and asked "Eric is this what makes things so hard in here." He said this as he scraped a hand full of ice crystals with his fingernails.

· Can you imagine operating a car if you didn't understand that it need gas every once and a while.

· Can you imagine using a washing machine if you didn't understand that it needed to be hooked up to a water source.

· Can you imagine using a television if you didn't know that a wire had to be hooked to the back of it to receive the signal.

This is about what we need to understand when we are approaching god in Prayer/Praise and worship. It is crucial to understand these things… because you can't really pray or praise if you don't. These guidelines can be used privately or corporately.

Be Persistent

(Luke 18:1-8) Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. {2} He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. {3} And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' {4} "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, {5} yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" {6} And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. {7} And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? {8} I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

We need to be persistent. Whether we feel like it or whether we experience anything or not.

We worship , we praise, we pray because of obedience…. Not feeling or circumstance.

Faith takes hold and persistence keeps hold.

Be Expectant

(Mat 6:27-34) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? {28} "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. {29} Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. {30} If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? {31} So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' {32} For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. {33} But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. {34} Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

When we come before God we come with expectancy…. He has something for us. We need to speak to our soul. The testimony of scripture tells us that he has stored us for us many treasures and good things. We need to rise up on the inside before we can rise up on the outside. God loves to give good gifts. Gifts of the Spirit, Gifts of provision. He wants us to become givers as well.

Be Present (in heaven)

(2 Cor 4:13-18) It is written: "I believed; therefore I have spoken." With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, {14} because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. {15} All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. {16} Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. {17} For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. {18} So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Worship Prayer and Praise take place first in the Heavenly/unseen places and then on earth.

The unseen world is more real than the seen world. Present yourselves before God first.