Prayer is the key to starting a missions program
by Justin D. Long
20 million in full-time prayer ministry
10 million weekly prayer groups
170 million praying daily for world mission
2,100 religious institutes centered full-time on prayer
7,000 monasteries and convents
When we look at the Great Commission given to us in Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:45-49, John 20:21-23, John 21:5-22 and Acts 1:4-8, we see there are 7 key words which comprise the commission. These include Receive (the Holy Spirit)! Go! Witness! Proclaim! Disciple! Baptize! Train!
Each of these 7 aspects are key to any missions program founded by a church or agency. All are necessary in order to adequately evangelize and disciple new converts. The lack of any can be disastrous. No single agency need do all, but all must be present for a thorough program of evangelism to be conducted and for new converts to be trained to reach others with the gospel.
Perhaps one of the key problems in the church today is a lack of prayer on behalf of the unreached. Despite the millions of people who have been participating in large missionary prayer programs, and the millions involved in regular denominational missions prayer programs, there is much left to do.
Any church--or any church member, for that matter--who would like to see an increase in a church's focus on World A, or on missions in general, should begin in prayer. Interest cannot be commanded; it must be stirred by the Spirit of God. Seeking that stirring through intercessory prayer is a very vital first step to seeing a church's missionary program grow.
There are plenty of resources available for equipping such a missionary effort. Operation World is a good place to start. Then there are newsletters, magazines, newswires, Internet e-mail mailing lists, and much more.
The next logical step from forming a small prayer group is forming a regular missions group which meets to learn about and pray for frontier missions. Usually called a "Frontier Missions Fellowship," these are organized to attract Christians who normally aren't interested in frontier missions in the hopes of educating them and raising awareness and interest.
The key is not so much the organization, but the gathering of people together to pray for growing interest in frontier missions. Out of these intercessors will come the new finances and missionaries needed to finish the task. But in the old acronym "Pray! Give! Go!" prayer is always the start.
Any church lacking a regular time for members to pray for missions ought to quickly move to facilitate such a meeting--even if it's just for two people.
Suggestions
- Individuals: approach your pastor and ask if a room in the church can be used for praying for missions. Place missions material in the room and organize a regular time when prayer can be held.
- Churches: consider organizing a full time prayer ministry where missionaries are prayed for 24-hours-a-day by volunteers. This can be a prayer chain, prayer clock, or a prayer room.
- Agencies: are you sending regular information ot churches and intercessors to equip them for prayer? If not, you should be!
